Grief Ritual

“Yielding Like Ice About To Melt” ~Lao Tsu

Come here, dear ones, get a little closer, and open your hearts to courageously and compassionately share being in relationship with what we lose and with what comes to an end; and while things fall apart, let’s honor and celebrate the possibilities of what can be.

Join us in Talking Circles. A free seasonal virtual offering @ 7:30p ET (each solstice & equinox). All are welcome. (60-90 min.)

Whether world chaos, environmental destruction, economic crisis, political turmoil, family sorrows, or personal hardships, there is plenty to witness and grieve. I am tenderly inviting you to join me in a free seasonal grief ritual gathering.

Grief ritual is a profound practice of connecting us all to our universal truth: we all have stories of heartbreak and loss. When we take on the brave work of coming home to our grief, we are able to compassionately connect to one another through our mutual suffering. This practice, as Francis Weller writes, “is also a form of soul protest, our wholehearted response to acts of violence and oppression.” This means getting deep into the messy work of caring for relationships – our ancestors, our peers, our elders, our descendants, and the whole web of life.

Perhaps you are like me, dissolving layers of conditioning that too often keeps my grief buried or hidden in dark corners, locked away for no one to feel and see. Perhaps you know grief like a dear loving old friend, and you seek a place to hold and share each other’s stories. Perhaps there’s just a tiny spark of curiosity and resonance arising in your body, and you want to see if this space feels right for you.

I am inviting all of you to come here, get a little closer, and open your hearts to courageously and compassionately hold and share your grief with other lovely beings, so we can tend to our personal and collective needs within our shared humanity.

“It takes lots of drowning in your own too tiny river to get to this big and good place” ~Father Richard Rohr

By taking small risks of sharing our heartbreak (both current and old wounds), we are stepping into a vulnerable moment that gives rise to painful revelations.

We slow down, tune into our bodies to listen for the stories our sensations are telling us, acknowledging and honoring what is present in our lives.

This experience allows us to renew trust and faith in ourselves and each other, which grows and expands our love for all sentient beings of this world–including the earth itself.

Through grief rituals, we restore and rebuild relationships.

“Clear space, remove the debris of what was, in order to begin to take different actions, guided by what we love and care for deeply” ~ Sapra Barton

POINTS OF PRACTICE

Revelatory Speech

Share who we are, not how we should be

02

Deep Listening

Allow the breath and some space to fill the circle after someone speaks, feeling what’s present with our bodies.

03

Resist Advising

This is an experience for bringing presence and being a witness. After someone’s share practice saying we hear you or thank you or a heartfelt gesture.

04

Keep Confidentiality

The experience of vulnerability and risk is a reflection of how safe the participants feel to be seen – what’s shared in circle remains in circle.

Not Too Loose. Not Too Tight.

1: Grounding

Centering Meditation & Invocation

2: Sharing

Share the grief you are carrying

3: Metabolizing

Guided Integration Practice


Seeking a grief space for family, friends, and loved ones to connect due to a recent loss?

More personalized grief offerings available