Resources For Grief ~

Oct 21, 2023

As the human family continues to be shaken to the core by the tragedy of the Israel-Palestine conflict, so many of us are at a loss, overwhelmed by emotions, or frozen in shock.

I offered several key spiritual practices to alchemize energy and connect to the inner strength required to live on our planet.

Find the replay of the live broadcast >>> on Facebook or Instagram.

Resources on Grief:

1. Reading Material

I want to share with you the MOST powerful book on Grief as a sacred practice for the soul:

The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief by Francis Weller

(I have both the audiobook and the print version, as I find it helpful to integrate the wisdom of the material this way.) Learn about the Five Gates of Grief and feel supported with life-changing ideas, tools, and practices. Some of the quotes from the book to give you a sense of the genius of its material:

“When our grief cannot be spoken, it falls into the shadow and re-arises in us as symptoms. So many of us are depressed, anxious, and lonely. We struggle with addictions and find ourselves moving at a breathless pace, trying to keep up with the machinery of culture.”

“Silence is a practice of emptying, of letting go. It is a process of hollowing ourselves out so we can open to what is emerging. Our work is to make ourselves receptive. The organ of receiving is the human heart, and it is here that we feel the deep ache of loss, the bittersweet reminders of all that we loved, the piercing artifacts of betrayal, and the sheer truth of impermanence. Love and loss, as we know so well, forever entwined.”

“My daily practice is to wake and immediately bring my attention to this thought: “I am one day closer to my death. So how will I live this day? How will I greet those I meet? How will I bring soul to each moment? I do not want to waste this day.”

“The territory of grief is heavy. Even the word carries weight. Grief comes from the Latin word 'gravis,' meaning 'heavy,' from which we also get grave, gravity, and gravid. We use the word gravitas to speak of a quality in some people who are able to carry the weight of the world with a dignified bearing. And so it is, when we learn to carry our grief with dignity.”

2. Name What You're Holding

Earlier this year, when I was in Peru with my retreat group, we hiked to one of the most ancient stone temples. It was an otherworldly place that stroked me with its exquisite beauty. Only wild lamas could be found there, a fresh river flowing from the snow on the mountaintops, and the warm wind caressing your face. I wish I could stay there FOREVER, that is how special that place felt to my soul. Half of my group took a cold plunge in the river, those brave humans! I took some time to connect with Lamas instead.

We gathered in a circle, sitting down on the earth, and our retreat center founder, Fernando, invited us all to share in the sacred privacy what we had each been holding lately. When my turn to speak came, I heard myself sharing that all these previous months, I've been holding deep grief around the Russia and Ukraine war. I never said it out loud before to anyone. Being witnessed by my group in my share turned something within me. The frozen energy of an earlier shock began to unthaw, and I felt my heart opening deeper than ever.

Now, it has become my ongoing practice.

In the circles I gather in my home, I invite people to share what they've been holding. In my monthly online community, I invite people to share what they've been holding. It is cleansing, it is healing, and it is CRUCIAL to seek a space where we can be witnessed in our grief and in our human challenges.

Find a place to share if you've been holding a lot lately. Create a place for others to share if that is what you feel called to do.

Name it so it can move. Feel it so it can heal.

3. Sound to harmonize your nervous system

From Solfeggio frequencies to mantra chanting to attending sound baths, immerse yourself in the healing power of the sound.

I drive 45 min to attend a Kirtan - a Bakhti Yoga practice of singing devotional songs to the Divine. I bring Kirtan to my Peru retreat each time we are there because I want everyone to discover the original medicine of singing and healing the heart through that.

I hope you find these resources timely and nourishing for you.

Katerina Satori

Visionary Leadership Mentor / Seer / Medium / Spiritual Guide

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