Walking Between Worlds - The Nurse, The Psychopomp

In this hauntingly beautiful finale to the Ritual Nurse spooky season specials, Riva explores the sacred and often unseen role nurses play as modern-day psychopomps, guides who walk with souls through the threshold between life and death.

Drawing inspiration from Anubis, the jackal-headed guardian of the ancient Egyptian afterlife, this episode traces how the healers of the Houses of Life understood illness, dying, and care as sacred acts of transformation. Riva brings these ancient rituals forward into the present, showing how nurses today continue that lineage by holding presence at the bedside, bearing witness to suffering, and protecting the liminal space where science and spirit meet.

Listeners will learn how the concept of liminality connects anthropology, nursing science, and spirituality; how research supports the power of consoling presence and modern rituals such as The Sacred Pause; and how reclaiming this identity as a guardian of the threshold can help nurses rediscover meaning and resilience in their work.

The episode closes with Coffee, Crystals, and Divination, featuring Egyptian spiced coffee, the grounding protection of aragonite, and uplifting divination cards that reminds every nurse to trust their intuition and honor the mystery of their work.

This one is personal, reverent, and deeply reflective. To be a nurse is to walk between worlds.

Listen If You Have Ever

• Sat at a patient’s bedside during their final moments
• Felt the weight and holiness of your work
• Needed to reconnect with the reason you chose this profession
• Wanted to blend spiritual reflection with clinical insight

Mentioned in This Episode

• BMJ Open and BMC Palliative Care research on nursing presence and liminality
• The ancient Houses of Life (Per-Ankh) of Egypt
• The modern ritual of The Sacred Pause
• Anubis, Sekhmet, and symbolism that spans millennia

Coffee, Crystals, and Divination

Coffee: Egyptian Spiced Coffee (qahwa)
Crystal: Black Obsidian for grounding, protection, and truth
Tarot: The High Priestess for intuition, wisdom, and honoring the unknown

The Ritual Nurse Podcast — where science, spirit, and story meet to help nurses heal themselves first.

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 Visit ritualnurse.com
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 for show notes, downloads, and free resources.

Chapters

• 0:00 Framing Nurses As Psychopomps
• 2:57 Anubis And The Weighing Of The Heart
• 6:14 Healers In The Houses Of Life
• 12:25 Modern Nursing In Liminal Spaces
• 16:58 Presence As The Core Intervention
• 20:35 Break And What’s Coming Next
• 21:18 The Science Of Liminality
• 26:50 Naming Our Ancient Lineage

