The Morbid Anatomy Library houses hundreds of books and artifacts for your edification and pleasure. The giftshop features signed books, used and antique books, t-shirts, tote bags, and sundry artifacts from around the world. Admission is free, and no appointment is necessary. 

We are part of the Industry City complex, which is just 20 minutes from Manhattan, located on the Brooklyn waterfront off the D/N/R subway lines, exit at 36th Street. The Library is located at 254 36th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232 on the second floor. Use the stairwell or elevators next to Jus by Julie. You will find us in room 2-C248 from 12-5pm, Saturdays and Sundays.

Free to members of the Morbid Anatomy Patreon at Joanna’s Psychopomp level, Oracle Level and above. Become a member here.

In Eastern esoteric spiritual traditions, life is ultimately seen as an occasion to practice and prepare one for death. This weekly group meditation—led by Eastern-Trained Meditation Teacher and End of Life Doula Bryan Melillo—is aimed towards helping reduce fear of death and preparing participants for end of life while also cultivating a community of like-minded people with whom to share this collective experience.

Join us at The Morbid Anatomy Library to read some or our many books, marvel at our collection of curiosities, and peruse our gift shop. Today, we also invite you to take part in an informal tarot salon during opening hours, in which we’ll share, enjoy, and discuss readings and interpretations in a friendly and non-competitive atmosphere. This free event is for curious fans, enthusiasts, dedicated scholars, and for those who just want to learn more about tarot from other tarot enthusiasts. Bring your own deck or use the display decks from our tarot shop.

The Death Deck is proud to introduce a powerful new tool in its series: The Dementia Deck. Designed to make conversations around dementia care more approachable and deeply meaningful, The Dementia Deck uses thoughtful, multiple-choice prompts to spark dialogue about the kind of support and treatment you’d want if living with dementia. Tonight, join us for an engaging, interactive evening with Lisa Pahl, LCSW, Owner of The Death Deck LLC and Creator of The Dementia Deck. Together, we’ll explore this new tool, offering participants a chance to reflect on their dementia-specific care wishes and begin documenting them with confidence and clarity.

The Morbid Anatomy Library houses hundreds of books and artifacts for your edification and pleasure. The giftshop features signed books, used and antique books, t-shirts, tote bags, and sundry artifacts from around the world. Admission is free, and no appointment is necessary. 

We are part of the Industry City complex, which is just 20 minutes from Manhattan, located on the Brooklyn waterfront off the D/N/R subway lines, exit at 36th Street. The Library is located at 254 36th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232 on the second floor. Use the stairwell or elevators next to Jus by Julie. You will find us in room 2-C248 from 12-5pm, Saturdays and Sundays.

Free to members of the Morbid Anatomy Patreon at Joanna’s Psychopomp level, Oracle Level and above. Become a member here.

In Eastern esoteric spiritual traditions, life is ultimately seen as an occasion to practice and prepare one for death. This weekly group meditation—led by Eastern-Trained Meditation Teacher and End of Life Doula Bryan Melillo—is aimed towards helping reduce fear of death and preparing participants for end of life while also cultivating a community of like-minded people with whom to share this collective experience.

At Death Cafe people gather to "eat cake, drink tea and discuss death." For this free online event, join death midwife Lisa Cox on Zoom with a snack and beverage in hand, along with questions or stories and a thoughtful ear. There is no agenda, except as arises among those in attendance. Death Cafe is a worldwide non-profit movement to allow non-judgmental space for people to talk about death, online or in person.

Join us at The Morbid Anatomy Library to read some or our many books, marvel at our collection of curiosities, and peruse our gift shop. Today, we also invite you to take part in an informal tarot salon during opening hours, in which we’ll share, enjoy, and discuss readings and interpretations in a friendly and non-competitive atmosphere. This free event is for curious fans, enthusiasts, dedicated scholars, and for those who just want to learn more about tarot from other tarot enthusiasts. Bring your own deck or use the display decks from our tarot shop.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon Members at the Memento Mori ($5/month) and above levels. Eligible members will get an invitation in their Patreon inbox. Become a member here.

Join death midwife Lisa Cox discuss Atul Gawande’s classic tome Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. Modern medicine keeps us alive, extends our lives in aging and terminal illness. But what is the cost to quality of life as we approach the end? In this book, physician Atul Gawandi, drawing on experience with patients and his own family, grapples with the question of how to  improve quality of life, rather than simply adding quantity, right up to death.

