Joy and grief are inextricably linked, and when we let go we make space for new life to thrive. In my teaching I consequently facilitate death rituals to grieve the losses of our times and to practice letting go together so that we may build trust, less shame around grief and greater acceptance for this inevitable aspect of life.
Dissolving
In the death rituals, I guide you through a deep somatic meditation that invites you to dissolve your entire bodymind and psyche. You will be encouraged to imagine your bones and tissues gently separating and disintegrating out into fine, subatomic particles. In stillness and later through movement, you’ll be invited to expand into space—to conceive yourself with space as a multiplicity of virtual and physical forces and realities. Ultimately dissolving will transform the way you relate to yourself—and, as you move, it will reshape how you touch, perceive, and engage with others and the world around you.
Performance Ritual
Following dissolving, we apply this embodied state in performance. I will guide performance rituals in groups that support the death of one individual. This performance practice draws on aspects of authentic movement, role play and systemic constellation work. It involves enacting stages, including the situation of a death, to preparing the body for a funeral service or ceremony, to the group commemorating and celebrating the lost life, to their burial or incineration and the casting of their ashes. Through enacting these various stages the ritual cultivates sensitivity towards the transcendence of the individuals spirit. The purpose is to come to terms with what happens when we die, to create a context to grieve with others in community and to become present with what is lost and what is sacred. Typically participants come away lighter and refreshed.
Below you will find an audio recording of dissolving which you can play at home. It features music from Sound Artist, Kéké Sol. Please prepare by finding yourself a comfortable place to lie down, where later you can move.
For any questions email rosalindholgatesmith@gmail.com