Grieving and Grief: Three Weeks of Companionship
An online retreat and community of support
Three successive Mondays
Three successive Mondays
on Zoom
September 16, 23, and 30
7:30 p.m. Eastern Time*
(4:30 pm Pacific, etc.)
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| credit: Harvard Health Publishing HMS |
We all live with grief. Grief has many sources; the death of loved ones --a parent, a child, a friend, a sibling, an animal companion--, pregnancy loss, the break-up of a relationship, emigration, estrangement, leaving a job, losing a job, finding oneself with an empty nest, losing a limb, saying goodbye. Sometimes grief is mingled with other emotions and states of mind: always loss, but also anger, guilt, regret, relief.
Sometimes we experience our grief intensely. Sometimes it is muted. Sometimes we have to identify, remember, or excavate it from where it has been hidden.
Grief is a state of being. It can feel like an object. At other times what we become aware of is grieving -- the reality that grief is a process, a journey, an ongoing path.
Sometimes we experience our grief intensely. Sometimes it is muted. Sometimes we have to identify, remember, or excavate it from where it has been hidden.
Grief is a state of being. It can feel like an object. At other times what we become aware of is grieving -- the reality that grief is a process, a journey, an ongoing path.
Grief is a deeply personal experience. It can also be a collective reality.
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| Käthe Kollwitz, Lament (1938-41) |
In this series of online gatherings, we will gently walk and dwell together to name our grief and our grieving, to tell stories of loss, to honor memories, to mourn or rebuild spiritual practices, to notice hints of new life.
Each two-hour session will include a beginning with mindful breathing, conversation, some music and visual art for meditation, and a spiritual exercise such as writing or drawing. (No artistic expertise is necessary!) Yes, there will be a stretch break halfway through each session. All religious, spiritual, or non-religious orientations are welcome. Bring your own heart and experience.
Participants should be committed to observing confidentiality.
Registration and payment information are below.
Please note: This is not a therapy group and is not a substitute for professional clinical help. I am an experienced retreat leader, spiritual director, and group facilitator with five decades of experience in pastoral care, but I am not a licensed psychotherapist. Sometimes grief is complicated and can lead to or coexist with depression and other challenges in mental and emotional health --and with some physical symptoms. Do not hesitate to seek professional help if you need it.
Note that there are three fee options: regular, benefactor, and hardship. Please write me, Jane Redmont, if even the hardship fee is too much, and we can arrange for partial or full scholarship. The benefactor rate helps make scholarships available.
* This group meets on Mondays at 7:30 pm Eastern Time (4:30 Pacific Time). If you cannot make it in the evening, but would prefer a daytime group, please let me know via email; if there is enough interest, I can make a second group on Mondays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern (8:00 a.m. Pacific).
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