Sacred Ground: What Grief Reveals
Last week, we fed our grief to the earth.
This week: What rises from that rich soil?
If you did last week's practice, you know what it feels like to honor what's been lost. But here's what nobody tells you about grief work: it doesn't just compost pain. It reveals truth.
The Story
Three months after losing my daughter, something strange started happening. I'd be driving to work and suddenly realize I hated the route I was taking. I'd sit in meetings and feel my body recoil from conversations that used to feel normal. I'd look at my schedule and wonder whose life I was living.
Grief had thinned the veil between who I thought I should be and who I actually was.
I started wanting things I'd never allowed myself to want. To spend entire mornings watching how the light moved across my property. To have dinner by candlelight instead of wolfing down food while checking emails. To call an old friend I'd lost touch with years ago.
At first, I thought I was having some kind of breakdown. Why was I suddenly so aware of everything that felt wrong? Why couldn't I just go back to being grateful for what I had?
Then I realized: grief doesn't just clear out what's dead. It makes room for what's been buried alive.
All those years of doing what I thought I was supposed to do, being who others needed me to be, following paths that looked right on paper - grief burned through that like fire through dry brush.
What remained was startlingly clear: the things that actually mattered. The people who fed my soul. The work that felt sacred instead of just successful. The pace that let me feel human instead of just productive.
Grief had given me something I'd never had before: permission to be honest about what I actually wanted from this short, precious life.
What I've Learned
Grief is the great revealer of truth.
When you've felt real loss, you stop pretending that things matter when they don't. You start paying attention to what makes you feel alive versus what just fills time.
The men I work with often resist this part of grief work. They want to "process it and move on." But grief isn't just about dealing with what you've lost - it's about discovering what you've been ignoring.
That job that pays well but slowly kills your spirit? Grief makes you feel that death in real time. That friendship where you're always the one giving? Grief shows you the imbalance you've been avoiding. That pace of life that leaves no room for wonder? Grief slows you down enough to notice what you've been missing.
This isn't depression or having unrealistic expectations. This is your soul finally having enough space to tell you what it needs.
Most of us spend our whole lives drowning out this inner voice with busyness, achievement, and other people's definitions of success. Grief strips all that away and asks the only question that matters: What would you do if you remembered this life was finite?
Practice: The Clarity Walk
This week, we're listening to what grief has revealed.
Step 1: Choose Your Time Pick a time when you can walk outside for 20-30 minutes without rushing anywhere afterward. Early morning or evening work best.
Step 2: Walk Without Agenda Start walking with no destination. Let your feet choose the direction. Pay attention to what draws your eye - the way light hits a tree, the sound of wind, the texture of bark.
Step 3: Ask the Question As you walk, ask yourself: "What has grief made clear to me about how I want to live?"
Don't force answers. Just walk and listen. Notice what thoughts arise. What longings. What regrets. What possibilities.
Step 4: Three Truths Before you head home, stop and name three things out loud:
One thing grief has shown you that you want more of
One thing it's shown you that you want less of
One person you want to reach out to because life is short
Step 5: Honor What You Heard Within 24 hours, take one small action based on what came up. Send that text. Say no to that commitment. Schedule time for what actually feeds you.
Why this works: Grief opens a doorway to your deepest knowing, but only if you slow down enough to walk through it. This isn't about making dramatic life changes - it's about honoring the truth that's trying to emerge from your loss.
Ready to go deeper? If this work resonates and you're ready for support in honoring what grief has revealed, I work with individuals and couples who understand that real healing requires real truth. Let's talk.
Share the revelation: Forward this to someone who's ready to listen to what their grief is trying to tell them.
The work continues. Your future self is counting on you.
Robbie Watterson
Wilderness Therapist & Soul Guide
ritualsmentalhealth.com
Want these delivered weekly?
