I chose the wren bird as the image to go with this writing because of the Welsh (and Irish) myth of how the wren became King of the Birds. In a contest to establish who was the king of the birds the mighty eagle soared the highest, and hidden in
This post is sent on behalf of our host for this retreat, please contact Julie directly if you are interested, her details are at the end of the message. A Lament Retreat with Alexandra Derwen & Tuomas Rounakari 4th–7th December 2026 | Rosemerryn Wood, West Cornwall We are deeply honoured
Sacred Circle Training Co CIC is a social enterprise dedicated to grassroots community education and development in death, dying and grief. Preparing the practitioners and the movers and shakers, the community connectors and all those called to the Work with the practical, emotional and (if you wish) spiritual capacity both
The online Grief Gathering on Sunday will be themed "Lament for Scorched Earth" and will include an invocation to the waters, of our tears and of the heavens, to come soothe the parched landscapes. You can sign up for a one-off, or you can sign up for
Journey with Death, Death and Grief Doula Preparation, is a long, slow, gentle experience and is all the more integral for it. We are not a quick weekend online tick box CPD offering a meaningless certification... we are about deep, honest, rooted personal and community development that actually prepares us,
Happy Weekend to you! I just sent out the first chapter, worksheet and inquiry prompts to our intrepid group of doulas and kindred practitioners joining the inaugural "Fundamentals of Good Business" course starting this wednesday evening... are you sure you don't want to join them for
One day workshop led by Alexandra Derwen. A workshop for celebrants and those considering celebrancy... Participatory Co-Creation of Death and Funeral Ritual Monday 14th of September 2026 09:30 – 16:30 at Natural Endings, Todmorden £95 (to book tickets click here) Alexandra will talk about the "why and
I met Shean when I visited Zimbabwe in February and we dreamt together into the future of grassroots care of the dying, dead and bereaved. I was unsure before I went whether Zimbabwe really needed death doulas, after all they still have the village, the community and the connection to
(For Death Doulas and Kindred Practitioners) This CPD for doulas and kindred practitioners has been brewing for quite some time and now it is going ahead! Below are the 6 session details and dates; the dates are all on wednesday evening but irregularly spaced to fit in with Alexandra'
If there ever was a dream team to hold space for "Death as our Teacher" then it is these 3 friends; each carriers of ancestral traditions and bringing their own lens to Death Rites; reclaiming and reimagining ancient ways for modern times! The whole course is approx 18
Tomorrow (Sunday 14th June) there will be the next of the monthly Grief Gathering spaces with me, Alexandra Derwen. 6pm - 8.30pm - the sessions are recorded and designed to be used and re-used in your own time to create a boundaried space to access catharsis or honour your grief
As the storms are breaking the heatwave here in Eryri mountains I write to you with a summary of the upcoming offerings from Journey with Death and the Sacred Circle Training Co CIC. If you are new to our newsletter you can click on it to view in browser and
What began as the idea to hold a grief tending micro-festival is evolving and revealing itself to be something more intimate, precious, beautifully... human. A fireside gathering with some of the very best storytellers, musicians, artists and creatives working in the field. We have heard the feedback of those
If you are feeling brokenhearted then you are most welcome to join today at 6 - 8.30pm UK time for an online Grief Gathering. Designed to be a collective ceremony online but the recordings also serve as a personal safe space to express grief at any time; so join for
Join us at the Ash&Seed ConFest at Ruthlands Farm 22 - 25th May - please forward this on to anyone you know who would benefit from a Grief Gathering full of stories, music, food, art and time to rest, together. Once again, yesterday, I heard someone in deep grief exclaim,
Grief Gatherings with AG Derwen (April 2026 Sign Ups)An online Gathering making space for your Grief, held in a gentle ceremonial way; commit to 9 or attend when you can. Sign Up for April 2026Eventbrite It has been a while since I held grief ceremonies, there has been this
This creative ceremonial gathering coming up on 22nd - 25th May 2026 has almost effortlessly taken shape; with some of the best storytellers, musicians, poets, artists, community death educators and lamenters we know. The phenomenon of collective grief and mourning; as part of collectively celebrating our humanness and our place within
I would love to start by thanking those generous people who put monies into the wee crowdfunder I sent around to help me fund this trip to Zimbabwe, your generosity allowed me some ease to flow with what the Road asked of me, it enabled me to see Mosi-oa-
A delicious mix of Conference and Micro-Festival at Ruthlands Farm, Herefordshire on 22nd - 25th May. A formidable team of open-hearted, deep-rooted folks have assembled to be the holding team for this 3 night co-creative ceremony. You can expect story, music, song, poetry, talks, film screenings, arts,
If you are not already aware of the amazing work done by Dead Good CIC then do check out their work and follow them on social media. As fellow social entrepreneurs it is a great honour to be able to support the work of the Vigurs sisters and we are
20th - 23rd March 2026, at Ty Sanctaidd, Trefacwn, Pembrokeshire, with Tuomas Rounakari and Alexandra Derwen there are a couple of places left on this limited place retreat so are you called to Lament right now? Held lightly, lovingly with ease, play, dance and laughter this ceremonial container allows you to
This amazing retreat is coming up and there are a few places left we are keen to fill, what an opportunity it will be to gather and to deep dive into the art and science of lament with myself, Alexandra, and Tuomas Rounakari. If finances are a challenge then a
This talk has been stirring in me for a long time; even before my mother died last year I was already in the throws of some incredible underworld labyrinthine pilgrimage with my grief; one that was intensely personal and very hard to articulate even for a wordsmith. Then after she
Retreat 1 - 4 November 2025 at Paběnický mlýn, Paběnice 33, 285 43 Paběnice, Česká republika Tuomas Rounakari and Alexandra Derwen collaborating to bring this powerful practice as a pathway of liberation. All information can be found here: https://www.ksmrtidobryfestival.cz/the-alchemy-of-lament/