Grieving Modernity: Tending Our Collective Grief

A sacred, embodied space to metabolize the grief that is stuck in our collective, cultural body.

This grief has built up from countless generations stuck in cycles of violence and pain that we or our ancestors have endured, committed, or both. Collectively, we carry so much unprocessed anger and rage, sorrow and sadness, fear and shame, that, when untended, causes us to continue to perpetuate violence onto each other at the most intimate and global scales.

So then we gather more grief, on top of unaddressed ancestral grief, as we witness new cycles of violence and pain, or even perpetuate them ourselves. As we live every day under oppressive systems and in a traumatized culture that our bodies did not and would not choose.

What do we do then, with all this grief? What do we do to shift this culture?

Our answer is to gather together and feel, letting our bodies lead the way. We gather in grief - To name these cycles. To feel the impact of these cycles. To break these cycles.

“We don't heal in isolation, but in community.” - Kelley Harrell

Many of the historical and ongoing pains we experience come from collective and systemic traumas, and yet so many of our healing spaces are individualized. We need each other to tend our collective pain body - none of us can heal this alone.

Modernity—today’s iteration of civilization and empire, is built on a culture of separation, domination, and extraction, and upheld by systems of White Supremacy, Patriarchy, Capitalism, and Anthropocentrism. These systems separate us from ourselves, our bodies, and each other.

For us to heal systems of oppression and violence, to shift cultures of separation, domination, and competition that take shape inside our bodies, communities, and bio-regions, we must collectively feel and move through deep ancestral, present, and future grief.

By expressing our grief and rage together through our bodies, we bring healing to the wounds that are still flaring up in our bodies, our histories, and our culture. As we heal, we reclaim our personal and collective power to break these traumatic cycles and re-cultivate a healing culture.

Only through this healing work, can we liberate our systems, structures, and cultures to re-shape a relational, reciprocal, and regenerative world.

Honoring the lineage of Community Grief Ritual:

This gathering is directly inspired by a community grief ritual created by Joanna Macy.

We also honor the lineages and wisdom of so many others who have influenced our personal and communal grief work—Malidoma and Sobonfu Somé, Francis Weller, Martín Prechtel, Bayo Akomolafe, and of course our dearest elders in community—Laurence Cole, Thérèse Charvet, Tere Carranza, and many more.

Sobonfu Some has said, “The village is the place you go to be seen.” It is this being seen for what we most deeply value that helps repair the “break in belonging,” and lets us plant the seeds of hope and renewal.

Details and Logistics:

This space will include a sharing circle, song, prayer, a Truth Mandala, and a space for deep embodied expression of grief and rage, guided by the heartbeat of the beautiful Mother Drum.

Before our ritual begins, we will share a meal together. Please bring a snack, appetizer, or a desert item to accompany our vegan meal, which will be provided.

This gathering takes place at Sacred Groves on Bainbridge Island. Check your email a few days before the event for information around arrival & parking.

Investment:

$35-80 sliding scale

Sliding Scale Guidance:

A sliding scale is an equity-based payment structure where the participant’s financial situation informs the rate they pay for a service.

The bullet points listed below are just examples to help guide your self-assessment. We trust you to factor in these considerations and choose the level that feels right for you at this moment.

Choose a rate on the low end ($35-$50) of the sliding scale if you:

Do not have a financial safety net
Have large debt or student loans
Are Black, Indigenous, or otherwise systemically disadvantaged based on your identities

Choose a rate in the middle ($50-$65) of the sliding scale if you:

Can go out to eat without thinking about your finances
Have a salaried job with benefits
Have family that would financially support you if you needed it

Choose a rate on the high end ($65-$80) of the sliding scale if you:

Own property or other significant assets
Make over $100K per year
Never feel scared of not having enough

Please pay at the highest rate that you are able to, and know that there is no ceiling. Your generosity supports us in offering scholarships to those who are unable to afford these rates.

A handful of scholarship spots are also available - to apply, fill out this form: https://forms.gle/Vp79fJu4r41QGAox7

Facilitators:

Jordan Lyon

Jordan is a chef, grief tender, writer and facilitator. His passions and work guide him towards cultivating community through all the ways he creates, weaves, and lives. Primarily through food—a love language of his that nourishes community doing deep work together; through ritual—cocreating emergent ceremonies that reconnect us with the sacred, Mother Nature, and all the cycles of life; and lastly through story—weaving together mythic threads and tapestries that help us remember what we’ve forgotten and reimagine what is possible ahead.

He resides on the land of Sacred Groves, a small intentional community on Bainbridge Island in the Salish Sea. Him, along with his elders and landmates, tend to this “healing ground” and feel a deep sense of responsibility, honor, and gratitude to steward this land and welcome others here for healing rituals that reconnect us with nature, spirit, and community.

Lux Gypsum

Lux Gypsum is a community organizer, relational healer, and cultural visionary who believes that revolution happens at the level of relationship. With over 9 years of facilitation experience and dozens of trainings under their belt, Lux has cultivated a strong capacity to hold potent group containers for interpersonal skill-building and cultural transformation. Some of Lux’s politicized identities are white (Northern European ancestry), AFAB (Assigned Female at Birth), gender-expansive, and queer. Lux has an ongoing practice of anti-racism work and is committed to uprooting internalized supremacy culture.

They are also currently training in Somatic Experiencing, a well known body-based modality for supporting nervous system healing and resolving trauma. In addition to holding regular community workshops and events, Lux also supports individuals, couples, and groups to embody the world they long for through their work as a Conflict Mediator, Relationship Coach, and Community Consultant. You can follow Lux's work and offerings on Instagram @healing.rising and by signing up for their newsletter at www.healingrising.com.