I am inspired to offer a grief ritual to specifically address the shock and grief after the recent tragic Lahaina, Maui fires. However, any and all grief are welcome at this event, as we all carry a plethora of grief in this day and age. All funds raised will go directly to the Lahaina Maui community to help with their incredible loss.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be two documentary filmmakers for a film about the power of healing horses (Rescued Hearts Film) at this event filming the grief ritual. Your participation in the event means you might be in the film. Please consider this before signing up!

'Grief is a form of generosity, which praises life and the people and the situations which we have lost. Grief that praises life shows the depth of our appreciation for having been given life enough to begin with, to experience both love and loss and that with all the mistreatment we humans give to the earth, we still have this amazing unlikely opportunity to actually speak and bathe in the Divine.'

Martin Prechtel from 'The Smell of Rain on Dust'

Grief Rituals can be potent events to help release stored up grief, whether it be the loss of a beloved human, animal, job, house, living situation or the grief about the current social and environmental situation. These days, we all are carrying an immense amount of grief. It can be a cathartic opportunity to release it in community, feeling held, heard and safe.

You will not be alone in this sacred circle. It is important to speak our grief to release it. It is only when this is done that one can move forward to experience joy again.

If we allow our tears to flow freely than our laughter is that much more liberated to be shared. Without expressing the emotions locked within we can easily fall into numbness which is equal to not living a full and meaningful life. And it is in allowing ourselves to feel the depths of our true experience we give ourselves permission to come alive once more.

In this grief ritual journey you will experience expressive art therapy, time with the horses for self contemplation, do a release exercise with the horses, learn tools to understand and be with your grief and an active group grief ritual to memorialize and release your grief.

This event will be outside.

About Tara:

For those of you who don’t me, my name is Tara Coyote. Unfortunately, I have had an extensive experience with grief at a young age. There has been a cascade of loss in the last seven and a half years of my life when my best friend of 19 years died young from Leukemia, my other very close friend/family member died two years after that from cancer and given that I’ve been journeying with late stage breast cancer for almost 7 years now, I have experienced the deaths of countless young friends from cancer. In the spring of 2019, I was recommended to Hospice and faced the reality of my own death. I am very grateful to be alive and well now! I share my story in my bestselling memoir ‘Grace, Grit & Gratitude: A Cancer Thriver’s Journey from Hospice to Full Recovery with the Healing Power of Horses’. There was another recent and staggering loss in the past year and a half with the death of both of my parents in a short period of time.

It is through these multiple losses, that I realized how vitally important it is to allow one's grief to be expressed. Seven years ago I created a grief ritual combined with Equine Assisted Learning (EFL) and coaching tools with the horses to hold safe space for others grief to emerge, release and heal.

I led ‘Grief Rituals with Horses’ for many years at my horse retreat center ‘Wind Horse Sanctuary’ and was fortunate to travel the globe teaching this powerful work. I have also trained other equine facilitators to teach the horse grief work.

Three links you might be interested in:

1. A short 3 minute video that was made in 2018 after I led a Grief Ritual at a horse conference in New Zealand: Grief Ritual video.

2. One of my most important videos: Embracing Death.

3. An article I wrote 5.5 years ago after the death of my best friend: ‘Six Ways to be Authentically Present with Grief’

4. To watch my latest grief video, expressing the depth of the experience of the loss of both of my parents, please click here.

5. To see the full list of my grief videos on my YouTube channel, click here.

Registration:

*THIS EVENTS SELLS OUT SO REGISTER EARLY TO GUARANTEE YOUR SPACE!*

I am purposely offering a small group for this experience and keeping the price low for this particular event. Future grief rituals will be priced higher.

*Space is limited & the group is intentionally kept small for quality time with the horses. After registration is completed you will receive a confirmation email with further information.*

Cost: $250
Clothing: Please wear closed toe shoes/boots and outdoor wear
Horse experience: Not required and there are no mounted activities.

Snacks will be provided. Please bring a bag lunch.

Once you sign up, the relevant information will be sent to you.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Māhalo!