Women’s Grief-Tending Gathering

Saturday 26th September 2026

A one day gathering for women to come together in sisterhood and enter into the sacred space of grief. We make space for tending that which is held personally, collectively and ancestrally, which can then often flow. We bring our experiences and learning from different threads and lineages, including Francis Weller, Joanna Macy, and Maeve Gavin and Sophy Banks who apprenticed directly with Sobonfu and Malidoma Somé of the Dagara of West Africa.

Why a grief tending just for women? This is not about excluding men, rather it’s about creating a container where women can be free to give voice and expression to that which may only be comfortably expressed amongst other women. This gathering creates that space: a community of women coming together to tend their grief together, to build trust, to let grief surface, to express and be witnessed, and to integrate what arises so we might return to our lives a little lighter.

Through guided rituals, gentle practices, movement, shared silence and song, we invite ourselves and each other to meet the layers of grief we carry — as individuals, as a community of women, as women in this culture and in these times, and through our lineages. The day will also include rest, nature connection, and a shared meal.

All practices are invitational and held within a confidential circle.

For questions or to express interest, please write to: support@shiningdarkness.com

Facilitators

The gathering will be facilitated by Selena King and Dita Vizoso. We bring our experiences and learning from different threads and lineages, especially the guidance of Francis Weller, particularly as shared in his book The Wild Edge of Sorrow, the teachings of Joanna Macy, and the Grief Tending in Community practices developed by Maeve Gavin and Sophy Banks who apprenticed directly with Sobonfu and Malidoma Somé of the Dagara of West Africa.

Dita facilitates transformation, inquiry, creativity, in deep trust of our capacity to regenerate and rewild. Ourselves, each other, the land, with Nature.  She’s happiest with soil under her feet, a wheelbarrow in her hands, and a song in her lungs. Find more about her journey with Grief Tending here.

Selena is a spiritual companion at the threshold of death, grief-tender, Co-Founder of Shining Darkness and Spiritual and Anticipatory Care Lead at St Catherine’s Hospice.  She has spent twenty years in contemplative practice and is a trained Quietude® practitioner. Her work is rooted in the conviction that death, grief, and the darkest passages of human experience are not problems to be solved but thresholds to be accompanied with presence, reverence, and care. Find out more about Selena here.

Joining the Gathering

Participants will need to fill out the application form to attend. This step is part of our care protocol and allows us to understand who’s coming and ensures we can hold the space well for everyone present. After we receive your application, we will confirm your place and send payment details.

Contribution

To support accessibility, we offer a sliding scale for this gathering:
£95, £120 or £145, depending on your means.

If cost is a barrier, please get in touch with us directly. A couple of bursary places are available for this gathering.

Food

For lunch, you can bring your own or you are welcome to book one of Emerson’s delicious lunches by contacting them at bookings@emerson.org.uk
As part of our integration we will end with a shared supper (included in our cost).