Practices for Grieving and Heartache
Consciously Navigating the Unavoidable
A four-part series from Dr. Daniel Foor
This course is on demand, and may be enjoyed at your own pace.
About the Course
This four-part series introduces accessible teachings and practices for navigating the many expressions of heartache. Grief and loss are close companions on the spiritual path, and an unavoidable part of our journey here on Earth. They are also essential gateways into the development of character. So much hinges on our ability to feel deeply and to make friends with heartache, and yet we often don’t receive these fundamental life skills while growing up or through prevailing culture.
This offering is appropriate for anyone seeking to learn skills for conscious grieving and living with an open heart. Each lesson explores a different facet of sacred grieving and anchors those teachings in experiential practices. Participants will be invited to gently welcome their places of sorrow within a vessel of supportive teachings and community ritual. As with all our offerings, the approach to the teachings aims to be culturally inclusive, non-dogmatic, and kind.
About the Course
This course is for ritualists and witches, healers and guides, writers and educators, and anyone seeking more deliberate use of speech and power in their daily life and relationships. Teachings will benefit those who want to reclaim or enliven their prayers, learn about curses and ways to neutralize harmful magic, or deepen understanding of the power of words and clear intent.
The approach will be kind, safety-oriented, but also unfiltered with respect to concerns around right use of power. The intent is for those who join to acquire more understanding of and skills for prayer, unraveling curses, and responsibly wielding power.
May we be embraced by the communal waters of our sorrows. May our voices be clear and carry far, as we speak the names of our shared loss.
– Daniel Foor
Four recorded 90-minute lessons
Guided, experiential practices with each lesson
Extensive additional resources featuring diverse voices
Lifetime access to all course materials
Access to a dedicated community discussion space
Course Curriculum
Lesson One: Speaking the Truth of the Heart
- Consider the relationship between courage, vulnerability, and grieving
- Learn ways that authentic words and voice can catalyze major heart opening
- Reflect on times in your life when emotional honesty led to major changes
- Gently share presence with personal sorrow through two guided practices
Lesson Two: Falling into the World’s Embrace
- Explore ways that grieving can be a collective, communal, shared journey
- Learn how communal grieving supports safety and accessing greater depths
- Reflect on how open you are to being held, by both humans and the others
- Practice leaning into support while kindly sharing presence with heartache
Lesson Three: Holy Waters, Inner and Outer
- Discuss the role of water in cross-cultural practices for grieving and loss
- Consider the conversation betweens waters of the Earth, body, and psyche
- Explore tangible ways to partner with the waters when metabolizing losses
- Learn and practice ritual skills for accessing personal and collective sorrow
Lesson Four: Grief as Devotion and Prayer
- Enjoy teachings on the sacredness of grief from the world’s mystical traditions
- Explore ways that embracing our losses and heartache supports awakening
- Consider how grieving can function as a form of devotion, prayer, and communion
- Practicing welcoming the grief that melts away confusion and separation
Register for Practices for Grieving and Heartache
3 and 6 month payment plans available at checkout at 0% interest.
Supporter
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Our standard rate allows us to sustain our work. This typically applies if you’re employed in the Global North, and you’re able to provide for your needs in a consistent way.
Standard
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Our standard rate allows us to sustain our work. This typically applies if you’re employed in the Global North, and you’re able to provide for your needs in a consistent way.
Reduced
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This rate applies if you’re relatively less economically advantaged in the ways listed under “standard rate” or that cost is simply out of reach for you financially.
Daniel Foor
Founder and Director of Ancestral Medicine
Daniel is a doctor of psychology, experienced ritualist, and the author of Ancestral Medicine: Rituals for Personal and Family Healing. He is an initiate in the Òrìṣà tradition of Yoruba-speaking West Africa and has learned from teachers of Mahayana Buddhism, Islamic Sufism, and the older ways of his English and German ancestors. Daniel is passionate about training aspiring leaders and change makers in the intersections of cultural healing, animist ethics, and applied ritual arts. He lives with his wife and two daughters near Granada, Spain in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Frequently Asked Questions
To the very best of our ability, yes. All Ancestral Medicine offerings seek to embody an anti-racist, feminist, LGBTQ-celebrating, decolonizing, and Earth-honoring ethic. They are also class-aware and internationally conscious. We offer a heartfelt, non-dogmatic approach that seeks to honor each participant’s unique life experiences and ancestral storylines. Resources included with each lesson favor ancestrally and geographically diverse voices.
All live teaching calls will be recorded and made available 24-48 hours later in the course portal to watch and listen to at your leisure, with indefinite access.
All of our lesson videos have auto-generated English subtitles, as well as downloadable audio-only versions of the lessons. If you have needs not met here, please feel free to reach out to us with suggestions at info@ancestralmedicine.org.
Should you wish to withdraw from an online course for any reason, please contact us at info@ancestralmedicine.org to request a full refund within the refund window of that specific course. For this 6-week course, you can request a refund before the second call begins.
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