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. Please consider this before signing up! (READ MORE INFO about this below in the ‘DISCLAIMER’ section.)

'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 are not alone in this sacred circle. It is important to speak our grief to release it. If we allow our tears to flow freely, than it is easier to find our joy! Stuffing our emotions can create a sense of numbness. It is in allowing ourselves to feel the depths of our true experience, we give ourselves permission to come alive once more!

In the case of the Maui fires, if we are able to release the shock around the tragedy, that frees us up to come together in a more united fashion together. That will ultimately lead us to be more effective leaders to help others in need!

About the event:

In this grief ritual journey you will experience time with the horses for self contemplation, learn tools to understand and be with your grief and participate in an active group grief ritual to memorialize and release your grief.

This event will be outside at Wind Horse Sanctuary in Kapa’a, with shade structures nearby. There will be no mounted horse riding activities. No horse experience is necessary. All are welcome!

All proceeds from the event will go directly to the Lahaina, Maui community to help rebuild their lives post fire.

About Tara:

For those of you who don’t me, my name is Tara Coyote. My roots go deep on Kauai’, Hawaii with my father’s side of the family being of Portuguese descent and on Kaua’i since the 1870’s. I love the Hawaiian Islands and am passionate to protect and keep the Aloha Spirit and Hawaii Ohana community strong!

I have had an extensive experience with grief in a short period of time There has been a cascade of loss in the last eight years of my life with two of my closest friends dying at a young age, my parents passed recently within a 4 month time period of one another. Needless to say, all of this has has taught me to intimately know grief. In the spring of 2019, I was recommended to Hospice and faced the reality of my own death with stage 4 breast cancer. 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’.

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 Facilitated Learning (EFL) and coaching tools with the horses to hold safe space for others grief to emerge, release and heal.

I am a trained Equine Facilitated Learning instructor by Linda Kohanov through Eponaquest. I am also a trained death doula and past Hospice volunteer.

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:

After registration is completed you will receive a confirmation email with further information with the address of the location & other info. It is at Wind Horse Sanctuary in Kapa’a, Kaua’i.

Suggested donation: $10 - 30 - NOTE: I had to choose one set price for the event which is $10 to register. You can donate more at the event itself or click the donate button above this event listing to donate more. Mahalo for your generosity!

All proceeds go to the Maui community, so please donate more if you are inspired to!

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

Please bring snacks (if you want them) and a water bottle.

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

Māhalo!

DISCLAIMER: PARTICIPATION IN FILMING

Please be advised that this workshop will be filmed as part of the production for an upcoming documentary. The subject matter will explore alternative healing modalities and the connection between heart coherence, humans, and horses. The resulting footage may be used in the final cut of the film.

By attending the workshop, you acknowledge that you may be filmed and agree to sign a release form. This release grants permission for your likeness and participation to be included in the documentary. If you are not comfortable with this, we kindly request that you refrain from attending.

For those interested in learning more about this film or exploring further details, please visit the official website at Rescued Hearts Film.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!