‘Embrace your grief, for there your soul will grow.’
– Carl Jung
In this session, we looked at the profound wisdom nature provides us with when facing our own losses, how we can be courageous in letting go and surrendering to our pain and, ultimately, how transformational that process can be.
Our ancestors honoured grieving more deeply than many societies do today. Their relationship with death, loss and impermanence was closer to the surface. They were also deeply attuned to, and revered, nature and the turning of the seasons – perhaps the most omnipresent example of the cycle of death and renewal.
Look to autumn in the natural world to better understand the nature of letting go. Consider winter, to understand the ‘dark night of the soul’ and to allow the winter of our grieving. With the darkness comes the knowledge that, along with pain, there can be wisdom and healing in the darkest of times. Soon, the light will return, as the seasons of our grief change.
This session was hosted by Aisling Mustan, Good Grief Festival’s Event Director. Aisling was joined by Mari Kennedy, a women’s leadership coach, Celtic wisdom holder and mindfulness teacher whose work centres around the different ways of knowing – ancient and modern.
We also welcomed Gary Andrews, a professional artist and cartoonist who was unexpectedly widowed when his wife died of sepsis. Gary documented his grief journey with a series of cartoons that went viral and touched the hearts of thousands.
