Grief
In the west, we’ve lost touch with grief. We don’t allow ourselves to feel it, we don’t give it the attention it needs, and often we don’t know how to support those in grief. We are missing a warm and compassionate village. Meanwhile, engaging with our grief is often what we need to live a more joyful and inspired life.
About Grief
Some of us may experience grief as a melancholy or numb feeling that permeates our lives when we’re not distracting ourselves or chasing the next high.
Others may experience it as an intense tornado of emotion that only a few are let in on.
In these often lonely experiences of grief, we miss something so important - we miss that grief is life force.
Grief is vital energy moving us towards aliveness, integration, truth, wholeness, care and love with immense passion of heart.
We miss that grief was never meant to be experienced alone.
This great longing we have to be held, supported, and witnessed in our grief is our birthright.
Offerings
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Grief rituals are a great introduction to the culture of grief tending and a beautiful way to come closer to your grief.
Expect a guided, somatic, ceremonial space to process emotion and connect to your sorrow.
We’ll welcome grief into the space with song, ritual, and interpersonal exercises.
See upcoming events here.
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A tailored grief ceremony to honor your personal grief with individualized support from a trained grief tender.
A space to process and release.
Your grief met with Reverence and Care.
Includes a post-ceremony integration session.
More info here.
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These are resources I’ve found helpful to tend my grief and I hope they can be helpful to you.
Music
Zarad Tebe by Peia
Thank You Love by Mitsch Kohn, Netanel Goldberg, Truth of Now
I Let Myself Cry
Letting Go
Ho’oponopono by The Emmitt Sisters
Wails (Songs for Grief) Album by Alexandra BlakeyArticles
Embracing Grief by Sobonfu Some
Video
Francis Weller on The Five Gates Of Grief
Books
The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller
Prayers Honoring Grief by Pixie Lighthouse
Testimonials
“[This] grief ritual is needed in every neighborhood, every week. It brings ancient human wisdom about the healing effect of collective grieving. I felt something truly start to open up in my heart that has been locked down since the loss.”
Claire, Grief Ritual Attendee
“I feel great gratitude for this offering. I have felt lighter at work all week. Peace is easier for me to feel, toward my grief but also just generally.”
Thomas, Grief Ritual Attendee
“Nils facilitated a supportive grief circle. I enjoyed the mix of poetry, letter writing, conversation and learning about the stages of grief. Nils set the tone for the group with the agreements and this was so appreciated. The containment provided a space for me to cry and share from my heart. I would recommend this experience to anyone grieving. It was cathartic and supportive during a difficult time when my loved one is transitioning.”
Elizabeth, Support Group Attendee
Francis Weller on Grief
“There is something feral about grief, something essentially outside the ordained and sanctioned behaviors of our culture. Because of that, grief is necessary to the vitality of the soul.
Contrary to our fears, grief is suffused with life force. It is riddled with energy. An acknowledgment of the erotic coupling with another soul, whether human, animal, plant, or ecosystem. It is not a state of deadness or emotional flatness. Grief is alive, wild, untamed. It cannot be domesticated. It resists the demands to remain passive and still.
We move in jangled, unsettled and riotous ways when grief takes hold of us. It is truly an emotion that rises from the soul.”