A Way of Release: Honoring Our Grief

It is wisely said that grief is where our love goes when our Beloveds are no longer here to receive it. Understanding that grief is a form of love relays a powerful truth and gives us context for the depth of loss we feel. Our love does not disappear because someone dies, or something ends. Our love continues as grief. And our grief changes us.

We are happiness seekers by nature. Joy, hope, and delight are typically encouraged and sought after, while grief is rarely something we choose to engage in because it is not fun to feel. But the truth is we feel grief anyway, and when we turn toward the truth of our grief, give it room and air and time and tenderness, we feel better even as we continue to grieve. Healthy grief is one that is honored, healthy grieving not rushed.

Here in the West, a sad truth is that healthy death practices, including honoring our grief, have virtually disappeared. But we can find them again, create them anew in the power of ritual. In this gathering, we will create the sacred space in which to honor our personal and collective grief in beauty and safety.

There will be four altars representing aspects of loss that we grieve: Beloveds (including pets), Species, Identities and Traditions, and Dreams.

Here is what you will need:

1.    To wear black or dark colors if possible

2.    To bring a photo (s) or small remembrance of your Beloved Dead for the Ancestor Altar, and a small trinket, item of jewelry or even a small stone, to place on the other three altars.

Tears and sorrow are as much a part of wholeness as joy and laughter. What better time and place than when we gather for our empowerment and wholeness to tend to our grief and to hold one another in compassion as we do so?