Held: A Well of Grief Women's Circle

Hi soul sibling;

In honour of Imbolc and Winter, let us gather.

Winter is the time to let things go, and to honour endings. Held by the element of water, this season is associated with grief for its watery flow of emotions and the darkness that is connected to it. In our grief illiterate society, we have forgotten how to companion ourselves through grief. Grief is tethered to our love, and it too needs to be held and witnessed. Grief is not meant to be felt alone, as ritual and ceremony are ways to metabolize it and weave it into our full lives. This circle offers a container to hold your grief and also provide care in a shared way.

We need to hold space for what is coming to an end before embracing what is becoming.

*This circle is for all self-identifying women, non-binary, and femme folks. Any experience, expression or felt sense of grief is welcome.

What to Expect

In this circle, we will discuss the various Gates of Grief we may be standing in, a concept of grief work from Francis Weller. We will also weave in space for our grief in a somatic way, through movement and ritual craft. Participants will be invited to make a grief vessel, made out of clay, as a way to have a place for their tears in their everyday life.

Sitting in community to honour our various gates of grief offers us a chance to be held, seen, and supported through our grief. This gives us a chance to find sure-footing to step through the threshold.

Tentative Flow of the Circle:

1:30 Arrival and Landing together

2:15 Sitting with Grief Reflections and Discussion

3:00 Ritual Craft honouring Water

4:00 Closing the Circle

**Give yourself lots of time to arrive.** There is limited street parking nearby and the closest subway is Lansdowne. Please do not arrive earlier than this as it takes me time to set up and cleanse the space beforehand. There is a coffee shop below the venue.

For your comfort, please bring a seat cushion and/or yoga mat, a blanket or shawl, a journal and pen, altar item for the communal altar that represents something you are grieving.

Location: a beautiful community space in the Junction Triangle. Please note there is a set of stairs to this venue. The specific location address will be shared upon registration.

A detailed email will be sent upon registration, including more about what to bring. The agenda flow may change based on what calls to me and is present in the group container.

This circle is for women and femme-identifying folks who are in mid-life and wish to be in community that also wants magic, ritual, depth and soul presence.

Please arrive 10-15 minutes early so we can start promptly.

Spaces are limited to help us cultivate an intimate community.

About Your Facilitator:

Vania is a ritualist, moon witch, and pleasure alchemist. Her pleasure work conjures a deeply felt aliveness, by connecting to the present moment rooted in beauty and nature, with all senses attuned to a delicious moment of awe. In her work as a feminist therapist, breathwork coach, circle facilitator, and grief tender, she holds space for women as they navigate rites of passage. She centres her work with feminism, somatic nervous system resourcing, and sacred feminine spirituality. Her most treasured identities are mother, friend and partner. As a daughter of immigrants, she is finding her Slavic roots after losing her own mother. As someone who honours the sacred feminine and how it lives in each of us, vania is coming to the end of her journey with perimenopause, and is embracing the gift of apprenticing as a future Crone. Dancing, good chocolate, flowers, making practical magic, and howling at the moon with friends turns her on, and lights her up!

Go to vaniasukola.ca to learn more about her offerings and stories.

“Vania holds space so beautifully, leading with her heart. The care that goes into preparing for a circle is so clear when in the space with her. The ability to drop into such a safe container makes it possible to be all the more present and connected to the hands-on play and exploration of ritual craft, which invites in both levity and a sense of grounding.” Candace

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