Grief & Gratitude Tending
Learning to grieve well expands our capacity to live well
How do I know if grief tending is for me?
A Grief & Gratitude Tending is for you is you want deepen your connection to yourself, others, and the wider world. You may be grief-curious and want to learn more about tending to your life experiences in a new light.
We are living through difficult times, and it’s natural that you are moved to join communities to support you through this.
People find solace in grief tendings for:
- Collective grief and disillusionment about ecological, environmental and global uncertainty
- Personal loss and mourning because of death, loss of or in relationships, friendships, and pets
- Questioning your identity after life changes or stages - menopause, mid-life, neurodivergence, sexuality, somatic dis-ease etc
- Anticipatory grief and concerns about your future, long term health, aging, mortality and major life changes
- Disenfranchised grief, hurt and trauma that remains unresolved in some way
- Hopelessness and stuckness in a sorrow that has touched your life, past or present
- Personal and collective experiences of exclusion and oppression because of your multifaceted identity
- A place to respectfully let go of grief held because of your role in a helping profession or capacity
The group is purposefully small, to around 12 people each time, to create space for everyone to participate as much or as little as you want.
Grief connects us to our essential being within nature and its wild edges. When your grief is welcomed and held in community with others, you can discover your own wild edges and aliveness.
Please get in contact if you are unsure if grief tending is right for you.
Here's what others have to say...
Since I took the workshop I am more aware of emotions rising in my body and allow them to come up. Now I can recognise and express whatever is there, and not worry what the cause is. I cry for a few minutes and then let it go instead of feeling out of sorts & unsettled.
I don't like crying, it's uncomfortable. But after taking this workshop I seem to be more in touch with the uncomfortable feelings and I feel better after I let some of that tension get released.
I spent a wonderful and moving day on the Grief Therapy workshop. This safe and welcoming environment really helped me to get in touch with my emotions about recent family losses, and also surprisingly losses from years ago . I came away feeling lighter and more in touch with my feelings rather than hiding from the sadness. It has lightened the load enormously and feels like I have honoured those that have passed now.
Loved the singing!
I learned I don't need to be alone in my grief.
Since entering my menopause I'd noticed lots of changes and wanted to do some work around this, and to say goodbye to a year with lots of challenges. I had an amazing day. I left feeling lighter, brighter and with a sense of calm. In fact, I slept so well that night and woke refreshed and focussed. That feeling has stayed with me, realigned in my thoughts with a clear mind and just an enormous sense of wellbeing.
I loved the powerful female energy and how safe the environment felt to just go with the day,
no matter what it brought up.
I would recommend that all women do this, we take on so much in our lives. It was great to focus on me for the day and get clarity on so many things. I acknowledged my feelings, made sense of so much, and cleansed my mind of debris from old wounds & thoughts that no longer serve me.
The workshop is a caring and gentle way to look after yourself and release those pent up emotions that you may be silently holding onto. Thanks Joanna and Mary for a very insightful and weirdly enjoyable day x
What is Grief & Gratitude Tending?
The workshop is a space to bring any loss and grief that has touched your life, past or present.
Grief and loss are experiences shared by humans and all of nature alike. It is impossible to live and never grieve.
Grief tending rituals are an ancient tradition that are still honoured within natural cultures. Tending to grief keeps individuals and communities healthy and resilient. Honouring important life transitions and rites of passage creates safety, continuity, and a sense of belonging.
Sadly, many of those traditions have been lost and at times when we most need connection and support, we are left to grieve alone. We have lost our way. So much sorrow is left unspoken.
As a culture that values individualism, many of us have gotten used to aloneness. We are touched by and exposed to many sorrows and painful experiences in day-to-day life, where our expression of emotion is softened, diminished, and even deadened in families and societies.
Grief & gratitude tending provides communal time and space for welcoming and honouring your experiences in the presence of supportive others.
Join me in co-creating a space for the gentle witnessing and honouring of all emotions.
This witnessing not only allows the body and mind to process these often-challenging life experiences, but also expands your capacity to feel love, vitality, and joy in everyday living.
What happens at Grief & Gratitude gatherings?
Whether you’re joining me for a one or two day event, you'll gather with others to co-create a transient community that serves as an enriching resource towards grieving well.
There is no hierarchy of loss. You are welcomed without obligation or expectation. You will each contribute and use our time together in your own way. Without judgement or comparison, we will hold a space and be with whatever emerges.
As an apprentice to grief, I will guide you through reflective and written exercises, grief and gratitude ceremonies, group exercises, and indoor and nature spaces to deepen the connection with whatever you bring.
You can read my motivations for this work on the link here.
We each learn in our own unique way. Throughout our time together, you are encouraged to take care of yourself, to stay grounded and connected in ways that are right for you. There will be plenty of quiet time for integration, which is a vital part of the process.
Gratitude is an integral part of grief. Learning the skill of holding both means you can live with more authenticity and aliveness.
Whilst the circles are therapeutic, it’s important to know that this is not therapy**. We encourage all participants to have supportive resources available to them before, during, and after the event.
Tending to your sadness and loss means you can learn to be with and move through your loss with a greater sense of wellbeing.
** If you're interested in a professional or personal therapy intensive experience then click here for more info
Where are the gatherings held?
Grief & Gratitude gatherings at held at The Affinity Centre in Cheadle. This lovely venue offers a 'hybrid' indoor /outdoor location, making use of a green woodland nearby. Cheadle is a pretty town on the edge of Manchester is a semi-rural location close to transport links and a range of accommodation. We're fortunate to have lots of parks and green space as well as a vibrant high street on the doorstep.
For outdoor grief & gratitude tending with Mary Dees by Nature, click here.