Today, we'd like to uplift the new issue of Kosmos Journal, and particularly the theme of this issue–the gift of grief. In our quest for Hope, we often eschew and run from grief, sadness, mourning, and longing. But the articles in this issue provide a window into the transformation that can happen if we allow ourselves to fully feel it all, instead of resisting and running away. Meaning, elevated consciousness, and yes, even Hope can be found in those depths.
From the editor's introduction:
Can we humans also learn to spin gold from straw? Is this what it means to sing a good song? Many beings are living hard lives, yet there is such beauty in life itself. As Earth suffers, she still sings her song of abundance. She sings in flowers and fruit trees, rivers and seas. The moon is still there for us, the morning dew.
In this issue of Kosmos, I feel the need to honor the weight of our pain, personal and collective. However, these stories also show us that healing is possible when we know how to grieve well. Approached with humility and reverence, it empties and transforms us. The Gift of Grief points to the need for shared ceremonial practices and offers examples of courageous healing. Just as artists draw inspiration from hardship to create raw, powerful work, our tears can wash away our illusions and bring us to clarity. Love, joy and beauty also have this power.
Articles include:
“Being Taught by Sacred Pain: Towards Scarring Our Scared Soul Wound”
by Cash Ahenakew
“Hope Leans Forward: The Body as Grounded Wisdom”
by Valerie Brown
“The River Threshold: Setting Self and the Other Free”
by Jonathan McRay
“To Lament: Dawn Songs and the Human-Bird Bond”
by Jamie K. Reaser
“Seven Foundations for a New Era: Beyond the Polycrisis”
by Llewelyn Vaughan-Lee