Rohan and Selena will hold a 90-minute grief gathering, dedicated to honouring the sacred space of sorrow and remembrance. Through gentle practices and shared time, we will explore the layers of grief; our own, and those we carry collectively.
Grief in our society is often relegated to the shadows, a result of what Francis Weller describes as a state of “profound amnesia and anaesthesia.” We have forgotten the vital role grief plays in our lives — numbing ourselves to its presence, suppressing its expression, treating it as something to be avoided or quickly moved past rather than as an essential aspect of our humanity.
Yet grief is a fundamental human experience, a natural response to loss that touches every part of our lives. And here is what our culture has forgotten: grief, when it is fully met and expressed, does not diminish us, it opens us. When we meet our own grief with care and reverence, and when we witness the grief of others on shared ground, the numbness lifts, and we are able to feel everything more fully. Joy and wonder become available again. Grief, it turns out, is not the opposite of aliveness. It is one of its thresholds.
Rohan and Selena’s work follows the guidance of their teachers: Francis Weller, particularly as expressed in The Wild Edge of Sorrow, and the care practices developed and held by Sophy Banks. They also draw from the ritual and ceremonial ground of the Bwiti tradition, as shared by their guide and teacher, Okomo Minko.