Please note: Our beautiful teacher, Sobonfu Somé, died in her village in Africa on January 14th, 2017. As a community, our hearts are heavy with this loss. We are also deeply grateful for knowing her, learning from her, and laughing with her all of these years. She has become an ancestor to all of us now, and what she taught us about healing grief has transformed us forever.

“Darkness deserves gratitude. It is the alleluia point at which we learn to understand that all growth does not take place in the sunlight.”
― Joan D. Chittister

We all experience grief in life – from death, divorce, abandonment, illness, conflict, the loss of dreams, and much more. Because of this, we must have ways to release our pain and regularly cleanse ourselves, or our grief begins to smother our joy, our creativity, and our ability to connect with others.

Sobonfu Somé shares the Grief Ritual as one of the most important rituals of her people –The Dagara tribe of West Africa. The Ritual is a soul-cleansing rite that clears away lingering clouds and festering wounds, lightens your soul, and helps you find your way back to wholeness, peace, and self acceptance.

Dagara rituals offer profound healing, making spirit tangible by preparing mind, body and soul to receive the spirituality that surrounds us.

Who should attend?
– People feeling grief for the loss of a loved one, a pet, or job
– Anyone stuck in unhealthy relationships or emotionally unhealthy situations
– People in transition of any kind, whether through divorce, illness, or disappointed dreams
– Front line workers such as therapists, educators, nurses, social workers, hospice caregivers, police men or women
– Veterans
– Those feeling the collective grief of a violent world, or the environmental harm of the earth
– Anyone with sadness and pain to release

About Sobonfu
Sobonfu’s destiny was foretold by village elders before her birth, as is the custom of the Dagara tribe. Recognizing she possessed special gifts, her elders named her “keeper of the rituals,” knowing she was destined to teach the ancient wisdom, rituals and practices of her ancestors to those in the West.

Sobonfu travels extensively throughout North America and Europe, conducting workshops on spirituality, ritual, the sacred, and intimacy. Her work has moved African spiritual practices from the realm of anthropology to a place alongside the world’s great spiritual traditions, with a message of profound significance and practical application in the lives of Westerners.

Filled with grace and eloquence, Sobonfu possesses a charm and modesty that enables her to touch her audience deeply. Her message about the importance of spirit, community and ritual in our lives rings with an intuitive power and truth that Alice Walker has said “can help us put together so many things that our modern western world has broken.”

She has written three books, “The Spirit of Intimacy” (William Morrow), “Falling Out of Grace” (North Bay Books), and “Welcoming Spirit Home” (New World Library). Learn more about Sobonfu at www.sobonfu.com

What past participants say about the Grief Ritual:

“Quite simply, the Grief Ritual changed my life. There is a powerful experience that happens when people come together to release old pains and support one another. It is a non intellectual event – an experience of the soul and heart. It is a reminder, a return to the ways of connection that has been easily thwarted in our fast moving high consuming time. I wish everyone could be held in such grace and love as this experience can offer.” – Hillary

“In the eight years since my mother’s sudden death, not a day went by without tears, guilt, and immense pain for the things left unsaid. I had a hole in my heart that would not heal. I can honestly tell you that the Grief Ritual is perhaps the most moving, soulful experience I have ever had in my life.  The feeling of  love, friendship, and knowing that everyone there was there to overcome loss made it comfortable to listen and be active in the grief healing process. This is a gift from Sobonfu that she shares with all. The past year since I attended has brought me more peace and joy than I have felt in many years.” – Lynn

“The ritual gives you a safe and sacred space to grieve without needing to talk it through. Years of therapy never did what this ritual did for me. It was such a relief to just feel my way through my grief, through tears or silence, or whatever showed up. I felt held by the collective grievers and by Sobonfu’s strong and beautiful presence.” – Jennifer

“The Grief Ritual with Sobonfu Somé was soul healing medicine for me. Through her compassion, she inspires participants to let go of their pain, anger, and fear. And to understand the blessings behind their grief.” – Robert 

Watch and Listen:
Sobonfu Somé on grieving and recovery