Grief Rituals

      However much we love- we will have that much grief. Loss is an inherent part of being a human. The question is, how do we digest and move through the process of loss? There is a limit to our ability to grieve by ourselves and even with one other person. To let go into the depths, and allow it to take its natural course, we need a powerful container. This we find in community and ritual. Grief rituals seem to exist universally albeit in different forms of preservation. The Dagara tribe of Burkina Faso has strongly preserved their traditions of grieving rituals and it is from there through Malidoma Some that I have learnt grief rituals. Encouraged by Malidoma to connect it with our traditions, we have been integrating it with our Jewish roots here in Israel.

      The ritual involves building a ritual space in nature with altars serving as focal points. These include spaces for grief and spaces for finding regulation and resource. With song and movement, we create safety for our hearts to feel and express our pain. Most importantly, we experience this in the healing gaze of community, bringing us back into connection.

   Building safety and community for the ritual itself takes time. Therefore, the ritual is done several times over a three-day gathering. Our next grief ritual will take place in December.