There’s a few different ways we can work together:
Grief Gardening
Ceremony + Ritual Planning
Hospice Care
Some of the things you’re carrying might include
the death of someone you love, a health diagnosis, major life transitions, grief about climate collapse and imperialist, capitalist, patriarchal yt supremacy and misogynoir.
Whatever you need to tend to is welcomed.
“We have been sad long enough to make this earth either weep or grow fertile.”
- Audre Lorde, The Cancer Journals
Grief gardening and witnessing can be as wide or narrow as you need. As we sow seeds, turn soil, water, prune, compost and admire any garden, I will share ideas, provide resources and hold space for your grief. Spiritual companionship is another way to say it, although you don’t have to be spiritual for us to work together.
Some things we might do together include, but is not limited to, actual gardening, reading poetry, mediation, mirroring, death planning, letter writing, divination, gentle hypnotherapy, perhaps some tears, intuitive messages and sitting with stillness. I will meet you with compassion, deep acknowledgement and respect for you and your grief.
An example of grief gardening I’ve done for myself was during my infertility experience; as winter was coming and grief was swelling, I knew I’d need something to look forward to. So I planted 150 daffodils (against the rules of my HOA!) so in the darkest of times, I could trust that spring would come again one day.
Grief Gardening
Ritual + Ceremony Planning
"How does one pass through youth to maturity without breaking down? With help from tradition, through ceremonies and rituals, rites of passage at the most difficult stages." - Wendell Berry
Ceremony is what we participate in to mark an event, like a graduation or wedding. Ritual is more numinous, done more frequently and helps us usher in what’s coming; a type of prayer or song offered up to lay a path before us as we proceed into, often, the unknown. Together we can craft an experience that fits the threshold upon you.
Some characteristics of your ritual or ceremony might include music, art, working with natural elements, reciting poetry or sacred texts as well as your own cultural and ancestral traditions. I can participate in the event with you, or simple co-create the experience that you will lead for yourself (and others) when the time comes.
A personal ritual I do often is candle lighting to hold vigil (battery operated candles can be great for this to reduce fire risk). Lighting and blowing out the wick, or turning the switch on and off, are sacred moments infused with intentions of care and attention.
Hospice + End of Life Care
Perhaps the most tender work, I can support you or a loved one as the end of life draws near. Death doulas are not licensed and therefore cannot provide medical services, so my offering is emotional and soulful.
You do not need a declaration of hospice or diagnosis; in the most general sense we are all walking each other home. In the most acute sense, sometimes we are able to prepare for our final months, weeks and days with intention.
This preparation can include, but is not limited to, getting paperwork in order, light cleaning and home organizing, reading or praying together, and emotional companionship for a dying person and their loved ones. I can also make phone calls, help write letters or emails, and sit bedside. Quietude is my specialty.
Writing and memory-keeping is another specialty of mine, if you want to preserve your stories or simply have them witnessed.
Afterdeath care is also something I can support you with: washing and care for the body of a loved one, at home or at a hospital. Home funerals are legal here in California and many states. Many cultures, including Black Americans, have historically tended to the bodies of deceased loved ones in the home preceding burial.
If you need assistance with funeral planning and rites, I can help find the resources that best fit your needs.
Any way that I support you or your loved ones is infused with sincerity, respect and care. Racial and trauma sensitivity, LGTBQ+ rights and respect is of utmost importance.
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou
-DL
“Her kindness and compassion shines through while she creates a lovingly safe, healing space. Andrea is knowledgeable, intuitive and led my session in a relaxing, comfortable manner. She listened deeply to what I was saying and experiencing so I always felt safe and in good hands. Andrea has a heart of gold and is a very talented healer. I highly recommend working with her!”
GB
“Andrea has a compassionate approach in which I felt safe throughout the session. I'm really thankful for her guidance. ”
If you’re curious about what working together might include,
set a exploratory call with me using the link above.
I look forward to hearing from you.
