We are born, ‘trailing clouds of glory’ in the words of William Wordsworth, yet as we grow through childhood, we often enter the territory of self-doubt and self-judgement despite the best efforts of caregivers. Pervasive narratives of being unworthy, or unloved, or broken, gather credence, further conditioned by religious, family, and educational influences. Such narratives, alongside other experiences of suffering, undermine our sense of ease and well-being.

Grief circles are very unusual in our society, as grief is so rarely welcome in our culture. Yet a grief circle is designed to enable us to face our grief, to fully welcome and learn from it, and thereby be open to its gifts. They encourage people to show up, say ‘yes’ to their grief, sadness, or loss, and find a depth of sharing with others that acknowledges and honours our shared humanity.

Periodically, it serves all of us to ‘step back’ a little from the preoccupations of daily life, and listen into the subtle whisperings of our heart. What is it that really calls to us? What is it that we have a genuine passion to do? What is it that makes us feel truly alive?

A prevailing theme that arose was how we so often deny the reality of death, relegating it to the shadows. As such we’re not usually educated around death, so we have very few options available to us when it happens. We’re often disempowered. Greater options arise through the willingness to open our eyes and endeavour to learn more about death. Then, when death happens around us, we have a greater possibility of making more practical and wiser choices. We become more empowered.

Recently I visited a natural burial ground for the first time and was quietly impressed with what I found. My eyes were happily opened to an alternative method of burial or committal of the body. The conventional ways of committing a body are firstly cremation and secondly, and more traditionally, burial within the grounds of a church or chapel. Natural burial offers us a third option, one which is gradually growing in popularity.

A freedom arises when we gain the confidence to welcome emotions such as grief to our table, honouring their unique voice, without necessarily becoming completely identified with their transient expressions. Developing the trust in ourselves to be able to ride the waves of grief is key to the arising of emotional maturity.

The sacred plays into our life in multifarious ways, from the touch of a loved one, the fragrance of a flower, the taste of fresh fruit, the sound of birdsong and the vision of the sunrise and so many other daily occurrences.