How it started: The Grievery’s origin story

The Grievery was founded on a simple yet profound idea: how can we honor each other’s humanity?

We believe the answer lies in this ... We must nurture conditions - in ourselves and each other - that allow us to respond from a more compassionate, nurturing, and loving place. 

It is important that we find our way back into spaces that nurture not just self-care but also collective care. That is why we founded The Grievery – because we are not alone in this. We need each other to get through the times ahead. 

Healing in community is powerful and innately human. At The Grievery, we look to one another to provide a healing space that involves acknowledging our grief. We gather to witness. 

While grieving in community is not a novel idea, it is one that is very much needed now. Each of us holds layers of grief that go far beyond the death of a loved one. There is ecological collapse, there's war and destruction, corruption, racism, systemic oppression, genocide ... all of which has been masked by a misguided trope of the hyper-individualistic self – that somehow this isn't something to be shared or held collectively. 

When we come together not just as a collective of individuals doing individual work, but in recognition of our interbeing, we remember that we are not alone in this. There's a recognition that when we meet one another in our shared pain, there's strength in our shared experiences, and that my sovereignty is connected to yours, which makes room to call us back to our full aliveness and whole-heartedness.

We hope you'll join us on this journey to create a supportive community where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.