Welcome to
Holy Lament
The Transformative Path of Loss & Longing
with Mirabai Starr
An ongoing community grief journey through the Landscape of Loss
Do you feel drawn to embrace your heartbreak, instead of avoiding or fixing it?
You are invited to the refuge of Holy Lament
We welcome those who yearn to turn toward their grief through inspiring teachings, song, poetry, and transformative writing.
“What a satisfying relief to know that the jagged, overwhelming reactions to terrible losses are perfectly normal.”
-Mary G.
Grief isn't an illness or mistake, it is a natural and sacred response to life’s inevitable losses. It is also a crucible for transformation.
Have you faced a profound loss that changes your very being?
You don’t need to make this grief journey alone. A circle of like-minded companions, in the hands of wise and loving guides, awaits you here.
As a member, you'll become acquainted with our renowned speakers who have traversed the Landscape of Loss including Anne Lammot, Andrew Harvey, and Mark Nepo.
And, bear witness to the stories and transformation of fellow community members walking with you on the path of grief.
"Our collective has shifted the ritual of life into the routine of existence, and it is heartbreaking that there is such an absence of group ceremony where we feel held by our community and we feel we belong. Holy Lament provides this space to grievers."
-Sarah P.
Your Loss Counts
Please don’t discount your grief.
Whether you’ve lost the love of your life or been fired from a job that defined you, your loss counts. Not only that, but your grief is a holy portal, and we are here to step through with you into a state of more radical aliveness through contemplation, song, poetry and transformative writing.
We tenderly extend this invitation to people experiencing all forms of loss:
Death of a loved one, a breakup, pregnancy loss, change of health, loss of a job, significant life change, grief for the world and our planet, and any other version of the human condition that shatters your previous reality.
"Hearing Mirabai’s deep wisdom is more than being supported or accompanied, it is also experiencing moments of clarity when you suddenly shift to another perspective."
-Wendy B.
Prepare to be guided across
12 Thresholds through the Landscape of Loss
As part of our ongoing community, you'll explore 12 features in the Landscape of Loss that, when approached mindfully and heartfully, can become portals of transformation.
“Time with Mirabai and Willow is time outside of time - a value all its own. ”
-Mary Louise M.
As we voyage through the 12 thresholds together, you'll be invited to explore:
Weekly Video Teachings
with Mirabai's musings on the month's threshold including personal stories, poetry, and writing prompts to awaken your heart
Monthly Live Calls
with teachings, poetry, song, and writing practice guided by Mirabai and Willow and joined by our community of kindred spirits
Monthly Live Small Groups
to share, reflect and witness one another on this transformative writing and grief journey
Monthly Live Q&A
with Mirabai to support you as you traverse the Landscape of Loss through contemplation and writing practice
Monthly Song Circles
sacred song and chant, live and recorded, with Willow to nourish the soul
Monthly Exemplar Conversations
with Mirabai and fellow renowned speakers to discuss each threshold, sharing life-changing insights and personal stories
Monthly Email Insights
with Mirabai's poetically illustrated reflections to the month's threshold in your inbox
Annual Live Salon Integration
to polish your writing and participate in whole group sharing and reflection
Annual Threshold Return
to honor the never-ending grief journey and embrace new insights as we revisit the thresholds year after year
Ongoing Community Connection
within a circle of like minded companions in our private community platform
A Holy Lament Blog
a dedicated space to share your writing reflections on the grief journey with the world
Bonuses!
Unraveling the Myths of Grief
Receive free lifetime access to Unraveling the Myths of Grief with Mirabai
Ordinary Mysticism
Receive free access to the Ordinary Mysticism course with Mirabai set to launch this year
We're here to support your journey with tools and wisdom to navigate the human spirit's garden gracefully.
What our ongoing Holy Lament community members have to say...
"Hearing Mirabai’s deep wisdom is more than being supported or accompanied, it is also experiencing moments of clarity when you suddenly shift to another perspective. Grief can be threaded with grace, I learned from Mirabai’s teachings. My burden of grief lightened when she reframed the stages of grief as stations. And then, Willow's gorgeous melodies that point to the heart of the Divine comforted and lifted me up."
-Wendy B.
"Our collective has shifted the ritual of life into the routine of existence, and it is heartbreaking that there is such an absence of group ceremony where we feel held by our community and we feel we belong. Holy Lament provides this space to grievers. A space filled with the healing feminine face of the holy. It is so needed and such a balm."
-Sarah P.
“Time with Mirabai and Willow is time outside of time - a value all its own. Time with others willing to open their stories in collected writings is amazing. It allows sharing without “too much” while we process our own grief and amplify understanding.”
-Mary Louise M.
"Mirabai and Willow and the team couldn't make my path easy, but they scattered flowers along the way and gave me resting places and made it walkable and that has made all the difference and now I'm on a year-long journey with them with the Holy Lament."
-Jenny M.
“My intent upon joining was to examine my life’s losses and properly grieve them. That goal has been met tenfold. What a satisfying relief to know that the jagged, overwhelming reactions to terrible losses are perfectly normal.”
-Mary G.
Do you long for a dedicated space to mourn consciously?
By participating in Holy Lament, you will...
-Remember what your soul has always known: that you belong to the human family, and loss is a shared reality.
-Affirm that there are many forms of loss and many ways to grieve.
-Recognize when a particular feeling you may be having is a natural expression of the grief process rather than a sign that something is wrong with you.
-Find comfort in knowing that those who have walked before you have left footprints you can follow through the wilderness.
-Experience renewed capacity to experience the beauty and sacredness of life.
-Develop a robust container of compassion to be able to hold others as they grieve.
-Compile a body of writing on your story of
transformational loss.
We welcome you.
Is Holy Lament for you?
This gathering is an invitation to those who are willing to sit in the unknown and turn toward grief as a transformational journey.
This program may NOT be for you if...
-You are seeking a psychological framework for your grief process
-You require trauma support and don't have it
-You are expecting a specific set of tools and techniques to show you how to grieve
-You wish to be initiated and indoctrinated into a particular spiritual belief system to rescue you from your loss
-Expecting a certificate or licensure
Wild Heart does not provide crisis intervention and does not replace the care of psychologists or other healthcare professionals.
We invite you to join Holy Lament if...
-You are able to sit in the unknown
-You are ready to turn toward grief as a transformational invitation
-You sense the fragrance of the sacred emanating from your heartbreak
-You have an accompanying network of support in your everyday life
-Your heart cries yes to the song we are singing
"Mirabai and Willow and the team couldn't make my path easy, but they scattered flowers along the way and gave me resting places and made it walkable."
-Jenny M.
Meet Mirabai
Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author of creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog. A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. Her latest book, WILD MERCY: Living the Fierce & Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics, was named one of the “Best Books of 2019”. She lives with her extended family in the mountains of northern New Mexico.
Meet Willow
Willow Brook is an earth loving facilitator, educator, seeker, artist and friend on fire for love, truth and embodied liberation. With a lifetime of experience on an interspiritual path and a decade of experience teaching in classrooms across the world, Willow brings devotional song and prayer into everything she does. She facilitates grief gatherings, guides yoga and was a resident at the iconic intentional community, Lama Foundation.