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:10

Hey there, welcome back to the Ritual Nurse Podcast. I'm Rita, the Ritual Nurse, and I am so excited about today's episode. Because this one is really special to me. We're diving deep into something that has been on my mind for a while now: the ancient concept of the psychopom and how it connects to who we are today as modern nurses. If you've never heard the word psychopom before, don't worry. By the end of this episode, you'll understand why this ancient Egyptian concept is the perfect, albeit unexpected lens, for understanding the sacred work we do every single day at the bedside. We're going to explore the jackal-headed god Anubis, the protector and guide of souls in ancient Egypt. We'll look at the incredible rituals and roles of the healers in the houses of life. And then, and this is where it gets really powerful, we're going to bring it all back to the present and talk about how nurses today stand in that exact same liminal space, that threshold between life and death, as guides, protectors, and witnesses. Along the way, we'll have our usual story time, dive into some fascinating science, and of course, close out with coffee, crystals, and divination. So grab your favorite drink, get comfortable, and let's talk about what it means to be a guardian of the threshold. So let's start with the basics. What is a psychopomp? Well, the word comes from the Greek psyche meaning soul and pompos meaning guide or conductor. So a psychopomp is essentially a being, a deity, a spirit, or figure, whose job it is to escort souls from the land of the living to the afterlife. They're not judges and they're not there to cause death. They're just simply guides, protectors, and companions on one of the most important journeys a soul will ever take. Every culture has them. The Greeks had some like Hermes, the Norse had the Valkyries, in ancient Egypt, they had Anubis. And he's who we're going to focus on today. Anubis is the jackal-headed guardian. Anubis is one of the most iconic figures in Egyptian mythology. Picture this: a tall figure with the body of a man and the head of a black jackal, standing watch over tombs and guiding souls through the treacherous landscape of the Duat, which is the Egyptian underworld. Why a jackal? Because jackals were often seen lurking around cemeteries in ancient Egypt. Instead of seeing them as scavengers or threats, the Egyptians elevated the jackal to a sacred protector. Anubis became the divine embalmer, the guardian of graves, and most importantly, the psychopomp who led souls through their journey after death. Here's what's fascinating. Anubis wasn't just a passive guide. He had very specific, active roles. He presided over the mummification process, the preservation of the body so the soul could return to it. He protected tombs from desecration, and he escorted the deceased through the 12 gates of the Duat, each one presenting its own trial, its own test of worthiness. The Duat wasn't simply a destination, it was a transformative journey through 12 different stages, each representing a different trial or challenge. The deceased couldn't simply arrive in the afterlife. They had to undergo a process of purification, judgment, and transformation. Similarly, modern dying is not an instantaneous event, but a process that unfolds over time, requiring guidance and support. The most famous moment in that journey is the weighing of the heart ceremony. In the hall of Maat, the goddess of truth and justice, Anubis would take the heart of the deceased and place it on a golden scale. On the other side, a single feather, which is the feather of Ma'at, representing truth, balance, and cosmic order. If your heart was lighter than the feather you passed, you could proceed to the field of reeds, which is the Egyptian version of paradise after death. But if your heart was heavy with lies, cruelty, or wrongdoing, it would be devoured by Amit, a terrifying creature with the head of a crocodile, the body of a lion, and the hindquarters of a hippo. Your soul would cease to exist. Can you imagine the weight of that moment? Standing there, your entire existence balanced on the truth of your life. And Anubis, he was there the whole time, steadying the scales, guiding you, and witnessing your truth. Anubis exists in what we now call a liminal space, a threshold, an in-between space. He wasn't fully in the land of the living, nor was he entirely in the realm of the dead. He existed in both, moving between worlds with ease and authority. The ancient Egyptians understood something profound. Death isn't instant. It is a process, a transition. And during that transition, souls are vulnerable. They need guidance. They need protection. They need someone who knows the way. That is where the psychopomp comes in. And friends, that's where we come in. Before we jump to modern nursing, let's talk about the healers of ancient Egypt, because they too were threshold guardians in their own right. In temples throughout Egypt, there were institutions called the Perank, the Houses of Life. These weren't just libraries or schools, they were healing centers, where priests and priestesses, many of them an ancient version of modern-day physicians, cared for the sick, studied medical texts, performed surgeries, and practiced what we would now call holistic medicine. These healers understood that illness wasn't just physical, it was spiritual, emotional, and magical. They