The Beauty of Grief: Transforming Our World by Embracing Life’s Sorrows

“To be human is to know loss in its many forms. ….  Acknowledging this reality enables us to find our way into the grace that lies hidden in the sorrow.  We are most alive at the threshold between loss and revelation; every loss ultimately opens the way for a new encounter.”                                           –Francis Weller

Through slowing down and listening deeply to our hearts, we will learn to welcome, explore, and tend our grief. Drawing on the work of therapist, writer, and soul-activist, Francis Weller, along with inspiration from Martín Prechtel, Joanna Macy, Charles Eisenstein, Bill Plotkin, and others, we will discover “that grief is not a problem to be solved, not a condition to be medicated, but a deep encounter with an essential experience of being human” (Weller).

We will utilize the practice of council (communicating open-heartedly and respectfully in a sacred, co-created container of trust and tenderness), as well as inquiry, writing, reflection, ritual, and time in nature.  As we honor that grief is integral to our wholeness, we will experience the beauty and strength in our unique abilities to cultivate our capacities of presence, compassion and wisdom–the capacities essential in creating what Eisenstein describes as the “more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.”

This retreat is for you if any of these areas of grief, or others, feel alive and want to be explored further. It may be that:

• You have lost someone you’ve loved. You realize the truth that everything and everyone you love, you will lose.
• You sense there are parts of you that have been banished and hidden, often wrapped in shame. These neglected places in you have been pushed outside the circle of worth.
• You are overwhelmed by the cumulative grief of the world–the prevailing sorrow for the suffering and losses in our struggling world, of ecological devastation, wars, injustice, and poverty.
• You long to belong. You long to be intimately connected with your surroundings and your community–you long to be welcomed.
• You have experienced the undigested grief of your ancestors. The inheritance from our ancestors, meant to be a blessing, is instead a heaviness.

We will spend time reflecting upon several areas of grief, including those above, and how it shows up in our lives – personally, relationally, and collectively.  Together, we will hold space for opening our hearts to the wisdom within our sorrows that keeps us connected to all of life.

While the essence of the council practice – and other practices throughout this retreat setting – will certainly support the metabolizing of our griefs, it is not the same as bereavement support or therapy.  If you have questions about whether this retreat is right for you at this time, please reach out to us.

How we will share our time together

Testimonials from past grief council participants

“The council retreat on grief with Hank, Kathy, and Hanlon was an incredible gift in a difficult time for me. It was soothing, challenging, empowering, and nurturing in more ways than I knew I needed going in. Their gentle leadership calmed my nerves, invited deep reflection, and drew out the wisdom of the group. I’m so grateful to have been part of it!” ~Candice

“My grief work with Hanlon, Kathy, and Hank over the past year and a half has been the most important and life changing class of my life. Several of my friends have said the same thing. To take the subject of grief out of the denial and taboo place it holds in our culture and give me the tools to be hospitable to grief has really made me able to see that love and grief are two sides of the same coin. To continue to become more and more myself in connection with community is the great gift of these teachers and this council process.” ~Kristi