The Wild Edge of Sorrow

Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief

De: Francis Weller, Michael Lerner - foreword

Narrado por: Derek Botten

"It blew me away. I underlined things on nearly every page."—Anderson Cooper, All There Is

The Wild Edge of Sorrow offers hope and healing for a profoundly fractured world—and a pathway home to the brightness, pains, and gifts of being alive.

Introducing the 5 gates of grief, psychotherapist Francis Weller explores how we move through the waters of grief and loss in a culture so fundamentally detached from the needs of the soul.

• The first gate recognizes—and invites us to accept—the painful truth that everything we love, we will lose. With this acceptance comes beauty and responsibility—and an openness into which we can pour the full love of our hearts. At the first gate, we meet the sorrow of losing a loved one; the grief of illness; and the unique and profound pains that accompany loss by suicide.

• The second gate helps us uncover and tend to the places that have not known love: the neglected pieces of our soul that need restoration and care. These “places” can be our secret shames, or the parts of us that we feel are undeserving of love. At the second gate, we face our shadows and heal our most tender wounds.

• The third gate meets us at the sorrows of the world, inviting us to open to the grave pain of our planet: the destruction of ecosystems, the harms of extractive capitalism, the unfathomable pain of war and occupation. We learn to honor and hold this grief even as we move through it, recommitting ourselves to the actions our souls call upon us to perform in service of healing and renewal.

• The fourth gate, what we expected but did not receive, is present in each and every one of our lives. We may need love from a parent or partner unable to give it; we may lack the language to ask for the care we deserve. Each is a loss that must be acknowledged and grieved to move toward wholeness.

• The fifth gate opens to our ancestral grief: the traumas, pains, losses, and unrealized dreams of those who came before us. Weller invites us to reconnect to our bodies, our communities, and the ancestral knowledge we hold in our bones...but may have forgotten.

Profoundly moving, beautifully written, this book is a balm for the soul and a necessary salve for moving together through difficult times. Grounded in ritual and connection, The Wild Edge of Sorrow welcomes each grief with care and attention, opening us to the feelings, experiences, and sacred knowledge that connect us to each other and ultimately make us whole.

©2015 Francis Weller (P)2016 North Atlantic Books

Help with grief

I have been feeling grief in many areas of my life and this book helped me understand the multi-faceted grief experience. I feel grief about our earth, our ancestors and in my present situation of a recent loss of my dad and upcoming loss of my mom. As I grew to understand the grief experience in a deeper way through this book, it helped me with perspective and how to view grief in a way that honors it and me. If you are grieving, this book might be one to consider reading.

Healing

So many ways to help us heal and different ways of sharing our grief. I appreciate the rituals at the end

Beautiful and deeply moving book on grief

This is one of the best books ever on grief I have ever listed to. Highly recommended!!!

Beautiful, poetic and soothing book from start to finish!

This is my go-to book for guidance, encouragement and normalization on how to allow and express the natural occurrence of grief. Francis Weller speaks from experience and service. He does a masterful job of helping us come to welcome, accept, embrace, integrate and use grief as a means of returning to the wholeness this world so desperately needs.

A definite re-read !

It was so great to hear and read the book. I truly enjoyed and stayed attuned.

An excellent book

This book addresses grief and sorrow in a poetic and insightful way. It is an important book and well worth reading.

Grace Beyond

This is a journey book. An exquisite, complete witnessing of our souls breathe. In and out. Thank you♥️

An Essential Book of Our Time

I found this book to be both nurturing, and a diagnosis of our culture that I feel I have been chasing for decades. It comes from a place of goodness and respect. I want to share it with friends and family, though they may not be interested. In gratitude.

Helpful

I’m glad that I read this book and felt heard on my grief. Thankful to Anderson Cooper

Highly recommend

Incredible depth of wisdom on grief and how to let it move through the body.