Alchemizing Grief

An experiment.

We are living in strange and disorienting times. Every new day seems to bring a new disaster. Sometimes humanity experiences these disasters as a collective; other times the disasters are personal. Intimate.

War. Death. Fascism. Climate change.

Each tragedy births its own grief.

As the tragedies multiply and the grief compounds, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Paralyzed, even.

But what if, instead, we chose to see grief as raw creative energy? Perhaps through intentional action, we could begin to shift even the heaviest of sorrows. Let’s give it a shot.

---

Some grief objects.

Grief Alchemy Experiment

You will need:

An object (or objects) that represents your grief.

This can be an item of clothing from someone who’s passed, a photograph, a remnant from a tragic event, etc.

Consecrate a space in any way that speaks to you. Perhaps you’d like to burn some palo santo, sage, or copal. You could pass a crystal like selenite or quartz over the area to cleanse it. Or simply focus your energy and declare the space sacred.

Place your grief object(s) in the center of the space.

Meditate on your grief object(s). Allow yourself to feel the entirety of your emotions. If you cry, let your tears fall upon the object. If you scream, let your breath envelop the object.

This may become uncomfortable — your feelings could appear to you as an insurmountable wall. Don’t stop. Remember that your power and freedom lie just on the other side.

Eventually, the emotions will pass through you.

A few more grief objects.

Now, regard the grief object again. Does it seem different to you, even in the slightest way?

Can you transmute this object into something new?

You may want to film it, write about it, compose music inspired by it, disassemble it and reassemble it into a new form—let the object itself inform you of its next incarnation.

Once you’ve decided, it’s time to get to work. Take as long as you need.

When you’re finished, you will have alchemized your grief into a work of art. Congratulations.

If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d love to hear about/see your progress in the comments.

Until next time,

Tara

---

---