In the late 1940s, the flying saucer craze swept through post-war America, sparking renewed fascination with the marvelous and the strange—psychic powers, supernatural and alien encounters, and fringe occult beliefs. This talk will examine the intersection of science fiction fandom and mid-century bohemian culture with the paranormal, including a discussion of outsider artist and alien contactee Richard Shaver.

Reiki—a practice originating from Japan and developed by Mikao Usui in the 1920s—is most often translated as universal energy, or life-force energy. It can be understood as that essential quality that makes something alive, the difference between animate and inanimate. When this vital energy is amplified, it creates the conditions for healing and nourishment to occur. This online monthly group will provide a space for the therapeutic application of Reiki for relaxation, release, and community; relaxation exercises and therapeutic sound (such as Tibetan bowls and chimes) will also be utilized. Reiki can have restorative effects on the nervous system and allow for increased creativity, insights, emotional release, light trance states. It can also be beneficial to those who are grieving or wish to prepare for “a good death,” by inviting a deeper relationship to energy beyond the physical body.

The Morbid Anatomy Library houses hundreds of books and artifacts for your edification and pleasure. The giftshop features signed books, used and antique books, t-shirts, tote bags, and sundry artifacts from around the world. Admission is free, and no appointment is necessary. 

We are part of the Industry City complex, which is just 20 minutes from Manhattan, located on the Brooklyn waterfront off the D/N/R subway lines, exit at 36th Street. The Library is located at 254 36th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232 on the second floor. Use the stairwell or elevators next to Jus by Julie. You will find us in room 2-C248 from 12-5pm, Saturdays and Sundays.

Free to members of the Morbid Anatomy Patreon at Joanna’s Psychopomp level, Oracle Level and above. Become a member here.

In Eastern esoteric spiritual traditions, life is ultimately seen as an occasion to practice and prepare one for death. This weekly group meditation—led by Eastern-Trained Meditation Teacher and End of Life Doula Bryan Melillo—is aimed towards helping reduce fear of death and preparing participants for end of life while also cultivating a community of like-minded people with whom to share this collective experience.

Join us at The Morbid Anatomy Library to read some or our many books, marvel at our collection of curiosities, and peruse our gift shop. Today, we also invite you to take part in an informal tarot salon during opening hours, in which we’ll share, enjoy, and discuss readings and interpretations in a friendly and non-competitive atmosphere. This free event is for curious fans, enthusiasts, dedicated scholars, and for those who just want to learn more about tarot from other tarot enthusiasts. Bring your own deck or use the display decks from our tarot shop.

In the 1840s, the Fox Sisters and the Spiritualist movement they sparked transformed séances from parlor tricks into political and personal statements, drawing suffragists, scientists, and skeptics alike. Spiritualism gave women a voice and blurred lines between faith, fraud, feminism, and financial opportunity, attracting figures from Harry Houdini to Victoria Woodhull. In this lecture, Ilise S. Carter—author of When We Spoke to the Dead: How Ghosts Gave American Women their Voice—explores how Spiritualism’s forgotten roots shaped today’s fascination with manifestation and mysticism, tracing how the supernatural evolved from heresy to a powerful social force.

Join us as we welcome author Ilise S. Carter for an in-person reading and signing of her new nonfiction book When We Spoke to the Dead: How Ghosts Gave American Women Their Voice. Mixing memoir, travelogue, and history; her sophomore effort examines how the mediums of the Victorian-era Spiritualist movement have influenced everything from Disneyland to modern medicine.

Free to members of the Morbid Anatomy Patreon at Joanna’s Psychopomp level, Oracle Level and above. Become a member here.

In Eastern esoteric spiritual traditions, life is ultimately seen as an occasion to practice and prepare one for death. This weekly group meditation—led by Eastern-Trained Meditation Teacher and End of Life Doula Bryan Melillo—is aimed towards helping reduce fear of death and preparing participants for end of life while also cultivating a community of like-minded people with whom to share this collective experience.

Join us at The Morbid Anatomy Library to read some or our many books, marvel at our collection of curiosities, and peruse our gift shop. Today, we also invite you to take part in an informal tarot salon during opening hours, in which we’ll share, enjoy, and discuss readings and interpretations in a friendly and non-competitive atmosphere. This free event is for curious fans, enthusiasts, dedicated scholars, and for those who just want to learn more about tarot from other tarot enthusiasts. Bring your own deck or use the display decks from our tarot shop.

