Grief Tending Ceremony

Grief Tending Ceremony: Honouring the River of Love and Loss

with Sophia Efthimiou & Denise Rowe

Friday 6th Nov, 6:30-10pm @ Barcombe village Hall, BN8 5BH

In a world that can move very fast, this is an invitation to gather, slow down and remember the importance of grieving together.

In many traditional cultures, grieving is seen as a crucial aspect of shared community practice, ensuring the emotional and spiritual balance of the village. There is an understanding of the intrinsic relationship between love and grief – that one does not exist without the other – and that both need tending and honouring. This ceremony offers a sacred space to open our hearts to the grief we feel because we love.

“Grief and love are sisters, woven together from the beginning. Their kinship reminds us that there is no love that does not contain loss and no loss that is not a reminder of the love we carry for what we once held close.” Francis Weller

Through gentle guidance, song and rhythm, we will enter a ritual grounded in the teachings of Malidome Somé, that includes Francis Weller's five gates of grief, and held by the medicine of the Rose.

The 5 gates of grief:

1. All that we love we will lose

2. The places that have not known love

3. The sorrows of the world

4. What we expected but did not receive

5. Ancestral grief

Together, we will weave a container of beauty, safety, and belonging — a place for you to come as you are, where tears can fall freely, where all feelings are welcome, including numbness, and we can allow life to begin to move through us again.

This is not therapy, but rather a community ritual — an ancient medicine of being seen, held, and transformed in the company of others.

You are welcome with your grief, your love, your longing, and your tenderness.

The evening will be held by Denise Rowe and Sophia Efthimiou - both experienced facilitators of embodiment, song and ceremony. You can read more about their experience on their websites below. 

https://www.earthdances.co.uk/

https://www.singingourselveshome.com/

*The main body of the ceremony will involve standing and singing (chairs are available for those who need them)*

**We would like to make this event accessible to all who need it, so have made available 5 concession places. Please tune in as to whether you need one of these places before booking it, or if you are able to pay the standard fee, or generous**

We look forward to sharing this with those who are called.

With love,

Sophia & Denise x

Please note - if you are experiencing high levels of PTSD this may not be the right space for you. We would rather recommend seeking some 1-1 support with a trauma specialist.