used herbal remedies, surgical tools, prayers and incantations. They invoked gods like Sekhmet, the lioness goddess of healing, and yes, also destruction, and Thoth, the god of wisdom and medicine. But here's what strikes me: these healers also understood death. They were deeply involved in mummification rituals, in preparing bodies for the afterlife, in ensuring that the deceased had everything they needed for their long journey. They stood at the threshold between healing and dying, between life and the unknown. That sounds a little familiar, doesn't it? So contemporary nurses occupied the exact liminal space that Anubis inhabited, standing at the threshold between life and death, between the known and the unknown. This is particularly evident in intensive care units, emergency departments, hospice settings, where nurses regularly guide patients and families through one of humanity's most profound transitions. Research demonstrates that nurses play a critical, albeit often unrecognized, role in managing the transition from curative to palliative care. A qualitative study published in BMJ Open found that hospital-based nurses occupy, quote, a critical albeit complex role in recognizing medical futility and facilitating timely referrals to palliative care. End quote. Nurses' continuous bedside presence gives them unique access to patients and families' emotional and spiritual states, allowing them to identify when the transition to end-of-life care is needed. The concept of liminality, from the Latin liman, meaning threshold, describes the ambiguous in-between state during fundamental transitions. Healthcare scholars recognize that dying patients exist in a liminal space where they are no longer living but not yet dead, creating vulnerability and requiring specialized support. Nurses who spend more time with dying patients than any other healthcare providers become what one study called the human anchor in a time when everything is dissolving. It's our sacred practice of presence. The most essential skill ancient psychopomps possessed was their ability to provide steady, protective presence during transitions. Modern research confirms this ancient wisdom. A 2014 phenomenological study of hospice nurses found that consoling presence was the most powerful intervention for alleviating existential and spiritual suffering. Nurses described their practice as being with patients rather than doing for them, recognizing that bearing witness to suffering, to the end of life, to the transition itself, is in itself a healing act. The concept of bearing witness has deep roots in both ancient and modern caregiving traditions. When nurses sit with dying patients, hold their hands, speak softly to them, and honor their dignity, they are performing the same essential function that Anubis performed, that priests and priestesses in the Per Ankh performed, guiding souls through a frightening transition with protection, knowledge, and compassionate presence. Contemporary nurses have developed rituals that echo ancient Egyptian practices. The sacred pause is implemented in hospitals across the United States. It involves a brief moment of silence after a patient's death to honor the person's life, recognize the care team's efforts, and provide closure. This modern ritual serves the same function as ancient Egyptian funerary rites, marking the significance of the transition, honoring the deceased, and helping caregivers begin to process their grief. Alright, friends, if you need to hit pause and take a break, now is the perfect time. When we come back, we're going to dive into the science behind liminality and threshold spaces, and then we'll talk about practical ways you can honor this sacred role in your own practice. Don't go too far, I'll be right here when you get back. So, liminality, like we discussed earlier, comes from the Latin word limen, meaning threshold. It refers to that ambiguous in-between state during a fundamental transition. Anthropologist Victor Turner described liminality as a middle stage of a rite of passage, the space where someone is no longer who or what they were, but are not yet who or what they will become. So think about it. A patient who's been admitted to the ICU, but hasn't been diagnosed yet, a family waiting for a loved one to come out of surgery, a person actively dying, suspended between life and death. These are all examples of liminal spaces. And guess who's in those spaces with them? Us. Nurses. Research shows that people in liminal states experience heightened vulnerability, anxiety, and disorientation. But they also experience possibility, transformation, and profound meaning making. Liminality streps away the old and makes space for the new. It is uncomfortable, yes, but it's also sacred. One study published in Medical Teacher in 2020 explored threshold concepts in palliative care education and found that understanding liminality is essential for healthcare providers working with dying patients. The researchers wrote that acknowledging the liminal space allows clinicians to provide that liminal space where patients and families can navigate their transition with support, dignity, and presence. And presence, that's the key word here. The science is clear. What dying patients and their families need most isn't always medical intervention. It's presence, bearing witness, being with them in the uncertainty. In that 2014 phenomenological study published in BMC Palliative Care that I