FREE COMMUNITY GRIEF RITUAL
June 6th-8th 2025
Villa Arco
804 W Greenfield, Ave
Milwaukee, WI
To Register - https://forms.gle/dAttxhNwe8ivh6JeA
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
I’ve been attending and more recently supporting within this ritual for several years, and consider each one to be one of the most profound communal healing experiences of my life. It’s important, necessary, and woefully missing work in our culture.
Communal grieving creates a healing power we cannot access in isolation. In community, we are witnessed, validated, and reminded that our grief is not only natural- it is powerful.
As we face ongoing personal and collective losses, worry, fear, rupture, disconnect- we need spaces to process and release together. Hanging on to old pain and lacking avenues of
processing new pain can weigh down our spirit, diminish our joy, stifle our creativity, and reduce our capacity for connection. In some cases, the inability to grieve fully can diminish us entirely.
When we grieve fully, our pain transforms: it becomes fertile ground for healing- for ourselves, our ancestors, and the future we are creating together.
In the spirit of Sobonfu Some, renowned teacher, mentor, and voice on African Spirituality, we offer this 3-Day Ritual to the community, free of charge. Born into the Dagara Tribe of Burkina Faso, Sobonfu was tasked by her elders to bring their rituals to the West. She traveled the world for decades, leading others with deep wisdom, compassion, humor, and great heart.
Grief is a universal human experience, and so this event is open to all humans.
This event will be guided by skilled and experienced facilitators and students of Sobonfu at Villa Arco, a community-minded event venue in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Square.
Please share this and invite anyone you feel needs it.
TRAVEL: The nearest airports are in Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago. Plan to have a vehicle or ride-share with other participants if you are staying in or near Milwaukee.
LODGING: Plan to book your lodging well in advance. Expect to potentially travel 10-20 minutes to and from your lodging to the event space.
FOOD: Breakfast, snacks and a hearty lunch and dinner will be provided each day. While we will honor and meet all special dietary needs, please be sure to bring any special foods or non-alcoholic beverages you would like to have for yourself.
COVID: Please be mindful of your well-being and that of others. Do not attend if you are feeling any sort of cold or flu symptoms. Masks provided.
SOBER: Due to the sensitive nature of this work, this is a sober event. No drugs, no alcohol. This does not include any medications you’re taking. If you’re using THC to alleviate any symptoms and worry it might be an issue, please reach out and let us know.
SCHEDULE:
Friday June 6th, 12pm - 9:30 pm (lunch and dinner provided)
Saturday the 7th, 9am-9:30pm (light breakfast, hearty lunch and dinner provided)
Sunday the 8th, 9am- 2pm (light breafkast, hearty lunch provided)
PARKING: There will be limited street parking, and a large grass parking lot in the back of the building, as well as another large grass lot directly across the alley.
***Attending Friday is highly recommended for first timers.
If you cannot make all three days and would like to “drop-in,” please do so on Saturday before 5pm.
This is a free event, food included. Please consider making monetary donations if you are resourced enough.