The Wisdom of Grief

Autumn & Metal Element

A Self Guided Retreat and Inner Journey

Welcome, Brave Soul.

There is much treasure to be discovered on this journey.

There is gold to be gathered in beauty’s inspiration, and gold to be mined out of the rubble of your pain. This is a journey that requires courage, for of all wise teachers, autumn/metal & grief come with sharp edges.

Edges that often reveal the immense ability of our heart to feel loss, pain and inspiration.

These edges reveal deep truth and require discernment. These edges also draw us inward to our heart’s fire and where we alchemize our pain and gold to create.

My prayer is that this experience leaves you with a few more candles for your lamp, a new lens to look through, and some tools to help with your digging. May you be infused with a breath of hope.
Now join me, as I light a candle and pour you a cup of tea.

This is a self-guided journey.

Simply follow along and take one step at a time.

Step 1: Energy Exchange

I have chosen to operate on the honor system with my virtual content. If you haven’t yet paid the $88 for this self-guided retreat here are my direct links to do so:

Venmo: Elizabeth-Bennett-86

PayPal: @radiantbyliz

Step 2: Create a Sacred Space

Beauty is a bridge to the divine, and your physical environment is so important.

When you bring an experience like this virtual retreat into your five senses, it becomes anchored into your body. The medicine becomes more potent, and the effects are exponential. Take time to create a sacred sanctuary for yourself, and open yourself to a holy experience. Relax, I’ll walk you through step by step.

You can explore more about sacred spaces here.

1. Choose a place where you can feel safe and protected. Space to feel whatever you need to feel.

2. You will need to gather some things… and the gathering is part of the beauty… really slow down as you gather these things and prepare for the evening. Turn on music, here’s my favorite playlist.

Gather

A journal and your favorite pen

3 (or more) items that you can touch feel -that bring delight to your eyes. These could be things that you find in your yard, around your house etc. Something beautiful or interesting that captures your attention visually.
At least one metal object
One item that can be rolled out or used as a foundation of your alter space. It could be a fabric, a rug, a plate,a board or a tray… Even a napkin or a scarf.
Something to burn, a candle, incense etc.
If you have essential oils pick one intuitively.
Wear something that is both comfortable and that aligns with your expression. It can be pajamas or it could be a beautiful piece that reminds you of your own beauty.
Prepare yourself a hot beverage or a pot of tea, something you can wrap your hands around, and warm your belly

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF. If you are not able to gather a thing, it is ok! You are enough.

3. Arrange. This is a fluid unfolding process.

Lay out your foundation piece
Light your candle or incense
Pick up one piece that you would like to use as your focal point or center.
Arrange the rest of the items that you’ve gathered on this alter space in any design that is beautiful to you… just allow it to unfold.
Ask if anything is missing… Go get whatever you feel might be needed.

Step 3: Settle in and Begin

Although we will be in seemingly separate places in time and location, something magical happens when individuals come together and align our intentions with one another. We create an interwoven experience with the quantum fabric of the universe, with Source… and each other.

You are not alone, Love. You are not alone.

Reflection & Application

Here is a journey of questions to work through. Don’t overthink it. Take any part or the whole, and make it your own.

You are your own wisest healer!

Pick up your Journal… Or a few loose papers.

Take a separate sheet for each step and write the heading across the top of your page.

1. Revealed truth: The gold and the pain

Overall, as you reflect on this experience what has stood out to you?

What are the truths that have glinted in the sunlight of revelation?

2. Glints of gold

As you look at areas in your life that have experienced a shattering… where is the gold?

Life’s wisdom, inspirations, beauty in the midst of pain? Make a list of those experiences on a blank page, This is your raw gold.

3. Blanket of beauty

Go back to your notes- and review the areas in your life that feel full and juicy, observe the resources that you have. Where is there ripe fruit in your life? What do you want to more of? What is inspirational?

These beautiful colors of inspiration are the blanket of beauty guiding you, toward what should be preserved for the winter and seeds gathered from the juicy fruit to replant again.

4. The heart’s furnace

Put your hand on your heart, ask your heart “what wisdom do you have for me?”

“What is deeply meaningful to you?”

“What ignites your passion?”

“What do you burn for?“

Don’t over think it, just write the answers that just pop in to your mind. (Its ok to feel like you are making it up, many of us have forgotten the sound of our own heart voice.)

5. Pain

Go back to the your notes on what feels overwhelming, too much. Where are you finding yourself in stuck in the survival impulse of control? Where are you gripping white knuckled… or suffocating under ground in the darkness of pain and grief?

