Grieving our way to a new world with Nicola Duffell

In this episode, Nicola Duffell and I explore the profound and often misunderstood realm of grief, emphasising its role in personal and collective liberation. We discuss grief's wild, messy nature and how that frees us from conditioned needs for structure, control and neatness. We open up to grief in the collective sense, a grief for a world that is burning, fairytales we lived in before brutal initiations into stark realities, our connection to the earth, our lineages and to each other. We discuss how expanding our relationship with grief is essential for reimagining future possibility and can foster deeper humanity and healing.About Nicola: Nicola Duffell calls herself a Life Mentor, Grief + Soul Activist - Poet, Writer + Author. She sees herself as a grief worker, with journeying with grief at the heart of all she does as a space-holder and human.Key Topics:The societal misunderstanding of grief and its implicationsGrief as an ongoing apprenticeship and relational processThe role of storytelling and ritual in grief workThe concept of soul severance and the shattering of illusionsThe importance of collective grief and community supportDecolonizing grief and restoring cultural practicesThe gates of grief and their significanceThe relationship between grief, trauma, and systemic oppressionThe role of imagination and poetry in healing griefPractical ways to tend to grief in daily lifeChapters:00:00 Introduction to the episode and guest Nicola Duffell02:20 Why grief is not just about loss of loved ones05:23 Society's misunderstanding and repression of grief08:25 The myth of grief being finite and 'getting over it'09:54 Grief in all aspects of life and its relational nature11:18 The sacredness of grief and the importance of community15:57 Collective grief in times of global crisis22:43 The shattering of illusions and worldviews26:21 The necessity of grief for liberation and reimagination36:57 The moments that punctuate our collective grief44:37 Healing the earth’s grief and the role of nature54:38 The link between unresolved grief and war55:31 Decolonial approaches to grief and cultural restoration01:00:21 The gates of grief and their significance01:04:10 The importance of truth and unearthing hidden grief01:07:36 The ongoing journey of grief and reimagining possibilitiesReferences:Nicola Duffell: https://www.nicoladuffell.com/Francis Weller: https://www.francisweller.net/Life's Poetry by Nicola Duffell: https://www.nicoladuffell.com/lifes-poetry-the-book