Respect & Gentleness

This year has brought us to our knees

Whether that movement to our knees be in prayer or protest, defiance or despair, gratitude or grief, that gesture is alive. We see vividly how our body, this “chalice of the heart”, expresses without words.

Body awareness is an essential part of our instinctual wisdom.

Respect grief

This past year has left behind a large swath of grief for so many: both personal and collective grief. We’ve had bright moments too and we’ve been forced to slow down and attend to the small miracles of daily life.

A Practice

From the late West African teacher Sobonfu Somé I learned to create a grief shrine or altar. The logic behind this practice is twofold: one part is to bring our innermost emotions into physical form. These powerful emotions are running in the background anyway, so why not respectfully bring them into the foreground, where we can see them? The second intention is to help us not become bitter.

Ideally, this altar is created outside but if you have to do it inside your home, do not place it in your bedroom. The grief altar can be made of found objects, or stones, twigs, or personal objects that have meaning to you.

You are creating a holding space for your grief, sadness, overwhelm. It has the effect of holding “with you”: a place where you can lay down your burdens in a physical way.

You can visit it daily or whenever you feel the need. I go to my altar everyday right now. I pick up a rock, ask it to hold grief or confusion and gently add it to the stones already there. I can see the altar out my window which helps me stay connected to this practice of emotional hygiene.

Here’s an Audio

From the archives here’s an audio called “Tending Our Grief” that can be supportive to you (Length: 17 min 26 sec).

Remember, this is about slowly finding your way home to your own good heart. We will come through these difficult days, this I know. I hold faith, hope, and courage with you even if you are not feeling it. I will hold it for you until you find it within yourself again.