november 2022: a spread for stages of grief

hello, friends. earlier this month i shared an essay on the death archetype, exploring transformation, endings, and the importance of holding space for our own grief. it's so easy to rush through challenging emotions, to tell ourselves that we need to be strong or grounded, that we don't have time to fall apart.

but the thing is, refusing to let ourselves mourn can stifle our eventual growth. it can cut us off from seeing what is actually changing, leaving us stuck in the past, clinging to something rotten, lost in a world that no longer exists. grief is painful, scary, isolating, but it also reminds us of how deeply we love, allows us to truly reckon with what we want.

our spread for this month explores the four famed stages of grief, making deliberate space for awareness around challenging emotions, complicated transitions, or endings that we aren't quite ready to accept. grief comes in many forms, is rarely linear, and can bring up unexpected other feelings, even if what we are grieving is something we're actually happy or relieved to say goodbye to.

remember that death comes in many forms, and grief can sometimes sneak up on us, curling around our edges, lying in wait. if you've been having trouble accepting or acknowledging something, whether it's big or small, grab your cards and give yourself a loving opportunity to reflect.