Facilitated by Rev. Jessica Steward

đź’Ś By Invitation Only đź’Ś

Friday, October 6, 2023 TO BE RESCHEDULED
6:00pm to 8:30pm
Held at Private Residence
All Supplies Included

Here is a simple truth: if you are a human, you have experienced grief.

If you have known love, you have known loss.

If you have experienced joy, you have experienced sorrow.

Our lives—our world—is filled with love and joy, grief and loss. As a culture, we are great at celebrating our happiness. Yet, there are very few spaces where those of us who are grieving can feel safe to honor and express what we’ve lost or even what we will someday lose. 

In this 2.5-hour workshop on Friday, October 6, 2023 we will create a figurative and literal container to “vessel”—or tenderly hold—our grief and honor our losses. Together, we will acknowledge what we are grieving, sharing only what we feel comfortable, and then begin the loving, gentle practice of healing from what has been lost. We will complete a brief writing practice to begin engaging with and honoring your grief before enjoying (yes, enjoy!) a shared creative project. During our remaining time, we will create a container or vessel to support our grieving process and honor that which we have lost. We will paint, decoupage, or bedazzle in companionable silence (with some good tunes!) and then share our creations with one another before closing the circle with a discussion of how to continue the practice of honoring and holding our grief with tenderness and love.

Facilitated by spiritual mentor and interfaith community chaplain, Rev. Jessica Steward, this gathering will use her Circle Sanctum Facilitation Model to help create a sanctuary for emotional safety and loving support for each circle member. As an experienced facilitator, Rev. Steward has supported hundreds of circles with wisdom, respect, and necessary humor. Her work is trauma-informed and draws from a variety of spiritual and healing modalities to meet each person wherever they are on their healing journey. Your care is her utmost priority.

Please note: Sharing is always optional in every circle. Review the Circle Sanctum Facilitation Model for more details.

What to expect:

  • Upon arrival, you will be greeted and given an opportunity to contribute to our shared grief altar.
  • Rev. Steward will open the circle with a moment of silence and a reading before welcoming each circle member.
  • After our welcome + introductions, members will have a chance to offer a brief introduction, sharing only what you feel comfortable.
  • Rev. Steward will offer an overview of our time together and then share guidelines for our figurative container—our circle.
  • Using prompts, we’ll spend 10 minutes free-writing before sharing what we’ve written. (Sharing is a process of having your grief witnessed without comment or commentary.)
  • After group writing, we will create a container as a representative vessel for our grief or loss. Be it “God or Goddess Box” or “Memory Box,” we will enjoy decorating a keepsake for our prayers or our memories that we hold precious. This will be done in companionable silence with good music. A box and materials will be provided.
  • In our remaining time, we will share what we’ve created and then discuss how we can create an ongoing practice of honoring our loss or grief before closing our circle and departing for home.

What To Bring

  • An item—a photo or other representation—of something or someone you’ve lost or are grieving for our altar. You can retrieve your item at the conclusion of the circle.
  • A journal or notebook and pen
  • NOTE: A container and art supplies will be provided. However, if you have your own container (box or jar) that you would like to bring to decorate or items you’d like to incorporate into your project, please bring them.

Register Now

  • $35 (Project supplies will be provided.)

To register, email jessica@amightykindness.org to receive a private link to register.

Questions? Email me at jessica@amightykindness.org