Join Lauren Seeley—death care worker and death literacy advocate, as well as the facilitator for the Silent Book Club Of Death NYC Chapter—at Brooklyn’s Morbid Anatomy Library for a night in which we read silently about death/grief/mortality followed by a game of The Death Deck. Following, there will be an open discussion and reflection where guests will have the opportunity to share their findings and feelings about mortality. Refreshments will be included.

Free to members of the Morbid Anatomy Patreon at Joanna’s Psychopomp level, Oracle Level and above. Become a member here.

In Eastern esoteric spiritual traditions, life is ultimately seen as an occasion to practice and prepare one for death. This weekly group meditation—led by Eastern-Trained Meditation Teacher and End of Life Doula Bryan Melillo—is aimed towards helping reduce fear of death and preparing participants for end of life while also cultivating a community of like-minded people with whom to share this collective experience.

This lecture will explore the legacy and mythos of Hekate, the enigmatic goddess of witchcraft, crossroads, and the underworld, whose ancient cults have left lasting impressions upon the history of European magic. Drawing from classical sources, ancient grimoires, and medieval folklore, our class will trace the shifting roles of Hekate as both liminal guide and queen of ghosts. Special attention will be given to her associations with death and the chthonic underworld, exploring how these attributes came to shape the language of fear and fascination which accompany Hekate and the witches in her company. 

Free to members of the Morbid Anatomy Patreon at Joanna’s Psychopomp level, Oracle Level and above. Become a member here.

In Eastern esoteric spiritual traditions, life is ultimately seen as an occasion to practice and prepare one for death. This weekly group meditation—led by Eastern-Trained Meditation Teacher and End of Life Doula Bryan Melillo—is aimed towards helping reduce fear of death and preparing participants for end of life while also cultivating a community of like-minded people with whom to share this collective experience.

Flowers fill our cemeteries, appearing not only in funeral arrangements but also carved into the stones themselves. Broken roses, eloquent lilies, charming daisies, and elaborate passion flowers are more than decoration—they hold layers of hidden symbolism. In this illustrated talk, these lost meanings will be revealed. We’ll look at historic “language of flowers” books and explore the deeper connection between flowers and death, including how this symbolism was expressed in objects of mourning. This knowledge will add a new dimension to your next graveyard wander—whether noticing the delicate pansies representing thoughts of the departed, or lavish roses for undying love.

Free to members of the Morbid Anatomy Patreon at Joanna’s Psychopomp level, Oracle Level and above. Become a member here.

In Eastern esoteric spiritual traditions, life is ultimately seen as an occasion to practice and prepare one for death. This weekly group meditation—led by Eastern-Trained Meditation Teacher and End of Life Doula Bryan Melillo—is aimed towards helping reduce fear of death and preparing participants for end of life while also cultivating a community of like-minded people with whom to share this collective experience.

Reiki—a practice originating from Japan and developed by Mikao Usui in the 1920s—is most often translated as universal energy, or life-force energy. It can be understood as that essential quality that makes something alive, the difference between animate and inanimate. When this vital energy is amplified, it creates the conditions for healing and nourishment to occur. This online monthly group will provide a space for the therapeutic application of Reiki for relaxation, release, and community; relaxation exercises and therapeutic sound (such as Tibetan bowls and chimes) will also be utilized. Reiki can have restorative effects on the nervous system and allow for increased creativity, insights, emotional release, light trance states. It can also be beneficial to those who are grieving or wish to prepare for “a good death,” by inviting a deeper relationship to energy beyond the physical body.

Join author Nicholas Jugger for a deep dive into the history behind fairy tales around the world, from the medieval Indian collection known as The Ocean of the Streams of Story through to the stories of Hans Christian Andersen in the mid-19th century, revealing some of the tragic and fascinating characters who passed down, re-tooled and collected both classic and lesser-known tales, and showing how ideas about fairy tales developed over the centuries, and in different cultures. In this illustrated talk you will meet, among others, a Neapolitan courtier-poet who turned his back on a soldier's life to collect magical tales; the bankrupt housekeeper who wrote the first version of 'Beauty and the Beast'; and the Russian revolutionary who collected tales about the fearsome witch Baba Yaga. 

Free to members of the Morbid Anatomy Patreon at Joanna’s Psychopomp level, Oracle Level and above. Become a member here.

