Whole Heart Emerging:
A Grief and Loss Retreat
Autumn, 2022
“The darker the night, the brighter the stars, the deeper the grief, the closer is God!” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Please join us in this special offering from Vanessa Taal and Clint Frakes, with a special visit from traditional Dineh elders.
Life and loss walk hand in hand. Grieving creates space where loss can be held and experienced, where wisdom and love might be reaped as the fruits of our pain. Whether you are navigating the death of a loved one, relationship, health crisis, career, financial troubles or family strife, the teachings and experiences of this special retreat aim to bring tools and perspective toward your assimilation into a balanced life that honors the grieving process.
This retreat is designed to serve your unique path, as we move towards a more fully integrated wisdom that honors your journey through acceptance and healing of the heart. Each participant will receive guidance and soul support from Clint and Vanessa within a powerful spiritual community, as we journey together across the sacred landscape of Sedona in meditation, ceremony, communication with nature and renewed spiritual expression.
Clint and Vanessa merge indigenous Red Road and Vedic traditions as part of a four-day journey that includes contemplative immersion in nature and daily pilgrimages to places of great peace and power. In these sacred spaces we will engage the intentional transition into new arenas of life borne of the grieving process. Grieving pulls us into more powerfully authentic dimensions of ourselves, and creates newfound awareness that fosters a more meaningful connection to the larger world.
"The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not 'get over' the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to."
— Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Like any meaningful journey, the grieving process presents both internal and external obstacles. Within the layers of self, there are cycles and plateaus of emotion and repression that become evident the more deeply we engage with the healing process. Within the family or community, there can be conflicts and social pressures, which when unidentified result in a compromised environment, toxic relationships, and other types of dysfunction. Effectively mourning the loss of connection to oneself, someone significant, or to a phase of life can liberate and restore us. The grieving process offers some of life’s most sacred passages, and should be respected both by the griever and those who support her.
Major losses take time and reflection to integrate. Foundations are challenged, internal and external configurations rearranged, often without our consent. These transitions can be confusing, blurred by pain and multiple levels of uncertainty. Through time-honored practices and traditions, ceremony and the lens of the natural world, we will encourage a newfound resilience that increases our desire to embrace our emerging selves, and experience the dance of soul and spirit that is our essence.
Themes, tools & means:
“Feeling is medicine”
Vedic practices & philosophy for healing and balance
Re-drawing the mandala: embracing a new life design
Re-prioritizing
Plant medicine
Dream & vision time
Ritual & Ceremony: the act of self-initiation
The power of self-reclamation in the elements & nature
Indigenous teachings of grief and loss
The spirit of pilgrimage & sacred sites visitation
The power of simplicity in our lives
Re-configuration of family
Integrating new connections from a changed organism
The myth of “resolution” or “closure”
Breathwork, & yogic disciplines
Itinerary
Day 0 (Thursday, October 14th) Optional
7:00 p.m. Informal gathering to meet the facilitators and each other
Day 1 (Friday, October 15th)
8:30 a.m. Opening ceremony
10:30-12:00 p.m. Breath & meditation practice
12-1:30 p.m. Break
1:30-5:00 p.m. Re-awakening our elemental connection through the sacred sites of Sedona
5:00 p.m. Medicine wheel teaching/ceremony & sunset prayer
Day 2 (Saturday, October 16th)
8:30-12:30 p.m. Re-emergence ceremony: ancestral family, universal family Asana/breath and soul practice
12:30-2:30 p.m. Break
2:30-7:00 p.m. Renewing the spirit through the Water of Life, followed by sunset journey
8:30-9:30 p.m. Evening circle
Day 3 (Sunday, October 17th)
8:30 a.m. Dineh Elders: Grief and healing in the Dineh tradition
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Blessing ceremony
12:30-1.30 p.m. Lunch on the land
1:30 p.m. Returning to the navel of the world: sacred site visitation, Asana/breath and soul practice
6:30 p.m. Community dinner
Day 4 (Monday, October 18th)
8:30-11 a.m. Closing Ceremony (Retreat ends)
12:00-5:00 p.m. Private sessions available with Clint & Vanessa (by arrangement)
5:00 p.m. Inipi Ceremony
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Please contact Clint (928.254.9507) if you would like suggestions or assistance organizing lodging in Sedona.
We will meet each morning at the Whole Foods Market in West Sedona, at 1420 W State Rte 89A. Please make sure you have breakfast and bring a packed lunch on Day One and Day Three.
RESERVE your space with a $400 deposit.
Payments can be made through PayPal, Venmo (Clint-Frakes), personal check. (If you wish to pay with credit card through PayPal, a 3.5% fee will be added to the charge.)