“Here’s your script,” she says, handing me the paper. On it, one word: Trust I look at her. “That’s it?” She nods. “Fill it and take it as often as needed until symptoms subside.”
There once were two women, one whose body was flawless and beautiful, and the second whose body used to be pierced through with holes but by her arduous prayers and healing sacrifices, now her body was covered with scars. Both women went among the townspeople exclaiming, “I know the way of healing!” The foolish townspeople followed the woman whose body was flawless and beautiful. The wise townspeople followed the woman whose body was covered with scars.
All the night crumbles at your touch: Dark fortresses topple dungeons see the light, so touch us, Lord, touch us; everything decrepit, may it all fall down
Friends, registration is now open for my self-care retreat on loss in October. During this retreat – which goes for a Saturday and Sunday afternoon – we will be gently and tenderly acknowledging, honoring, and releasing the losses of our heart. And since we store loss in the body – how can we not? – we will be walking through this gentle retreat using what I call embodied meditations. Some call it somatic work. We will be gently working to release loss from the body.
I first imagined this being a one-hour self-care retreat. (grinning) But when I listened more closely to Spirit, I realized that processing loss takes time. The ways that our world presses upon us at breakneck speed can be a type of emotional violence. To counter that, we will be taking our time. Portions of the retreat will be offscreen, on your own, and then coming back to the guided meditations, small groups, and such. As the retreat spans two afternoons, you will find a spacious amount of time to connect with yourself and the spirit within.
The topics we will cover are: Grounding, Soothing, Releasing, the Heart Breaking Open, Emptying, and Filling.
This retreat is interspiritual. I will use words like “Spirit,” “Divine,” “Ancestors,” “God.” Feel free to internally replace any of those words with what is most accurate for you.
As the days go on, our losses mount up. So, it is really important to keep moving this loss through the body, mind, and spirit. One main approach I will be using is this: Loss is like water. Healthy water flows and is safe to drink. Stagnant water is not safe to drink. Such is with loss. Loss is natural and normal. And so we will be using the body, spirit, and mind to help move this loss through us, to keep loss healthy.
You will learn tools you can take with you and use for the ensuing months and path ahead. So it is a retreat, yes. But it is also a time and space for you to receive tools because this journey is far from over.
Curving toward the center 