Blessing Our Secret Sorrow: A Six-Week Journey Through the Landscape of Endings
Online Course for Women & Non-Binary Folk
Monday October 28th - Friday December 6th, 2024
Rarely does the culture in which we live recognize endings for what they are – a natural process in the cycle of change. Rather than consciously moving through times of change by allowing our senses to guide us, we are taught to get up, dust off, and move on. But within every ending is an opportunity to discover who we are beyond the roles, relationships, or status that define us.
As we awkwardly navigate the many dimensions of endings, we take our yearnings for weakness and our grief for brokenness, rather than seeing what's beyond the gate of something that's come to a close. Beneath our feelings of failure or unworthiness lies a deeper Truth.
Endings, leave-takings and unacknowledged loss bring us into the journey of descent: an opportunity to shed outworn skins, to let go of that which no longer serves us, to discover secret longings buried in the shadows, and eventually, to start again.
Over a period of six weeks, this course will explore the sacred landscape of endings, tracking old familiar footprints with a new set of skills, bringing reverence and understanding into forgotten places. By accepting the journey, we become initiates, surrendering to the wisdom beneath the fear and returning to an original place of wholeness, claiming that which was always ours.
As we awkwardly navigate the many dimensions of endings, we take our yearnings for weakness and our grief for brokenness, rather than seeing what's beyond the gate of something that's come to a close. Beneath our feelings of failure or unworthiness lies a deeper Truth.
Endings, leave-takings and unacknowledged loss bring us into the journey of descent: an opportunity to shed outworn skins, to let go of that which no longer serves us, to discover secret longings buried in the shadows, and eventually, to start again.
Over a period of six weeks, this course will explore the sacred landscape of endings, tracking old familiar footprints with a new set of skills, bringing reverence and understanding into forgotten places. By accepting the journey, we become initiates, surrendering to the wisdom beneath the fear and returning to an original place of wholeness, claiming that which was always ours.
How the Course is Laid Out: A 6-Week Online Course of Study
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Week 1: An Apprenticeship with Endings
Learning to let endings change you from the inside out Week 2: Becoming Initiates Surrendering to the downward cycle of growth Week 3: Breaking Spells & Hauntings Working with difficult feelings & that which prevents you from letting go of the old Week 4: Re-Storying Endings Dismantling dominant narratives to uncover your deeper truth Week 5: Cocooning Creating a sacred container for silence & grief Week 6: Bone Gathering & Beauty Making Excavating the gifts of endings & loss |
The Purpose of the Course is to:
- Discover the hidden gifts in endings and loss
- Identify and work with the things that get you "stuck" from moving on
- Honour, witness, and grieve what was lost
- Uncover personal strength and resilience in the face of endings
- Find a new sense of groundedness amidst major upheaval
- Reframe endings from an experience of "losing yourself" to a sacred time of remembering who you are
How the Course is Delivered
In the comfort of your own home, you will be emailed weekly course material that you can work through on your own time, as
your schedule permits.
Although the curriculum is made available week by week for six weeks, you will have access to the content for over three months to give you plenty of time to work with the material.
* Please note that although this course is an opportunity for deep inner work, it is in no way therapy, nor should it be a replacement for therapy. Should issues arise beyond the scope of the course, it is the responsibility of each participant to seek out the support they needs.
Cost:
Early Bird Registration (until September 29th): $169 USD
Regular Registration (after September 29th): $199 USD
your schedule permits.
- A six-week online course, beginning Monday October 28th
- A week before the course begins, you will receive a welcome email with instructions to help you prepare.
- The Course Format Includes:
- A weekly study guide
- Weekly pre-recorded videos
- Journal writing exercises
- Work with Fairy Tales
- Dreamwork
- Creative activities
- Ritual & ceremony
- Private Facebook Group
Although the curriculum is made available week by week for six weeks, you will have access to the content for over three months to give you plenty of time to work with the material.
