Grief Ritual Retreat
Retreat starts Saturday Nov 13, 10am and runs through Sunday Nov 14, 4pm
Co-Facilitated by Therese Charvet, Kendra E. Thornbury, Laurence Cole and Tere Carranza.
Early Spring is a good time to gather and support each other for release and healing, opening up space internally for the warm light season ahead. Many of us feel the heaviness of our personal losses as well as the suffering around us in the larger world. The state of the world—environmental devastation, wars, famine, refugee camps etc—can trigger further despair and grief. There are very few places in this culture where we can bring our strong emotions, our deep grief and anger. Many of us yearn to unburden ourselves in a loving supportive situation.
The retreat will start at 10am on Saturday morning, when we will gather for introductions and the beginning of our work together, doing some exercises designed to take us into our hearts and our bodies to help us access our deep feelings. After lunch, there will be the opportunity for heart-felt sharing in small groups, deepening our connections. We will also co-create a grief altar and have quiet time in the woods working in a ritualized way to ‘bundle’ our grief.
Later in the day Kendra will facilitate a short sweatlodge, using the heat and darkness to take us deeper yet, working with collective grief, opening our throats to release the heaviness of our hearts. For those who do not feel comfortable inside the lodge, participating in the wailing lodge with the fire-tender on the outside, around the fire, is also an option. In the late evening, after dinner, we will go deeper yet, using the Grief Ritual format Therese learned from Sobonfu Some.
Because this work will open your heart and leave you feeling raw and exposed, we will gather again on Sunday morning for debriefing, more grief work, a ceremony to bury the items left on the Grief Altar and then will celebrate with food and singing. We want you to go back into your lives feeling refreshed and grounded. We plan to be done by mid-afternoon on Sunday.
Overnight accommodations: for those who live more than a half hour away (Seattle, farther than Poulsbo etc) there are several options for overnight sleeping. You can have a simple bed here in the Groves, there is a local motel (Island Country Inn) 10 minutes away and a B &B within walking distance (Holly Lane Gardens).
Money: The Groves operates by requesting "Dana" rather than set fees. Suggested donation is $250 for the retreat facilitated by four of us, plus 4 meals. Overnight lodging for those who stay in the Groves will be $25/person additional. If these amounts are a hardship for you, offer what you can afford. However, we do request a minimum of $85 per person, which includes lodging at the Groves if you need it. A $$ deposit is requested to confirm your commitment and help you hold to it when you begin to waver (which, understandably, most people do). Please make a deposit, mailing $100 (or whatever you can afford) to 9255 Holly Farm Lane, Bainbridge Island WA 98110 to confirm your intention to attend. If you can offer more than the ‘suggested donation’ that would be welcome—it will help support those who cannot pay as much.
PLEASE RSVP if you are interested. More info will be sent once we get your deposit. Feel free to call if you have more questions.
