Dearest there,

One of the things I treasure most is the community of support we’ve built in The Women’s Fire. This week especially, that support has been deeply felt as we’ve held space for one another through some incredibly real and painful challenges.

From the weight of last week's Supreme Court ruling, to experiences of racial discrimination, to the heartbreak of relational breakdowns—there’s been a lot moving through the circle.

If I’m honest, it’s easier for me to focus on the ‘light’—to lean into hope, joy and beauty—than to fully face the rawness of pain and suffering. Part of that comes from a sense of helplessness, like I don’t know how to fix it. 

And so, I catch myself wanting to look the other way, or spray metaphorical air freshener to mask the s**t of grief, rage and discomfort that feel all too present.

But what I’m learning—again and again—is that turning towards what hurts, together, is how we begin to heal. 

Not by bypassing the mess, but by witnessing it, naming it and allowing it to matter.

Ways To Tend To Your Grief 

During our last retreat we held a grief ritual, which Alana held beautifully. She shared a beautiful and grounding analogy from someone called Sobonfu Somé: tending to our grief is a bit like flushing a toilet. If we don’t create space to release it, grief can build up, clog our emotional system, and leave us either numb or overwhelmed.

Grief has so much to teach us—about love, about presence, and about being human. Here are a few gentle, practical ways to work with it:

A Daily Grief Check-In

Take 3–5 minutes each morning or evening to name what you're grieving—personal, collective or ancestral. Use a journal or voice note. Naming it helps validate the experience and makes it more manageable. Maybe even partner up with a friend and exchange voice notes. 

 Prompt: “Today, I’m grieving…”

 Pair this with a hand on your heart or a gentle breath in and out to ground.

Move the Grief Through Your Body

For the last couple of months I've been dancing every morning. Sometimes for as little as 10 minutes and others for an hour or more. It's felt like such deep medicine in my body, soul and spirit. 

Grief is energy. Let it move.  Set a 5-minute timer and shake, stretch, dance, or sway. Put on a song that mirrors how you feel—whether soft or fierce—and move intuitively.

Practice: “Grief Shake”—Set a timer, stand up, and shake your arms, legs, hips. Let sounds out if it feels good. 

 

I enjoy shaking to the song Shake These Bones. 

Reach Out (Even When It’s Hard)

Is it just me, or is it so much easier to reach out to friends when things are going well, rather than when everything feels swampy? Maybe it’s the fear of seeming less capable, or the worry that I’ll be a burden. 

But here’s the truth: every time I do reach out, I feel lighter. Seen. Less alone. And when someone comes to me in the thick of it—in the swamp of their struggle—I don’t feel burdened. I feel honoured. Trusted. Deeply connected.

Text a trusted friend or loved one with a simple message like: 

 

“I’m feeling heavy and just need to be witnessed. Can I share something with you?”

Don’t wait for the perfect time. Vulnerability builds connection and brings relief.

Create a Simple Grief Ritual

Choose a time to create a space to honour what hurts. This could be at home by lighting a candle or going into nature and being held by its loving presence. Let a few tears fall. Sing. Sit in silence. Let it move. 

Try connecting with a photo or item that represents your grief

Remember that all emotions have a start, middle and end when we consciously process them. 

You are not alone.

We are not meant to walk this complex, tender journey of life on our own.

There are people who care. And there is the more-than-human world always ready to hold us in the swirl of life’s challenges.

If you’re feeling the weight of grief, personal or collective, know that it’s okay to pause and let yourself be supported.

If you’d like to explore grief more deeply, The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller  is a beautiful place to begin. I also found this podcast with Martha Beck incredibly grounding this week.

Tonight at The Women’s Fire, Alana will be guiding us through an online grief ritual. If your heart feels heavy, if you’re longing to be witnessed in your grief and to walk through it alongside others who also feel the weight of the world—yet choose to meet it with courage—we would be honoured to welcome you in.

You don’t have to carry this alone.

You never did.

Holding you in our hearts, 

Faye and The True Nature Team 🌿

There are still a few places available for the Wild Woman Camp Out as well as bursary options. 

Please get in touch with Alana to find out more, alana@truenature.org.uk

Connect to all parts of yourself with our up-coming events: