Grief Ceremony

Dear Men,

I invite you to Swallow Creek Barn in San Luis Obispo for a special ritual this Thursday. Logisitics will begin at 545, ending at 9ish (time is a mystery in ritual space). It will be led by Raym Ensing, Paul Trent, Kevin Hauber, Chris Kitts and myself. This is technically an Open Circle so it's open to any man who is called. Bring warm clothes, water, and an open heart.

In the US, over 49,000 people died by suicide in 2023 (one death every 11 minutes). Suicide rates are four times higher for males than that of females. It's a big problem and leaves a wake of devastation in its wake. And it's shown up right in our own SLO MKP Community — we have lost three beloved warrior brothers to suicide. In each case, we all wish we knew the depths of desperation these men were facing so that we could have offered the love and support that may have helped. Michael Meade said that "there are times in our life when something in us needs to die for growth to occur but an individual can confuse the need and believes that all of them needs to die."

In this ritual, we want to bring healing to the loss we experienced around losing our loved one. But why ritual? Jungian therapist Robert Johnson wrote, "Ritual is a means of approaching the inner world that the human race evolved early in its history. The use of ritual goes back to the earliest dawn of time among our prehistoric ancestors. Ritual is one of the faculties we have, like dreaming, that enable us to set up a flow of communication between the conscious mind and the unconscious."

The planning group has crafted a ritual that will allow the intensity of emotion around this subject to be rise and be expressed. There will be an opportunity to let things go, to allow things in, and to find a place where we can come back to the clear love we have for those we have lost in this way.

For men who do not have work to do around this issue, you are welcome to join us in the role of supporting others who do.

Who's in?

Paul Grafton
(805) 434-8801