mentioned before the break, hospice nurses described their experience of providing spiritual care to dying patients, using words like consoling presence, being with, and standing in the suffering, becoming that human anchor in a time when everything is dissolving. That is liminality. That's the threshold. And if you look at our experience, that's where we live and work almost every single day. Let's pull all this together. We are the modern psychopomps. You could loosely say that we're kind of like the descendants of Anubis, the jackal-headed guardian who stood at the threshold between worlds. We're the inheritors of the healers in the pair-onc, the houses of life, who understood that care was both a science and a sacred act. We stand in liminal spaces, in ICUs, in ERs, in hospice rooms, operating rooms, at the patient's bedside, wherever that may be. Places where life and death meet, where the veil is thin, and where souls are at their most vulnerable. And in those spaces, we do what psychopomps have always done. We guide, we protect, we witness, and we honor. This isn't just poetic language. It is the truth of our work. And when we name it, when we recognize the ancient lineage we're part of, it does change how we show up. It reminds us that we're not just air quotes doing tasks. We're participating in one of the most profound human experiences there is the crossing over, the transition, the sacred passage. So what does this mean practically? Well, first, honor your role. You are not and never will be just a nurse. You are a guardian of a threshold. You are a guide for souls at their most vulnerable moment. Recognizing that dying involves spiritual and existential dimensions, not just physical symptoms, allows nurses to address patients' deepest fears, questions, and needs. This might include facilitating conversations about meaning, supporting religious practices, or simply sitting in compassionate silence. Secondly, practice presence. In liminal space, your presence matters more than your productivity. Sit with your patients, hold space, bear witness to them in that threshold period. Just as ancient Egyptian temples provided dedicated healing environments, nurses can create sacred space at the bedside through intentional presence. Things like dimming the lighting, calming music, and minimal interruptions. These environmental modifications honor the significance of the transition occurring. Third, create ritual. The ancient Egyptians had elaborate rituals for death and dying because rituals provide structure, meaning, and closure. Consider implementing a sacred pause after a patient dies on your own floors, even if it's only just for yourself. A moment of silence to honor the person, maybe their family, and also the care that your team provided. A moment to silently acknowledge the emotions you're holding as well. Implementing rituals like the sacred pause, blessing ceremonies, or legacy-building activities help patients, families, and staff process the profound significance of death. These rituals provide structure and meaning and closure in moments of chaos and uncertainty. Fourth, take care of yourself. Standing at the threshold is heavy work. It does take a toll. Make sure that you have your own rituals for grounding, for processing grief, for honoring the sacred work that you do. Ancient Egyptian embalmers wore masks of Anubis during mummification, symbolically channeling divine protection. Modern nurses need similar protective practices: solid boundaries, debriefing rituals, supervision, and their own spiritual practices to sustain themselves in this demanding role. I have a great series in season one called Debriefing Yourself that teaches you exactly how to do this. And finally, next episode, we're gonna continue diving into burnout and moral injury. Because standing at the threshold without support is unsustainable. We'll talk about how to protect your own heart while you hold space for others. Alright, my friends, let's bring a little of our magic into this. Let's talk about coffee of the week. So this week, for the second time, I'm recommending Egyptian-style spiced coffee, also called kawa, which I think I'm probably mispronouncing. It's strong, bold, and flavored with cardamom, cinnamon, and sometimes a hint of cloves. It is grounding, warming, and perfect for long night shifts. If you can't find it at your local cafe, try adding a pinch of cardamom to your regular coffee. Trust me, it is honestly a game changer. For our crystal of the week and our tarot card poll, let's see what we have as our prescription for this week. One of the things that I find most interesting about the ancient Egyptian lore of the concept of the psychopomp, Egyptians didn't use the word psychopomp. That is a word after the fact that describes much of what they did in holding the space, but Egyptians didn't use that word itself, is how deeply they understood the significance of transformation and the threshold space that transformation takes place in. Because a lot of that underscores much of what we've been learning over this past year that we've spent together in creating ritual space for ourselves. And I know that I've talked about this before, but I just do want to just kind of as a reminder, when I say ritual space, when we talk about creating rituals, this is independent of religion. So no matter what your religion is or isn't, creating ritual is intentionally using materials, space, time, yourself, and intention