Holding the Heaviness of the Moment

Our weekly Community Calls provide peer support, discussion forums and guest workshops for retreat center leaders and allied organizations. Going forward, we’ll be posting videos of these calls here in our blog.

Just click the picture above to watch the video.

This Community Call was our second session dedicated to grief during the COVID-19 pandemic, when our work, retreat spaces, families, and personal lives are upside down.

When, as Kitty describes, “the boat has floated far away from the shore” of our pre-COVID experiences and routines, leaving behind what we thought was home, where is home now? How do we chart a path? What do we need to let go of on this journey? And what are the touchstones that guide us and our retreat centers forward?

Together, we’re holding the sacred heaviness of the moment - the pain, the trauma, the grief and loss, while also noting the moments of joy, celebration and beauty that rise up in the shadow places. Teresa led us in grounding practices to open and close, and we shared what we’re holding closest to our hearts right now - for ourselves, our families, our communities, and our organizations.

Notes and audio recording from this conversation are also available at the link below.

Facilitator: Teresa Mateus, www.teresamateus.com, RCC Steering Committee member