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 implications Grief as an ongoing apprenticeship and relational process The role of storytelling and ritual in grief work The concept of soul severance and the shattering of illusions The importance of collective grief and community support Decolonizing grief and restoring cultural practices The gates of grief and their significance The relationship between grief, trauma, and systemic oppression The role of imagination and poetry in healing grief Practical ways to tend to grief in daily life Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to the episode and guest Nicola Duffell 02:20 Why grief is not just about loss of loved ones 05:23 Society's misunderstanding and repression of grief 08:25 The myth of grief being finite and 'getting over it' 09:54 Grief in all aspects of life and its relational nature 11:18 The sacredness of grief and the importance of community 15:57 Collective grief in times of global crisis 22:43 The shattering of illusions and worldviews 26:21 The necessity of grief for liberation and reimagination 36:57 The moments that punctuate our collective grief 44:37 Healing the earth’s grief and the role of nature 54:38 The link between unresolved grief and war 55:31 Decolonial approaches to grief and cultural restoration 01:00:21 The gates of grief and their significance 01:04:10 The importance of truth and unearthing hidden grief 01:07:36 The ongoing journey of grief and reimagining possibilities References: 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
