Eco Grief Circle

"Every one of us must undertake an apprenticeship to sorrow." 
- Francis Weller

 

We live in a culture that generally ignores grief, which makes it very difficult to give our sorrow the kind of sacred attention it requires in order to help us stay fully open.  This is particularly true for the growing sadness so many of us feel as we witness the damage and loss of our planetary home. Whether these are familiar feelings for you which you have held inside for lack of a place to express them, or are just becoming aware of these often-unfamiliar emotions, we invited you to join us in company and companionship as we created and held space for not only grief and sorrow, but also other feelings of anxiety and fear, guilt and shame, anger, and despair. Engaging in the grief process in community supports resiliency, and helps us, in the words of Francis Weller, "to keep our hearts open and soft," which, in turn, allows us to be more deeply attuned to the actions we are called to take.  

 

We know from experience the power of gathering in small groups, and so we co-offered Eco Grief Circles in collaboration with our friends at the Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina. This series of seven weekly, facilitated online groups were designed to offer time and space for the ecological and climate losses we are all experiencing, but not necessarily expressing. We do this so we may have company in our grief, share rituals and practices that help us to move through these feelings — and so rededicate ourselves to the work of planetary healing and health.  

 

Eco Grief Circles are designed to offer mutual support, healing, insight, and love, though are not intended to be therapy. Participants have expressed profound gratitude for being among people who could talk honestly about grief, suffering, and the ecological and social challenges of our time. The leadership team and facilitators included counselors, pastors, and environmental advocates. Each session included a brief teaching, opportunities for individual reflection and meditation, conversation in small groups, and rituals for self-care.

 

February 7, 2022

February 14, 2022

February 21, 2022

February 28, 2022

March 7, 2022

March 14, 2022

March 21, 2022

 

You can read about "Climate Change and Mental Health" in the Mountain Xpress Sustainability Issue here.  Other BTS Center programs which address eco- and climate grief are available for viewing, including Solastalgia, Stories of Grief and Courage, and Lament with Earth.