When the forest burns, the mushroom networks below the soil activate to share resources and information. In times of collective crisis, our human networks must do the same.
The world is burning. Let’s not pretend otherwise.
We’re all feeling it.
Personal and collective grief can no longer be separated.
This isn’t just another moment of political disagreement- it’s a fundamental rupture that’s entering our bodies, our dreams, our relationships.
The ongoing violations of the “ceasefire” in Gaza, the systematic displacement in the West Bank, the bloodshed in Congo that the world continues to ignore.
Deportations of people who have lived in the US for years fracturing families and raising fear. Cutbacks and folks losing their jobs in all sectors. Fear.
The accelerating collapse of ecosystems we depend on for life itself – these aren’t distant headlines, they are trauma embedding itself in our collective nervous system.
And we all feel it – including and especially the people we are holding space for, even if they aren’t aware this is what they are feeling.
The baseline is that people are afraid, and this fear energy is being fed by the powers-that-be.
It is much easier to control people who are in a fight/flight response.
And collectively, we are, and have been for a long time.
Especially now though, energy is moving erratically, and disregulated nervous systems seem to be more of a norm than an anomaly.
And yet, I believe that within all of this, we have an incredible opportunity. A choiceless choice, as Jane Spielman would say.
If you’re triggered by this, take a breathe. Hear me out.
I’m not saying all the horrifically painful things that are happening are GOOD.
What I am saying is, we have a choice of what we make with it.
Just as facing a major loss or change in our personal lives can be like an initiation – and therefore an opportunity for deep transformation, polycrisis is an incredible opportunity for our collective awakening…
…if we have the right support.
Therapists, grief tenders, space holders, elders, leaders, conscious parents – this is where you come in.
For years, I’ve been speaking about the limitations of trying to address grief solely through 1:1 therapy.
The individual container was never designed to hold this magnitude of sorrow.
It’s like trying to hold an ocean in a teacup. There simply isn’t room for the full expression of what’s moving through us.
What I’ve witnessed time and again in community grief circles is nothing short of alchemical.
When people step into our grief circles at Dark Woods of Grief for the first time, something immediate and palpable shifts.
There’s often a visible exhale, a recognition: “I don’t have to carry this alone.”
This moment of being truly witnessed in community is profoundly healing before any formal “processing” even begins.
We need these spaces EVERYWHERE.
Ahorita, RIGHT NOW.
One of my teachers used to say that we vastly overestimate what we can accomplish within one year, but we also vastly underestimate what we can accomplish within 2-5 years.
By 2030, we could have grief tending spaces in every community & organization. It’s possible.
We could have SO MUCH more cultural awareness, collectively, of how to hold each other through devastation & suffering.
I think we are going to need it.
And I believe that if we can grieve powerfully, together, we can birth a completely different world together.
Will You Answer the Call?
The skills to facilitate this level of collective healing aren’t taught in most professional training programs. Yet they live in our bones, in our ancestral memory, in wisdom traditions that have sustained humans through collapse and renewal for millennia.
For the past 8 years, I have been working to gather these skills and bring them into comprehensive trainings that prepare our students to become powerful space holders in their communities.
We have Level 1 & 2 trainings open for application at this time. If you’re feeling the call, this is the best place to learn more:
Intro to Grief Tending & Ritual Facilitation: 6 Principles of Somatic Grief Work
A 2-hour Introductory Workshop for Counsellors, Coaches, Caregivers & Grief Tenders
March 11th & March 24th 2025
5-7pm Pacific (Vancouver/LA) time / 8-10pm EST
$97 USD
REGISTER HERE NOW
This is for you if:
- You’re a mental health professional, coach, or caregiver seeking to expand your skill set beyond individual approaches
- You’re witnessing how personal grief, collective trauma, and societal upheaval are inseparable in your clients’ experiences
- You sense, deep in your bones, that you’re being called to step into a more ancient and powerful role as a community healer
- You’re ready to learn approaches that honor both the personal journey and our collective initiation
This work calls to some of us deep within our souls, as if our willingness to step into the shadows with others was forged over many lifetimes.
What if the multiple crises we’re facing – both personally and collectively – are actually gateways to transformation?
I’ve witnessed this countless times in grief groups: people come seeking support for a specific loss, only to discover layers of older, unprocessed grief beneath the surface.
As these deeper layers are witnessed and metabolized in community, profound healing and awakening become possible.
The same principle applies at the collective level. The very instability of our current moment is creating cracks in outdated systems and beliefs.
With proper tending, these cracks can become portals to new ways of being together, new forms of community, and a deeper relationship with the living Earth.
By learning to create and hold these transformative spaces, you’re not just expanding your professional toolkit—you’re helping to midwife the next chapter of our collective story.
You’re becoming part of an ancient lineage of healers who have always known how to guide communities through dark passages and into new possibility.
The world of our old, outdated structures is, indeed, burning. And from these ashes, something essential is waiting to be born. Will you help tend the fire?
With fierce love and unwavering commitment,
Josea & the Dark Woods Team
PS – we offer an 8 month long intensive training in these skills, so if you know this work is calling you deeper, check it out here: https://darkwoodsofgrief.com/facilitation-training/
Artwork by the beautiful Autumn Skye