* Please note that although this course is an opportunity for deep inner work, it is in no way therapy, nor should it be a replacement for therapy. Should issues arise beyond the scope of the course, it is the responsibility of each participant to seek out the support they needs.
Cost:
Early Bird Registration (until September 29th): $169 USD
Regular Registration (after September 29th): $199 USD
Early Bird: $169
Cancellation Policy
Registration cancellations up until Sunday October 27th will receive a full refund. No refunds will be issued on or after the first day of the course.
Registration cancellations up until Sunday October 27th will receive a full refund. No refunds will be issued on or after the first day of the course.
Individual Mentoring
An individual mentoring option is available for those enrolled in the course or graduates who have already completed the course who would like to go deeper with the weekly lessons and/or apply them to a personal transition. Six-session package available. Sessions held over Zoom.
An individual mentoring option is available for those enrolled in the course or graduates who have already completed the course who would like to go deeper with the weekly lessons and/or apply them to a personal transition. Six-session package available. Sessions held over Zoom.
Testimonials
"In one of the later weeks of Blessing Our Secret Sorrow, Kristen refers to a shawl she once used to wrap herself in at a time of grief and transition. This course itself felt to me like a shawl lovingly wrapped around my shoulders: painstakingly crafted, woven through with gorgeous stories, abundant in texture and colour - both the muted palette of loss as well as the more vivid colours of emerging to a renewed sense of self after periods of deep transition. Kristen weaves the shawl with a skilled hand, an inspired eye, and the hands of many generations of compassionate and wise women on her own shoulders. What strikes me is that this kind of care is something most of us need more of in our lives, whether we are fresh in sorrow or reflecting back on past griefs that have come up in need of tending. There is care and wisdom in working with Kristen - as well as a rich treasury of teachings, reflections, and rituals - that I now know I can draw on whenever I need them."
~ Malgosia, Canada
"The Blessing Our Secret Sorrow course was more than I could have imagined. It was an immense source of support during the transition I was moving through, with the thoughtful inquiries, the beautiful wisdom passages gathered, the DIY rituals we were inspired to explore. All feelings emerging felt allowed, witnessed and held in the nest of the group, nurtured by Kristen."
~ Diana, Singapore
"Blessing Our Secret Sorrow was all that I could have hoped for, and then some! Several years after major losses in my life, I realized there was yet so much I needed to say goodbye to. I had moved on, was doing well but I realized so many loose ends still persisted. Kristen's teachings and suggested activities helped me give those loose ends time and space, where I could finally say goodbye. This was my second class I've taken with Kristen and once again I'm grateful for her teachings and wisdom. Her coursework has helped me be the best possible version of myself; living more in harmony with cycles of the earth, honoring my intuition and giving myself more space to be, learn and heal."
~ Zoya H., USA
"My experience of the course was a profound one. The beautiful safe space created by the course allowed for some deep healing that I didn’t expect to experience at that point in time. The combination of journaling exercises, creativity and reflection allowed a connection with my past sorrows that I had never experienced. I always felt ‘held’ throughout the experience while at the same time free to work through the exercises at my own pace and in my own space. The course is extraordinary - the exercises wonderfully crafted and the narrative so thoughtfully expressed, I would recommend it to anyone wanting to connect with their grief in a supported environment."
~ Hayley Tink, UK
"This has been such wonderful support and the material is very rich and nourishing. Each time I engaged in it, I felt as if I was getting cozy with a blanket and cup of tea (often I did do this) and then allowed myself be held in the safe container offered in the readings and activities. I was able to deeply connect with my personal grief in new ways, with new options for resolution and acceptance. The option of community support in the FB group, as well as the sense of common humanity you have developed in the material itself, gave me a sense of connection that was a healing balance to the solo grieving I have often done throughout my life. I definitely plan to continue with your On Fallow Ground course. Looking forward to that and to being connected to your circle of care and wisdom a bit longer."
~ Renee Podunovich, USA
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