to manifest something significant. And doing so with repetition creates a habit. And ritual makes that habit that you have created sacred and magnifies the intent of it. And it doesn't matter what religion you are or aren't, you could create ritual around anything. So, first crystal that jumped out for our prescription for the next two weeks. We are going back to two-week release of episodes. The weekly ones that we've been doing the past three weeks have just been for, oh my goodness. I don't think that that was intentional because that was like eight cards. Has just been for spooky season and some fun episodes. So we are going back to our normal, regularly scheduled every two-week release. So our crystal prescription for the next two weeks, I think what we're getting is just this card. So let's take a look at it. Oh gosh, this is absolutely stunning. I don't know that I've drawn this one before. So it looks like our card is wanderlust. And that's Aragonite. And this is absolutely gorgeous. So Wanderlust or Aragonite, embracing the unknown, change, and grounding. The Wanderlust card embodies exploration and self-discovery. Aragonite signifies grounding in connection to nature, urging you to embark on a journey of inner and outer exploration. This card prompts you to trust your inner compass, follow your heart's desires, and embrace the unknown as you navigate towards new experiences and endless possibilities. This card is literally describing you being in a liminal space and encouraging you to explore the unknown and possibilities. If I didn't watch myself do it, then I might not actually believe that it was just live polled while I was doing this podcast. But this is an absolutely stunning image and it looks like a compass with Aragonite in the middle. So let's look at our tarot card poll for the next two weeks. And if you guys have more questions about the history of this or have more interest, hit me up and let me know on socials. I'm on TikTok. Um, you can always hit the feedback link at the top of the show notes. You can email me at hello at the ritual nurse uh ritualnurse.com, sorry, not the just hello at ritualnurse.com and let me know. Write to me. I only covered psychopomps in ancient Egyptian practices because that's our earliest known uh uh instances of them, and there's specifically a deity associated with it. Um there are many in many other cultures, just because I didn't mention them in this specific podcast does not mean they do not exist. They absolutely do. Um so if you would like to share uh history or tradition in your culture that is the is the same as the psychopomp, I would love to hear it. Okay, so we have the eight of cups and the nine of cups. Interesting. Ocean Jasper and Aura Oura quartz. I think Aura Aura quartz popped up last week. So let's but I think it might have been as a crystal prescription. So the Eight of Cups signifies a journey, and Aura Aura quartz is uplifting, confidence, and communication. You may be coming to a realization that it's time to walk away or move on from an emotional situation. This card suggests to leave that unfulfilling situation behind you and spend time exploring what brings you true happiness. The nine of cups is wishes granted, satisfaction, and emotional fulfillment. Ocean Jasper signifies emotional stability, joy, and uplifting. Make the wish. The Nine of Cups is known traditionally as the wish card. The universe is listening, so this is a sign to make a wish, and it will soon be granted. Also, practicing gratitude will lift your spirit and help you see that you have a lot to be thankful for already. I think that combined with what we discussed in terms of being in the limital space and facing the unknown and it being about the journey and the transformation, these cards are really signifying to do a lot of that introspective self-work, which we see as a huge theme during the month of November, starting off with the remembrance of the Day of the Dead, All Souls Day, and really kind of the thinning of the veil, if you will. There's always a lot of focus and encouragement on doing shadow work and introspective work during this time of year. So I think this is very apropos. It's also the reason I decided to close out the spooky season podcasts with the psychopomp because we just passed over the threshold of the remembrance of the day of the dead and all souls day and soon or Halloween. And uh it just seemed like the perfect closing uh to talk about the liminal space and the threshold. So make sure that you have your Aragonite and your Ocean Jasper and your Aura Aura quartz. And your message this week is really to trust yourself. You know more than you think you do. You are exactly the guide that your patients need. You need to take care of yourself so that you can do so and carve out that ritual time for yourself, whatever that may look like for you. Thank you so much for being here today, friends. This episode was deeply personal for me. This is a subject matter that I've spent a lot of time in introspection and research on, and I hope it resonated a little with you too. And remember, you are not just a statistic or a number. You are standing at the threshold between worlds, guiding souls with courage, compassion, and grace. You are the modern psychopomp, the guardian of the veil, and the healer betwixt and between. Until next time, keep crafting those rituals to heal the healer. You are sacred and you are seen, and you are so, so needed.