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Community Grief Tending Ritual – Release & Renewal
22nd March 2026

Inspired by the work of Francis Weller and the First Gate of Grief — Everything we love, we will lose.

“My grief says I dared to love, that I allowed another to enter the very core of my being and find a home in my heart. Grief is akin to praise; it is how the soul recounts the depth to which someone has touched our lives. To love is to accept the rites of grief.” - Francis Weller

As we arrive at the threshold of spring, this community ritual invites us to gently acknowledge the layers of grief that may have surfaced during the darkness of winter.

Together, we will draw upon the energy of the Spring Equinox. A time of balance, transition, and renewal, to meet what has stirred within us, and to allow space for safe release as we step into the next phase of growth.

This First Gate — Everything we love, we will lose, speaks not only to the loss of loved ones and companions, but also to:

Illness

Changes in identity (such as becoming a parent, perimenopause, menopause, empty nest, and retirement)

The life we once knew

Accumulated losses held quietly over time

Prolonged illness, for example, can bring grief for the version of life we once lived. This gathering offers a space to meet and release the emotional impact of such experiences, so that we may carry both grief and gratitude in equal measure, while remaining open to the life that is here now.

Whether your loss is recent or many years old, you are welcome.

You may be carrying grief that is ready to be witnessed, held in loving presence, so the heart may remain soft and open.

Outline of the Day

Opening Sharing Circle

Conscious Breath & Movement with Hannah, accompanied by holy oils

Embodied Movement & Journaling with Lorye

Fire Ritual to support release

Guided Community Grief Ritual led by Lucy, supported by Aramaic prayer and chanting with Bella Aurisha and friends

Grounding Vegan Soup to close

Practical Details

Arrival: from 12:00pm

Start: 12:30pm prompt

Please bring a photo or small item for the community altar that represents the grief you are carrying.

Teas, spring water, and light refreshments will be available throughout the day.
You are welcome to bring additional snacks to support your energy.
Soup will be served after the ritual.

Together, we gather as communities once did, to grieve, to witness, and to honour that grieving is a natural part of living.

With love,
Lucy, Hannah, Lorye & Marisa

We are grateful for our growing community and for the presence of Ellise Toop, Yana Neison, Marcie Briscomb and Melanie Philip, who will also be supporting the space so you can feel truly held during our time together.

PLEASE NOTE

This is a community grief-tending space, not a therapy group.

You are responsible for your own wellbeing during and after the gathering, including seeking any additional support you may need.

If you are currently experiencing acute mental health challenges, we warmly encourage you to consult with a qualified professional to assess whether attending feels supportive and appropriate at this time.

**WHAT IS ARAMAIC? **

Aramaic is one of the original languages spoken in Mary Magdalene's time and before.The Aramaic language does not have separation and when we begin to bring Aramaic into our lives through prayers and mantras our brains begin to change because there is no separation in Aramaic between the physical and the spiritual. Everything is automatically healed when we speak Aramaic as there are no dualities. Aramaic highlights that everything is one.

Meet Your Guides …

HANNAH GRACEFUL DAWN

Hannah is of a strong Welsh lineage and is a teacher of the Holy oils of the tradition through ministering the holy oils through awakened love and rites of passage . She is a lifelong student of conciousness through the path of the mystic and has had many strong teachers along the way. She is trustee of the Sacred Death centre. She has founded the Temple Of the Myrrbearers Avalon through her River of Eternal Love myrrh bearing school and has co founded the Sunheart temple school with her twin sister. And has also launched a sacred Groves Avalon podcast She lives and serves in Avalon and her school is currently at Goddess House. She is a mother of 3 homeschooled amazing young people . And is part of a sanctuary project in the mountains of Portugal with her Twin Sister www.templeofgracefuldawn.com

LUCY LORD

Lucy is a Grief Recovery Specialist, grief tender, and the founder of the Sacred Death Centre in Glastonbury, a community organisation dedicated to supporting people through the thresholds of death, dying, and grief. Her work is rooted in the belief that grief is not a problem to be fixed, but a deep human process that deserves time, space, and reverence.

After working for many years in the corporate world, Lucy's life changed direction through a series of profound personal losses. These experiences brought her to the Grief Recovery Method, which became a pivotal turning point in her own healing and the foundation of the work she now share with others. Over the past years, Lucy has supported many individuals through this evidence-based programme, helping them to gently meet and integrate the emotional pain they have carried.

Recognising that how we die shapes how we grieve, Lucy trained with Felicity Warner as a Soul Midwife, deepening her understanding of the end-of-life journey and the importance of compassionate presence.

Her grief-tending work is further grounded in the teachings of Francis Weller, whose wisdom on community grief and the necessity of ritual informs her approach. His reminder that “grief and gratitude are two sides of the same coin” sits at the heart of her work.

You are welcome here exactly as you are, With your story, your tenderness, and the truth of your heart. www.lucylord.co.uk

LORYE KEATS HOPPER

Lorye is an elder, empath and ex-nurse. She has studied wisdom

teachings for many years, and is trained in the creative healing

arts. Her main focus has been working with women's circles, and

empowering young adults.

MARISA ARIANA

Marisa’s earlier career was as a qualified mental‑health nurse; she was registered and practiced for 28 years, working in both community and inpatient settings. She trained with Kristoffer Hughes on his Death Midwifery course, with William Bloom on Passing Over, Creating a Graceful Death, and Transfer of Consciousness, and with Felicity Warner on her Soul Midwives training. She also attended workshops with Stephen Jenkinson, who was her initial influence when she began this work. Marisa has served as a facilitator for Death Café Glastonbury. Previously, she volunteered at Weston Hospice as a companion and with Marie Curie as a helper and companion, providing emotional and practical support to adult in‑patients in their final days or hours of life at Musgrove Hospital. She completed her funeral celebrancy training with the Fellowship of Professional Celebrants in early 2015. Marisa strongly believes that people can reclaim these powerful rites of passage, and she will respectfully assist and accompany a dying person on their journey—whether at home, in a hospital, or in a hospice—and help create a funeral that is as individual as the person. She has attended many grief‑tending circles, both large and small, and enjoys being a participant and space‑holder. She also welcomes opportunities for a circle to be offered in the community, as this is a profoundly effective way of working with grief.

BELLA AURISHA

Bella Aurisha is a channeler, ceremonial singer & sound Healer. The healing energy is very present in her music. Her voice through her songs has been described as a healing catalyst, & people often feel inner peace & change after listening to the songs. She has studied & chanted aramaic mantras for several years & she deeply feels the calling to share the healing energies of this powerful & ancient language. She composes/channels her own music for aramaic mantras & if you want to listen, you can find her music on all major streaming platforms. www.unityrosetemple.com www.bellaaurishamusic.com