We are living in chaotic times. There is so much to grieve, yet it can feel too overwhelming to allow our hearts to soften into the vulnerable place needed to tend our personal and collective sorrows. Paradoxically, when we do not allow our grief to be felt, we can harden to our own selves, and the world around us. In a time where the world needs more caring and compassion than ever, grieving is a radical act.

Do you feel stuck in your grief, feel like you need to grieve a recent loss but don’t really know how, or are perhaps resistant to even going there? Are your coping strategies or default to survival mode failing you, leaving you exhausted and overwhelmed? Perhaps you would just like more support and guidance during this sorrowful time, or a place of welcome and witnessing that honors the weight of what you carry. You may have recently lost a loved one, the ending of a relationship, experienced the death of a beloved pet companion, or are reeling from the humanitarian and planetary calamities of our times.

How do we turn toward our individual grief with compassion in the midst of so much collective grief? How do we bear witness to climate change, societal collapse, and the multiple pandemics from police violence to COVID-19 of the last several years and keep our hearts open to engaging with the world and our communities as we’d like to? Join us in journeying through these questions together in a healing group container held by expert facilitators. Participate in guided meditations, somatic practices accessible to all bodies (or alternatives will be given), and creative offerings to learn how to carry our grief with care, patience and trust in its medicine, rather than ignoring, or being obliterated by, it.

Together, we will explore the various types of grief arising in us and learn helpful frameworks and resources for navigating these losses and transitions — and for deepening our capacity to be in relationship with this lifelong companion. Embracing our grief and keeping our hearts alive amidst the collective numbing of our times ispart of the paradigm shift that is so needed as we face such tumult and uncertainty.

Grief is not something we’re meant to go through alone, no matter how solitary the work can be. As we gather in community and in kinship with the human and more-than-human world, we find a sense of belonging in our shared grief, helping to metabolize our losses and transmute them into a balm to soothe our own hearts, and the broken heart of our world.

About the Ritual:

The ritual that will be shared in our grief gathering has roots in several lineages and knowledge traditions, from art therapy to eco therapy mindfulness practices, song circles and the work of Malidoma and Sobonfu Somé who brought their teachings to the United States in the 1990's. Although this ritual has been moved and shaped through the body of the facilitator after offering it for many years and has been tailored to the western audience in modern times, to honor the legacy of the its origin story, a portion of the proceeds will go to support their tribe in Burkina Faso, West Africa. https://support.thesonderproje...

To bring:

Lawnchair or pillow to sit on, beach towel or picnic blanket

Journal, any art supplies (some will also be provided)

Weather protection: hat, sunscreen, layers of clothing

Object of significance that represents the grief you are holding

Snacks and water for yourself or to share

Is this gathering a good fit for me? Here some things to consider before joining:

1. This would be a good fit if your grief is not overwhelming (i.e. you can still be present in daily life and have some capacity to talk about your grief even if it's just a sentence or two).

2. This would be a good fit if you already have some support and help in your life - relationships and self-care practices - and this offering is a supplement to those.

3. This would be a good fit if you are open to sharing your grief in a welcoming and confidential space, and feel it would be supportive to your experience, and you are open to witnessing and being present with others as they share their grief, even if it's a different kind of grief than yours.

4. This would be a good fit for you if you are okay with being outdoors in a more secluded section of a shared public space. This may not be the best space for someone who would prefer to be in a more private setting with more shelter from the elements.

COVID-19 protocol:

If you are experiencing a high temperature or any symptoms that may indicate signs of Covid, please do not attend this event. The entire event will be outdoors and masks are optional. If you want to bring any snack item to share, please consider individually wrapped items.

About the Facilitators:

Amy Hyun Swart (she/her) is a somatic and expressive arts-based grief and trauma therapist, writer, and educator. She has been offering 1:1 grief support, groups, gatherings and rituals for the grieving community over the past 10 years. She came into the field by way of her own traumatic loss at an early age. She believes in the power of group work to be transformational and deeply healing in these divisive and uncertain times. To learn more please visit griefmedicine.love or amyswart.com or Instagram @griefmedicine

Flea Tripp: I am a Dancer, Healer, and Lover of social and healing justice. I find meaning in connecting people to nature: body, mind, heart, and spirit. Making these connections through reflections in nature, movement, mindfulness and words brings us into wholeness and healing.

As a somatic and nature-based life and career coach, I step into every meeting intending to listen with my body, mind and heart and offer a healing space where people can tap into their bodies, minds, and hearts to discover themselves and create change as they desire.

To learn more please visit https://www.feliciatripp.com or instagram