A Guide to Creating a Sacred Healing Circle
Grief is a journey, one that ebbs and flows like the tides. In times of loss, we often search for ways to express our sorrow, to honour the love that still lingers, and to find peace in the natural cycles of life and death. One powerful way to do this is through the creation of a Sacred Healing Circle, also known in some spaces as a grief mandala – a temporary piece of natural art, created in nature, that allows us to channel our emotions, connect with the elements, and release our pain back to the earth and obviously making it eco friendly.
The Power of Creation and Release
The act of creating something only for it to fade is deeply reflective of grief. In pagan traditions, the impermanence of nature is honoured rather than resisted. Just as the seasons change, as leaves fall and rivers flow, so too must we allow our emotions to move through us. A Sacred Healing Circle embodies this truth. It is an intentional piece of natural art crafted from found and foraged objects, meant to return to the wild in its own time.
Choosing Your Space
Select a setting that feels peaceful, special and maybe sacred to you. This might be:
- A quiet woodland glade
- A beach where the tide will reclaim your work
- A meadow filled with wildflowers and whispering grasses
- A secluded spot in your garden where you feel safe to grieve
Consider bringing a blanket or something to sit on so you can take your time, undisturbed. The connection with the earth beneath you is part of the process.
Gathering Natural Elements
Rather than taking from living plants, gather fallen leaves, stones, feathers, shells, flowers, seed pods, or anything that calls to you. The process of foraging is itself meditative. Notice what you are drawn to, and trust that these objects hold meaning for you.
Suggested Elements and Their Symbolism:
- Leaves – The cycle of life, transition, and letting go
- Flowers – Beauty in impermanence, love remembered
- Feathers – Messages from the spirit world, lightness of being
- Stones – Strength, memory, and foundation
- Shells – Connection to the water, emotional flow
- Seeds – New beginnings, the potential for transformation
Creating Your Sacred Healing Circle: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Set Your Intention
Before you begin, take a few deep breaths and focus on why you are here. Speak aloud or silently set your intention, whether it’s honouring a loved one, processing a loss, or simply allowing yourself to feel. - Mark Your Space
Define the boundary of your circle with a ring of stones, petals, or twigs. This creates a sacred container for your emotions. - Place the Elements
Arrange your gathered items intuitively. You might create spirals, patterns, or a simple layered design. Follow your instincts. There is no right or wrong way. - Speak, Sing, or Be Silent
As you work, you may wish to speak memories, whisper names, or simply let the wind carry your thoughts. If it feels right, sing, hum, or remain in silent reverence. - Acknowledge the Release
When your Sacred Healing Circle is complete, take a moment to absorb its beauty. When you are ready, let it go. Allow nature to reclaim it, knowing that grief too is something that moves and changes.
A Moment in the Wild
There was something incredibly humbling about watching nature take back what we might place so carefully.
Picture yourself creating a Sacred Healing Circle on a misty morning in autumn. Allow yourself to feel whatever washes over you, be it loss, gratitude or fear of letting go, or a mix of everything. As you wander through the woods let your hands brush against damp bark and crisp leaves. Breathe in and allow the unique aromas of the woodland to fill your senses. Quieten your mind and your heart.
Take your time as you gather leaves of burnished golds and deep crimsons, smooth stones, twigs, acorns, conkers and any feathers that may land near your feet. Place each piece in a swirling pattern on the forest floor and let your sorrow shift. It probably won’t disappear, don’t expect it to, but it may change, like the wind, like the seasons.
As the weather changes over the next few days and the woodland creatures reclaim their bounty, the circle will naturally scatter. Your fleeting creation carried your grief, and in letting it go, I hope you find a whisper of peace.
There is something incredibly humbling about watching nature take back what you placed so carefully. The leaves curled at the edges, the feather tossed by the wind, and the design softened. It’s as if the land itself whispers to you, “I see your sorrow, and I will hold it with you.”
Grieving Loss of Self
As we age, especially as women, we can feel a distinct loss of what makes us, us. We may have for so long been a partner, or a parent and tended to the needs of everyone else above our own we may have become a little lost.
We reach a point where we want to reclaim self, so come with me for a walk along the shoreline, collecting shells and seaweed, and the flotsam and jetsam that is washed ashore. We’ll let the salt air cleanse our heads and hearts.
Let’s weave a spiral into the sand and tell stories from our childhood, and adolescence. Our dreams and hopes for our future. Let’s picture our imagined life and reflect on the life we have subsequently lived, with gratitude even as we embrace what we may have lost along the way. The tide will slowly creep closer, and when it finally washes over our creation, we will stand hand in hand, feeling the weight of grief ebb away with the waves. There is something profoundly healing about witnessing the earth’s quiet acceptance of our sorrow.
Capturing the Experience: Photography and Reflection
If you feel moved to do so, take a photograph of your Sacred Healing Circle before it fades. This can serve as a visual reminder of your process and a testament to the love you honoured. Journaling afterward can also help solidify the emotions that arose during the ritual.
Closing Thoughts
Grief does not demand to be conquered, only acknowledged.
And we grieve for so many things in our lives without necessarily realising we have suffered a loss. By creating a Sacred Healing Circle, you honour your sorrow in a way that is both tangible and ephemeral. You engage with the elements, surrender to the cycles of nature, and embrace the truth that all things must pass…yet love, in its own way, remains.
Next time grief or pain of loss tugs at your heart, step outside. Gather, create, and release. Let the earth hold your sorrow, and in return, may you find a moment of peace amid the wild beauty of the world.
Exploring grief rituals can offer meaningful ways to process loss and find healing. Here are some resources that delve into various practices:
- Herbal Grief Ritual for Healing of the Soul: This article discusses a ritual using rosemary, sage, and thyme to aid the grieving process.
- Rituals for Grieving Change: This piece explores creating rituals to honor grief, such as writing messages on leaves and burning them as symbolic acts of release.
- Grieving in the Northern Tradition: This resource provides funeral prayers and rituals from Northern pagan traditions, offering comfort and understanding during times of loss.
- Nature Mandala Ritual: A Contemplative Practice for Grievers: This article introduces the concept of creating nature mandalas as a grounding way to express emotions during grief.
- Grief Rituals: This article explores the importance of rituals in the grieving process and offers examples of practices that can facilitate healing.
- The Mourning Moon: A Guide to Understanding and Embracing Grief: This guide discusses the concept of the Mourning Moon in pagan traditions and how it can be used to process grief.
- Coping With Grief Through Nature Connection: This piece explores nature-based activities like walks, mindfulness exercises, and journaling to aid the grieving process.
These resources offer diverse perspectives on grief rituals, blending traditional practices with nature-based approaches to support healing and remembrance.
If you want a chat about how we can work together to create your own sacred healing circle, get in touch now
For more information and ideas about how we can work together get in touch now
I can’t wait to work with you and create something funky and magical.
