Tending the Heart
Let’s gather as a village for an afternoon of exploring the healing power of community grief ritual, facilitated by Shauna Janz and Larisa Noonan.
During this day long (10am-4pm) grief ritual, we will explore the soulful necessity of being in touch with our pain, whether it be grief for personal loss or the cultural wounding so prevalent in our times (racism, colonialism, environmental destruction etc). Within the ritual container of community, we will tend our grief as a way to fuel our continued vitality. All forms of grief are welcomed here.
Details:
- What: a grief workshop and ritual
- When: Sunday, October 14, 2018 from 10am-4pm
- Where: SomaSpace, Portland, OR
To register, fill out the form below. When you click ‘register and pay’ you will be taken to paypal to complete the payment process. Once we’ve received your payment, you will receive a welcome email from us in your inbox – generally within a matter of moments. ?
Note: registration is closed for this ritual. Stay tuned for more in early 2019!
*Some sliding scale spots are available, please inquire if needed. Spaces are limited – payment required to confirm attendance.
Why grieving in community is necessary.
We live in a Western capitalist society that applauds rugged individualism and strongly dictates that grief is a personal pathology, an individual problem, and that it be done in isolation. It is easy to feel shame in the midst of cultural story-lines that tell us to always be strong, be in control, and to hurry up. We may feel like a burden if we tell our stories to another.
Yet, we evolved in small communities – living a village life.
We can all trace our family lineages back to this reality. And, in our bodies, heart and spirit, we remember this. And in our bodies, heart and spirit we still expect that the community will be there for us to care for us in times of pain.
In fact, grief was often seen as a necessary part of keeping the community healthy and balanced. Praise and gratitude were given to the griever for doing such important work on behalf of the community!
Grief needs ritual and community to be released and transformed.
Bringing grief back into “a village setting” is a form of soul activism – a form of deep resistance to the disconnected way our culture has conditioned us to live.
What will happen during the ritual?
The day will consist of Council practice, personal reflection through writing, small group sharing, song, and a collective grief ritual around the community altar. The structure of this offering draws from the wisdom and lessons learned from grief ritual practitioners Francis Weller, the late Sobonfu Somé, and Daniel Foor.
To register, fill out the form below. When you click ‘register and pay’ you will be taken to paypal to complete the payment process. Once we’ve received your payment, you will receive a welcome email from us in your inbox – generally within a matter of moments. ?
Note: registration is closed for this ritual. Stay tuned for more in early 2019!
*Some sliding scale spots are available, please inquire if needed. Spaces are limited – payment required to confirm attendance.
Materials: journal, pen, sacred objects, pictures or momentos to contribute to the collective altar, any percussive instruments (djembe, hand drums, shakers etc) to contribute to the ritual and singing.
Note: we strongly encourage anyone who is in the depths of grief from a recent loss to also ensure that they are receiving support from friends, family and/or a counselor. This ritual is a beautiful addition to other ongoing support. If you have any questions, please contact us.
About your facilitators.
Larisa Noonan has specialized for nearly two decades in trauma healing, embodiment skills, and supporting healthy boundaries. She is a certified practitioner in ancestral lineage healing and weaves ritual and nature reconnection into all of her offerings. She is passionate about supporting grief and loss, recovery from religious fundamentalism, and those with chronic pain/illness. Larisa lives with her husband and son in Oregon on the ancestral homelands of the Kalapuyan peoples. Her ancestors are from France, the Netherlands via Ukraine, Germany, and Switzerland. She grounds her work and life in earth-honoring ritual, embodying ancestral gifts, and reclaiming animist values. For more info see: www.larisanoonan.com
Shauna Janz, MA is dedicated to nurturing community and belonging – within ourselves, with each other, and with the more-than-human world. Since 2008, she has been companioning others in healing and wholeness through individual and family grief support, trauma-informed education and group process, and more recently, through community grief rituals and ancestral lineage healing. She is a highly somatic intuitive creature who finds sacred communion through creative expression, music, singing and dance. Shauna resides on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish Lekwungen nation. Her people are from Scotland, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, and Scandinavia. For more info see: www.shaunajanz.com
We are grateful to be offering this event on the ancestral lands of the Chinookan, Multnomah, and Clackamas peoples.