Embracing Joy and Sorrow - Tending our heart in community

oy and Sorrow are like the two wings of a bird: we need to tend to both to be able to live.

"If we do not grieve what we miss, we are not praising what we love.  We are not praising the life we have been given in order to love.  If we do not praise whom we miss, we are ourselves in some way dead.  Grief and praise make us alive."  — Martín Prechtel

We're faced with an unravelling, with turning and change, uncertainty... Many of us mourning the loss of loved ones, of relationships and ways of living, of community, of facets of our lives, dreams and possibilities.  We call in the support of grace, joy, solidarity.  We invite us to a practice of remembering how to tend our hearts.  We call in new possibilities and new dreams, the recognition of the love that stands together with our grief.

The sorrow of loss comes from the love we feel. Tending it with others, cultivating both gentleness and strength, is a powerful antidote to the harm of a society, a belief which encourages us to avoid or suppress pain. Tending our broken heart allows it to become more resilient, instead of shutting itself down, or languishing behind armour, or giving way to bitterness. It also offers the possibility of deep connection, with ourselves and the world, as we share our vulnerability and strong feelings with others.

Tending our sorrow can help us to:
—Release energy and help prevent depression, burnout, illness
—Grow a new positive relationship with grief
—Feel more alive and connected to self and others
—Soothe and recalibrate our nervous system

All feelings are welcome – fear, outrage, despair, not knowing, numbness, guilt, pain, and more. Joy, awe and silliness often come too!  We tend our hearts with all what's there, honouring the diversity of expressions and feelings that make us fully human.

What to expect
In these four hours of online gathering, we'll pendulate between practices of supporting ourselves and each other, connecting with our joy, and practices of being close with our sorrow. We'll invite movement, breathing, stillness, sound... We'll invite inner reflection and expression... We'll invite witnessing... We'll invite connecting with resources... There will be aspects of ritual—a candle and water, and objects to connect with.
Everything is simply an invitation, and you are welcome to try it out or just be. For us self care is most important.

Facilitated by Shona Sundhari and Dita Vizoso
We have been hosting heart spaces on line for a few years, and found that even with the challenges of distance and technology we can create a profound, welcoming space enabling the release of grief, the balm of being witnessed and the healing of hearing others in their deep truth. As part of the tending we create ceremony in our own space, coming together to call in support and finding the many ways we are connected even when we are not physically together.

Cost - honouring the Gift Economy.
We don't want money to stand in the way, please feel free to pay what feels good for you.  We suggest between £27 and £81.  We ask a  commitment of £15 to reserve your place (you'll get them back if you want or need to come without paying!)  Please get in touch if you need support.