Lately I’ve been thinking about emergence and transition, about what it’s like to move out of periods of darkness or change and come into new ways of being, living, and even loving. I’ve been thinking about the grief involved in that, about how necessary grief is as a process, how it eventually leaves a clearing…and about how often we experience a grief process but don’t recognize it as that.
The process is different when we’re able to call it what it is. Grief likes to be welcomed into the room, given a proper seat.
I’ve been working with the plant snowdrop (galanthus nivalis) recently as part of a training in herbalism for grief and nervous system support. Snowdrop has been teaching me that for some things we want and need, going through a grief process will be the way to it, and there will be no other way.
If you can truly let yourself feel the grief, freeing yourself from any judgment and shame around it, it can clear space in your life and within you for the new and better.
Unfortunately, our culture doesn’t teach us to value grief and we don’t have many containers for the expression and witnessing of it, but it’s critical that we find a way to work with it. Being able to express grief is a direct pathway to eventual joy – real joy – and to vitality, aliveness. It’s in our highest benefit to accept all of ourselves, every emotion and experience. That doesn’t come all at once, but each step closer to the fullness of it is truly soul satisfying.
I’ll share more about snowdrop later, but for now I want to tell you how amazing this plant is. A symbol of hope and resilience, this delicate flower has tremendous strength. It’s among the first to emerge and bloom as winter turns to spring, sometimes even pushing through ice. Snowdrop symbolizes perseverance; re-emergence after periods of grief, trauma, or difficulty; and hope regardless of circumstance.
Next time you feel regret, sorrow, grief, heartache, or longing…what would it be like to be with it, even for a moment?
If you’d like someone to help you navigate this process, I’m available; any of my offerings can help you move through these issues with grace.
May you have faith in the wisdom inherent in your process.
May you have hope for your future even if things feel difficult right now.
May you have the courage to let yourself emerge when the time is right, even if the ground is still cold.
May you accept yourself exactly as you are right now.
With love,
Tiffany
This article is for educational purposes only. This information is not intended to prevent, treat or cure any disease.