Sol/Soul Friends,

Two months ago, I was recovering from anaphylaxis. When my brain began to function again, a thought formed that I just haven't been able to get out of my head.

The body as a grief barometer.

The body is a grief barometer.

The body whispers and then (when not acknowledged), wields a megaphone: CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? This was/is my path. It might be yours, too.

Even after reading a myriad of books and articles and posts on the topic, this revelation felt/feels new to me. That our bodies, consumed by unprocessed things, can meet experiences that point us back to those things. Why? For the sake of resolution, of course. Homeostasis. A return to the wholeness from which we came.

My immunologist unknowingly confirmed this last week when he stated that we may never know why I had the allergic reaction, or what food my body suddenly thought was foreign. My chiropractor doubly backed this suspicion when I threw my idea out to the wind (and her) that maybe, just maybe, my body is finally feeling safe enough to move through some of the experiences she's never had the room to have.

If you don't know my story well, the majority of my life I've gone through long, long stretches of illness. I mean year-long infections like dengue fever and other things of the viral variety that left me uncomfortable and depleted for a longer-than-desired amount of time. But I wonder now, was this because my life was simply just too full to feel what I feel, express it, and move on?

After This Year's Event, I kept thinking about how it is so completely natural and normal for a human body to need it's stories to be witnessed and heard.

And now, I can't stop thinking about it.

How I witness people share in our grief circles and leave our with a peace they didn't enter that room with. How our beautiful community has welcomed thoughts and feelings, over and over again as we meet each month. How I desire the same sweet, nourishing space for those of us whose grief is centered on or attended to by illness.

So, I'm creating a new space for us virtually twice each month.

All this to say, this is your formal-ish is your invitation to the soft launch of GRIEF BODY.

Starting in August, we'll gather the 1st and 3rd Thursday's at 10 am MST and unravel/become/bend-before-we-break/exhale/expand together. This will be a safe space to honor the impact grief, trauma, loss and more have on our blessed earth suits, darlings. Because your soul deserves more than platitudes and patriarchy.

ILYSM,

J. @jmagnano_