In Eastern esoteric spiritual traditions, life is ultimately seen as an occasion to practice and prepare one for death. This weekly group meditation—led by Eastern-Trained Meditation Teacher and End of Life Doula Bryan Melillo—is aimed towards helping reduce fear of death and preparing participants for end of life while also cultivating a community of like-minded people with whom to share this collective experience.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon members at Oracle & Joanna’s Psychopomp Salon ($15/mo) and above levels. Eligible members will receive a viewing link in their Patreon inbox on the day of the event. Become a member here.

Hope to see you at this free, informal, online monthly meetup devoted to open and non-judgemental conversations about death with likeminded people from around the world. Any related topic is welcome.

Join Lauren Seeley—death care worker and death literacy advocate, as well as the facilitator for the Silent Book Club Of Death NYC Chapter—at Brooklyn’s Morbid Anatomy Library for a night in which we read silently about death/grief/mortality followed by a game of The Death Deck. Following, there will be an open discussion and reflection where guests will have the opportunity to share their findings and feelings about mortality. Refreshments will be included.

Free to members of the Morbid Anatomy Patreon at Joanna’s Psychopomp level, Oracle Level and above. Become a member here.

In Eastern esoteric spiritual traditions, life is ultimately seen as an occasion to practice and prepare one for death. This weekly group meditation—led by Eastern-Trained Meditation Teacher and End of Life Doula Bryan Melillo—is aimed towards helping reduce fear of death and preparing participants for end of life while also cultivating a community of like-minded people with whom to share this collective experience.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon members at Oracle & Joanna’s Psychopomp Salon ($15/mo) and above levels. Eligible members will receive a viewing link in their Patreon inbox on the day of the event. Become a member here.

The Psychopomp Salon is a thematic presentation/meetup that will explore—via images, words, and group discussion—areas of our founder Joanna Ebenstein's research and travels. This month, we will take a deep dive into how Mexico has understood concepts of good and evil—focusing on the figure of the devil as it appears in religion, folklore, and the cultural imagination. Our special guest is Sal Olguín, the visionary guide of Morbid Anatomy’s Day of the Dead tours.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon members at Oracle & Joanna’s Psychopomp Salon ($15/mo) and above levels. Eligible members will receive a viewing link in their Patreon inbox on the day of the event. Become a member here.

Join our founder Joanna Ebenstein for a special viewing and after-film discussion of Carnival of Souls, directed by Herk Harvey in 1962. This cult classic psychological horror film follows Mary Henry, a young woman who becomes haunted by eerie visions after surviving a car accident, leading her to an abandoned carnival and a descent into surreal terror. The film is beloved for its atmospheric style and haunting themes.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon Members at the $10/above levels. Eligible members will get an invitation in their Patreon inbox. Become a member here.

We hope you’ll join us for a Morbid Anatomy Show and Tell cocktail party! Get a rare peek at the private collections of Founder and Creative Director Joanna Ebenstein and Executive Director Megan Fitzpatrick. We also invite you to share an object or artifact of your own, while meeting and enjoying a virtual cocktail with others in the Morbid Anatomy Community.

Free to members of the Morbid Anatomy Patreon at Joanna’s Psychopomp level, Oracle Level and above. Become a member here.

In Eastern esoteric spiritual traditions, life is ultimately seen as an occasion to practice and prepare one for death. This weekly group meditation—led by Eastern-Trained Meditation Teacher and End of Life Doula Bryan Melillo—is aimed towards helping reduce fear of death and preparing participants for end of life while also cultivating a community of like-minded people with whom to share this collective experience.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon members at Oracle & Joanna’s Psychopomp Salon ($15/mo) and above levels. Eligible members will receive a viewing link in their Patreon inbox on the day of the event. Become a member here.

Hope to see you at this free, informal, online monthly meetup devoted to open and non-judgemental conversations about death with likeminded people from around the world. Any related topic is welcome.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon Members at the Memento Mori ($5/month) and above levels. Eligible members will get an invitation in their Patreon inbox. Become a member here.

Join Morbid Anatomy founder Joanna Ebenstein to discuss Bruce Greyson, MD’s After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond. In it, Dr. Greyson—a leading expert on near-death experiences—reveals his journey toward rethinking the nature of death, life, and the continuity of consciousness. He challenges us to consider what NDEs can teach us about the relationship between our brain and our mind, expanding our understanding of consciousness, and of what it means to be human.

