Grieving and Ritual with Sobonfu Somé

This is a transformational and soul-invigorating workshop designed to break through our cultural barriers of grief. There is a need to periodically feel and express grief in order to purge the soul from hurts and pains. The interdiction and suppression of emotion in general, and grief in particular, has recently been linked to the general sense of spiritual drought, emotional confusion, and certain illnesses. To begin to regain a serious and lasting sense of connectedness with ourselves and with… Show more spirit, we need to find a proper place to release our grief-grief about all the losses we have endured in this lifetime-the loss of loved ones, the loss of our dreams, and the loss of our connection with the ancestors.

In the traditional world of the Dagara of Burkina Faso, West Africa, the ritual of grief, conducted almost daily in different parts of the tribe, is the Dagara people's way of releasing the tension caused by loss, and to restore continuity in their relationships. We will enter into the ritual space of grief following the traditional model of the Dagara. It is our hope that it brings the deep sense of release, peace, and connectedness in our lives.

Some is also holding a workshop on the same subject March 2-3, 10:00-5:30. Visit ciis.edu/publicprograms for more info.

Sobonfu Somé is a respected lecturer, activist, and author. Her work has helped move African spiritual practices from the realm of anthropology to a place alongside the world's great spiritual traditions. According to Alice Walker, Somé's message "can help us put together so many things that our modern Western world has broken."

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