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: $725 + sales tax (see below) - Single Occupancy Registration; $650 + sales tax - Double Occupancy Registration. If the fee presents a barrier to your participation, please let us know. A limited number of Discounted and Scholarship registrations are available. Sales Tax: As of Oct 1, 2025, the State of WA has begun to levy sales tax of approximately 8.5% for events such as ours. We have reduced our registration fee in order to help offset this new cost to participants. Donations: If you are in a position to make an additional 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: February 27. Registration is limited to 28. Once we reach residential capacity, we will offer a limited number of non-residential registrations (participants will need to find their own nearby accommodations outside Sacred Waters). WAITLIST: Once we reach capacity, we will also maintain a waitlist in event of cancellations. Please email SmFiaW5Db3Vuc2VsaW5nIHwgZ21haWwgISBjb20= if you wish to be added to the waitlist.

Cancellation/Refund Policy (IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ): For cancellations prior to February 13, a refund of 75% will be made (less processing fee). For cancellations between February 13 and February 27, a refund of 50% will be made (less processing fee). After February 27, we are not able to provide refunds.

Accommodations & Meals

We have five single rooms at Sacred Waters, available via Single Occupancy Registration. All other accommodations will be doubles. The majority of restroom facilities are communal/shared, and not en suite. If you have specific accessibility needs, please let us know at time of registration.

It is our preference that participants lodge at Sacred Waters. Once our bed spots are full, we will have a small number of non-residential registration spots available (participants will need to find their own nearby accommodations outside Sacred Waters).

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/poly-crisis, grief, and soulful resilience. 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 Tender, 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.

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