The Grief Shālā
The importance of Village
With communal support and effective practices it is possible to unearth and transform our deepest wounds into sweeter sorrows. Most traditional cultures have always known that grief requires a truly cathartic expression in order for one to continue living in a healthy manner while remaining forever wounded. Elaborate mourning rituals were, and in some cases still are, performed to equally ensure the well being of those immediately impacted by loss and the overall health of the village, or community, at large.
The key to achieving this necessary balance is to reclaim the village-based model where we come together to courageously and vulnerably meet grief when it shows up; to honour it, to support the release of its most overwhelming features and welcome it in as a valid facet of our humanity. Likewise, we must commit to creating and holding space and for those who are grieving. We cannot accomplish this work alone; it truly takes a village.

Wash their body,
Sit with them,
Whisper I love you.
Carve their casket,
Carry their body.
Pick up the shovel
And dig their grave.
Give your grief
Somewhere to go.
"When modern people engage in grief rituals, they often say it feels familiar as if they’ve done this before. Yes, we have, for more than two hundred thousand years. And then, within the past few hundred years, it practically disappeared. That’s a profound loss.’’
- Francis Weller
