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 for 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: $575 - Early Bird Registration (available to the first 12 to register); $675 Regular Registration. Lodging and meals are included in registration fees. 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, September 19. Registration is limited to 30. WAITLIST: Once we reach capacity, we will 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 September 5, a refund of 75% will be made (less processing fee). For cancellations between September 5 and September 19, a refund of 50% will be made (less processing fee). After September 19, we are not able to provide refunds.

Accommodations & Meals

All accommodations at Camp Burton are triple occupancy in single beds, with bathrooms en suite.

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. He is also a Diaconal Minister in the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church. Currently, his clinical work is focused on the intersection climate crisis, the legacy of colonialism & late stage capitalism, 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.

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