Leaning Into Grief: Personal and Planetary Sorrows

Grief is an integral part of life that requires our attention if we want to be fully available to life. In our culture, however, we have forgotten how to share our grief with one another. When we add to our personal losses the experience of economic instability, ecological degradation, the extinction of species, individual and collective health crises, and the unrest and turmoil within human societies, the burden of grief that we are carrying as individuals can begin to feel unbearable. There are very few spaces where we are invited to experience and express this complex grief in community. This retreat will utilize Francis Weller’s “Five Gates of Grief” to connect participants to their distinct and multifaceted experiences of grief in the context of a co-created "village."

The weekend will be facilitated by experienced grief mentors who have apprenticed in the grief ritual tradition of the Dagara tribe as brought to the U.S. and shared by Malidoma and Sobonfu Somé. We have been oriented to this tradition through mentorship with Francis Weller and others. Participants will be guided through chanting, poetry, teaching, writing exercises, small group sharing, and the creation of a grief shrine. Our time together will culminate in a communal grief ritual, in which we will witness and support each other as we move into the shared experience and expression of our sorrows and losses. All participation is invitational; nothing is "required" beyond being present with and sharing the griefs you are carrying, to the best of your ability.

Cost: $525 - Early Bird Registration (available to the first 15 to register); $625 Regular Registration. If the fee presents a barrier to your participation, please let us know. A limited number of Discounted and Scholarship registrations are available. Donations: If you are in a position to make an addtional donation in support of discounted and scholarship rates, you will have opportunity to do so on the registration page.

Recent significant loss: If you have experienced a significant or traumatic loss within the last three months, please reach out to speak with a facilitator before registering.

Registration Deadline: Friday, May 2nd. Registration is limited to 30 individuals. WAITLIST: Once we reach capacity, we will maintain a waitlist in event of cancellations. Please email JabinCounseling@gmail.com if you wish to be added to the waitlist.

Cancellation/Refund Policy (IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ): For cancellations prior to April 18, a refund of 75% will be made (less processing fee). For cancellations between April 18 and May 2, a refund of 50% will be made (less processing fee). After May 2, we are not able to provide refunds. Once registration is full, we will maintain a waitlist in the event of cancellations.

Accommodations & Meals

St. Andrew's House has a limited number of single rooms, which will be available on a first come, first served basis. Most rooms will be shared among two to four individuals. There is one bunk room that sleeps six. All restroom facilities are communal, with private showers. In addition, St. Andrews has a limited number of ADA accessible rooms, and some rooms contain bunk beds. If you have specific accessibility needs, please let us know at time of registration.

Separate Studio with queen bed and private bath. These accommodations are available for a $200 surcharge on top of the registration fee. In order to maximize capacity, the studio is available on double occupancy basis only. Please reach out to organizers if you are interested.

We have a strong preference that participants lodge at St. Andrew's. Once bed spots in the lodge are full, we will have a small number of non-residential registration spots available (participants will need to find their own nearby accommodations outside St Andrew's).

Meals will include dinner on Friday evening, three meals on Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday. An opportunity to share special dietary needs will be provided post-registration.

Facilitators

Peter Jabin, M.Div., LMHC is a pastoral psychotherapist in private practice in Seattle, and a Diaconal Minister in the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church. Peter has been involved in the work of communal grieving since 2017. His approach is informed by the legacy of Sobonfu and Malidoma Somé, and his teachers who include Francis Weller, Therese Charvet, and Laurence Cole. Currently, Peter’s clinical work is focused on the intersection of the climate/ploy-crisis, the legacy of colonialism & systemic racism, and grief. Peter has facilitated group spiritual direction and grief process groups, in addition to his work with individuals.

Cristina Manzoni, MA, CCC, FT, is a Palliative Care/Hospice Chaplain. She holds a Fellow in Thanatology: Death, Dying & Bereavement and certifications in Compassionate Bereavement Care, Spiritual Direction, End of Life Doula and as Clinical Chaplain. She offers spiritual counseling and grief support services in Port Townsend.

Reve Shannon, Grief Mentor, has extensive personal experience with loss and deep grief work. He has trained in gestalt based individual and group work while at the Associates for Human Resources of Massachusetts. He is active in Playback Theater, a form of building community through the telling and acting out of our personal stories.