The alter ego is a gateway to the glittering, rebellious world of underground nightlife, where drag artists, club kids, and cabaret misfits transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. This tradition of radical self-invention—seen in icons like Klaus Nomi, Divine, and the Club Kids—celebrates the bizarre and the beautiful, turning nightlife into a stage for personal and artistic liberation. With wild costumes, bold personas, and a spirit of defiance, these scenes invite us to break free from convention and embrace our most creative selves. Join artist Le Pustra for a lively discussion on the transformative power of alter egos in nightlife and cabaret, and hear about his own evolution from outsider to living work of art.

Free to members of the Morbid Anatomy Patreon at Joanna’s Psychopomp level, Oracle Level and above. Become a member here.

In Eastern esoteric spiritual traditions, life is ultimately seen as an occasion to practice and prepare one for death. This weekly group meditation—led by Eastern-Trained Meditation Teacher and End of Life Doula Bryan Melillo—is aimed towards helping reduce fear of death and preparing participants for end of life while also cultivating a community of like-minded people with whom to share this collective experience.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon members at Oracle & Joanna’s Psychopomp Salon ($15/mo) and above levels. Eligible members will receive a viewing link in their Patreon inbox on the day of the event. Become a member here.

Hope to see you at this free, informal, online monthly meetup devoted to open and non-judgemental conversations about death with likeminded people from around the world. Any related topic is welcome.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon members at Oracle & Joanna’s Psychopomp Salon ($15/mo) and above levels. Eligible members will receive a viewing link in their Patreon inbox on the day of the event. Become a member here.

The Psychopomp Salon is a thematic presentation/meetup that will explore—via images, words, and group discussion—areas of our founder Joanna Ebenstein's research and travels. This month, we will take a deep dive into the Anatomical Venus. a preternaturally beautiful life-sized, dissectible wax woman created in 18th century Florence, Italy to seduce a general public into the science of human anatomy. Ebenstein will share never before shown outtakes from her travels and work on her book exploring these fascinating figures as we attempt to unravel their complicated—yet not contradictory— mixture of of eroticism, the ecstatic, aesthetics, metaphysics, and and the scientific.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon members at Oracle & Joanna’s Psychopomp Salon ($15/mo) and above levels. Eligible members will receive a viewing link in their Patreon inbox on the day of the event. Become a member here.

Join our founder Joanna Ebenstein for a special viewing of Bowery at Midnight with Bela Lugosi (1942), a cult classic crime-horror film starring Bela Lugosi that blends elements of suspense, horror, and noir. Lugosi stars as Dr. Karl Wagner (also known as Professor Brenner), a respected psychology professor by day who operates a Bowery soup kitchen by night. Wagner also leads a criminal gang, using the kitchen to recruit desperate men for robberies and then disposing of them once they’ve served their purpose. The film’s horror twist comes as Wagner’s accomplice (an unhinged doctor) revives these murdered henchmen as zombie-like minions, culminating in a tense and macabre finale.

Insects surround us. They fuel life on Earth through their roles as pollinators, decomposers, predators, and prey, but rarely do we consider the outsize influence they have had on our culture and civilization. Their anatomy and habits inform how we live, work, create art, and innovate. Our world would look very different without insects, not just because they are crucial to our ecosystems, but because they have shaped and inspired so many aspects of what makes us human. IIn this image-filled presentation by entomologist Barrett Klein, we will explore the overt and hidden ways in which our insect neighbors augment and shape our lives.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon members at Danse Macabre and above levels; eligible members will receive a Zoom invitation in their Patreon inbox. Become a member HERE.

On this special evening, we invite our Supporter-level (and above) members to grab a drink and share their own (or listen to others’) mysterious encounters—be they ghost stories, uncanny synchronicities, or unusual happenings—with other members of the Morbid Anatomy community around the world.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon members at Oracle & Joanna’s Psychopomp Salon ($15/mo) and above levels. Eligible members will receive a viewing link in their Patreon inbox on the day of the event. Become a member here.

Hope to see you at this free, informal, online monthly meetup devoted to open and non-judgemental conversations about death with likeminded people from around the world. Any related topic is welcome.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon Members at the Memento Mori ($5/month) and above levels. Eligible members will get an invitation in their Patreon inbox. Become a member here.