Take a blank sheet and write one pain point across the top. Make a separate sheet for each pain point.

Forging the tools you need.

Now, we do the work of the work, fashioning blades and bowls…

Pick up your list of gold nuggets the beauty and the wisdom you have already gained and discovered in the rubble, and your list of nutrients and beauty currently full in your life. This is your raw ore, your furnace, and a way of looking at the raw materials,, and resources you already have access to!

Take one paper with the pain or problem place your hand on your heart and anywhere else that might feel the tension or weight of this situation. Ask “is there something here that I need to feel? Is there something here I’m avoiding feeling?”

Write the answer that you’re body brings to mind first. turn on some music and give yourself at least five minutes or as long as you can to feel that feeling. Rock your body, express and show with your body the true feeling. You might.clench your fist dig your nails into your palms or punch pillows… Scream into a pillow… wail, or cry…

You might feel still and silent, vacant, or numb. Perhaps you just feel disconnected and just need to feel arms wrapped around you… Give yourself that embrace.

Let your heart feel the truth…

Prune or preserve?

When that feels complete for the moment, take that page and write the question “what tool is needed now?”

A blade? Or a bowl?

Or perhaps it’s another object that pops into your mind…

If it was a blade that is necessary, write out the question; “what needs to happen in order for me to prune this?”

If it was a bowl, ask and write the question; “what needs to be true to preserve this?”

Go to the furnace

Pick up your list “Glints of Gold.” Your resources and the fruit you already have at your disposal. What is of use for this? Write whatever comes to mind how you can apply your current resources, of wisdom, gold, life lessons, etc.

Take whatever it is, that has stood out to you and imagine bringing it all to the furnace of your heart. You can look at the list of what your heart spoke to you. Just a moment ago! You heart’s, passions, meaning and warmth.

Gathering both the pain, AND the resource into the hearts furnace is alchemy. Out of that furnace comes the next, right step, the solution, the next breath of inspiration or exhale of grief.

Repeat this process for each pain or problem you have identified.

Physical and energetic integration

This is an energy medicine practice, designed for supporting lung, large intestine, and the cyclical journey between grief and inspiration, of tension, control and letting go.

An in depth follow along teaching of the daily energy routine. A practice of the most potent Movements gathered from the results of tens of thousands of Eden Energy Medicine clients around the world over decades.

The Daily Energy Routine Flow.

These movements keep the subtle energy systems of your body humming in coherence, order and most importantly flow.

Setting aside a few minutes a day to practice either the Grief Medicine or the Daily Energy Routine is invaluable. Just imagine, healing at the most fundamental level… the voltage that powers and instructs your entire body. It’s life changing.

More About Energy Medicine Here

If you have any issues with playback here, is a direct link to the dropbox file with all the video content

The importance and value of grief.

If you are needing deeper,

one-on-one support, reach out.

I would be honored to be with you.

Learn more

Brave soul, thank you for tending to your heart… Your body… As you care for yourself and embrace the polarity of this journey, you heal… And in your own healing, your light gets brighter… Which in turn brightens the whole earth. So thank you, thank you so much.

-Elizabeth

My deepest grief and gratitude I offer to the profound souls I’ve been privileged to be with in their unraveling:

Claire Peterson, Johnny Peterson, Carl Hinshaw, Vita, Claire Hinshaw, my born into heaven sisters, Innocence, and Hannah, my born into heaven, niece, Brennan, several beautiful birds, my pet mouse, snowball, Dan, James Lee, Farewell, Rebecca Claire (so grateful you chose to stay Earthside sister), Carol Perry.

Praise and gratitude for the arms that have held me in my shattering:

Joe Bennett, Noelle Marguerite, Bennett, Judah, Bennett, Alexandra Starqueen Farewell, Blair Peterson Updike, Leah Hagen, Kelly Farewell, Rebecca Claire Farewell, Joseph Farewell, Eric Farewell, Ken and Jan Ewing, Chris Davis, Bob and Tina Farewell, Gretel Zeller, Terrie, Cliff, and Jadi Bennett, Martine and Karen, Israel Grove, Patrick Hollida, Ana Morales Coley, Lisa Brown, Amelia Nicodemus,Ruthie Lindsey, Olga Pochupryn, Alvacata, Dog island, and the Gulf of Mexico, a few wonderful horses, the rooftops of the chalet Suzanne, beauty, music and so many others… I’ve been held fiercely.