Life is precious and fleeting. One thing is for sure...everything changes.

Inevitably, we will face loss, whether through natural or sudden death of a loved one or pet, traumatic injury, illness or change in ability, change or betrayal in relationships, disappearance or destruction of cherished objects, changes of environment, personal failure, loss of hope.

Even positive life changes like having a child, starting a new relationship, a move or new phase of life can bring grief. In these cases, our grief can be bittersweet, as we both release the old and embrace the new simultaneously.

Grief shows up in a diversity of ways: shock, denial, longing, anger, rage, sadness, despair.

Many of us avoid the grief process, thinking we will drown in it, be overwhelmed with pain, or fear that it means we are stuck, dwelling in the past.

Yet all the energy we expend avoiding grief only perpetuates the very suffering we hope to avoid.

With our unexpressed grief, we sometimes take to addictive and compulsive behaviors, illness, depression/anxiety, isolation, and shutting down to life.

While in the end, avoidance doesn't work, still, there is something intelligent in this turning away from grief. Something inside of us remembers, though we may have consciously forgotten, that we cannot be relieved of our grief in isolation. To revitalize as an individual and as a part of culture, we must share our grief in community, so our joy of living can be renewed, even in the face of loss.

In this ritual, you will:

-Co-create a safe and sacred space in community to honor your individual and collective grief.

-Learn about different types of grief and ways to identify how it may be showing up in your life.

-Expand perspectives on how grief is held in wisdom traditions and indigenous ways.

-Express your grief through writing, movement, song, and being in nature.

-Experience the healing power of honoring grief by being witnessed and witnessing others without trying to change, fix or solve the grief process.

-Open your heart and increase vitality through the liberating energy of forgiveness.

-Cultivate a renewed intimacy with yourself and the aliveness that is awakened from choosing to honor and embrace grief as a skill to take into your everyday life.

Investment: $275 before January 11, 2019, $325 before January 21, 2018, $350 thereafter. (Includes organic vegetarian lunches and snacks on Saturday and Sunday).

Friday 2/8/19 6:00 pm-9:00 pm

Saturday 2/9/19 10:00 am-6:00 pm

Sunday 2/10/19 9:30-4:00 pm

Held at a non residential retreat in Bonny Doon.

Register by sending a check payable to Dana Schlick or Renee Tunkel to 106 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 or use the Eventbrite payment system.

If you have any questions, contact Hannah Idalia at 831-515-8322 hannahidalia@gmail.com or Dana Schlick at 831-515-8262 danaschlickmft@gmail.com.