Beyond: A Living Person’s Guide to the Dead by Morbid Anatomy Medium in Residence Tiffany Hopkins is the culmination of seven years exploring the mysterious, culturally ambivalent practice of mediumship. Drawing on her own journey, which began after inheriting a cottage in Lily Dale—the world-famous Spiritualist community—Hopkins blends personal experience with practical guidance for connecting with the dead. The book offers both intellectual foundations and heart-centered tools, inviting readers to explore the liminal space between life and death. Today, join author and Morbid Anatomy Medium in Residence Tiffany Hopkins for a discussion of the book.

As early as the 12th century, European artists imagined the entrance to Hell as a monstrous mouth devouring the damned. In this vividly illustrated talk with art historian Brenda Edgar, we’ll explore how gluttony—one of the seven deadly sins—was visualized from the Middle Ages through the Baroque, with overeaters condemned to eternal digestion by beasts like Cerberus or Satan himself. From force-feeding to infernal feasting, join us for a deep dive into the dark, digestive symbolism of Hell in European art.

The Book of Revelation—St. John’s mystic vision from the island of Patmos—has inspired some of the most awe-inspiring and terrifying works in European Medieval and Renaissance art. From jewel-studded visions of the Heavenly Jerusalem to the monstrous maws of Hell, artists brought the Apocalypse to life with astonishing detail. Join art historian Brenda Edgar for a lavishly illustrated talk exploring how painters and sculptors visualized divine judgment, celestial glory, and demonic chaos. You’ll never see locusts the same way again.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon members at Oracle & Joanna’s Psychopomp Salon ($15/mo) and above levels. Eligible members will receive a viewing link in their Patreon inbox on the day of the event. Become a member here.

Hope to see you at this free, informal, online monthly meetup devoted to open and non-judgemental conversations about death with likeminded people from around the world. Any related topic is welcome.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon members at Oracle & Joanna’s Psychopomp Salon ($15/mo) and above levels. Eligible members will receive a viewing link in their Patreon inbox on the day of the event. Become a member here.

The Psychopomp Salon is a thematic presentation/meetup that will explore—via images, words, and group discussion—areas of our founder Joanna Ebenstein's research and travels. This month, we’ll focus on El Tío, a folk deity found in the mines of Bolivia who can either grant you unimaginable wealth or destroy you. Ebenstein will share never before shown photos form her travels, and introduce you to the rich and violent history behind these figure, revolving around a mountain that produced enough silver to form a bridge between Bolivia and Seville, and killed enough men to to create the same bridge in bones.

Before the printing press, every book was made by hand—often on parchment crafted from animal skin. In this richly illustrated talk with art historian Brenda Edgar, we’ll explore medieval illuminated manuscripts as both sacred texts and physical objects, tracing how quirks of flesh, hair, and even belly buttons shaped the page itself. From shimmering decoration to theological meaning, join us for a journey into the luminous, otherworldly beauty of the handmade book.

In the 1920s, archaeologists uncovered over 1,000 ancient Sumerian graves in Ur, southern Iraq—including royal tombs filled with gold, musical instruments, and the remains of attendants who died in ritual sacrifice. In this richly illustrated lecture with art historian Brenda Edgar, we’ll explore what these grave goods and burial practices reveal about the beliefs of the world’s first civilizations. From the deadly rites of Sumer to the jewel-filled tombs of Assyrian queens, join us for a journey into the ancient rituals of death, royalty, and the afterlife.

FREE to Morbid Anatomy Patreon members at Oracle & Joanna’s Psychopomp Salon ($15/mo) and above levels. Eligible members will receive a viewing link in their Patreon inbox on the day of the event. Become a member here.

The Psychopomp Salon is a thematic presentation/meetup that will explore—via images, words, and group discussion—areas of our founder Joanna Ebenstein's research and travels. This month, we’ll focus on Ebenstein and her husband Bryan Melillo’s recent trip to India, and especially her month spent in Varanasi—one of the oldest cities on earth and the center for death rituals in that country.

Only about 25 works survive by the late Flemish master Hieronymus Bosch, but their surreal visions have captivated viewers for centuries. In this enchantingly illustrated talk with art historian Brenda Edgar, we’ll explore Bosch’s fantastical depictions of Earth, Heaven, and Hell—where giant strawberries, pearl-laying bodies, and dreamlike landscapes collide. We’ll also trace his influence on later artists, from the Renaissance to the Surrealists, including Magritte and Dalí, who saw in Bosch a visionary ahead of his time.