Holding Space for What Hurts
grief gatherings, support & rituals
“Grief is not an event, my dear, but a passage; a pilgrimage along a path that allows us to reflect upon the past from points of remembrance held in the soul.
At times the way is filled with stones underfoot and we feel pained by our memories, yet on other days the shadows reflect our longing and those happinesses shared.”
― Jacqueline Winspear
If the word grief hasn’t scared you off, then I know that you know what grief is. Maybe someone you love, died. Maybe you have lost pieces of yourself, a few too many dreams, your spark for life. Maybe you’re not quite sure what it is you’ve lost and all you know is that something is missing. Whatever path took you here - I’m glad you’ve made it.
In a world that has pushed grief to the fringes, seeking to hide it in dark nooks and crannies, I welcome you to a little corner that gets it. I promise this is a platitude-free zone. No fixing, mending or toxic positivity allowed. Scout’s honour. You can hang out with your grief here - it’s all welcome.
You may want to join one of our online our in-person circles and meet some more people who get it. Feel pulled to join one of our one-day immersions. Maybe you just want to hang out here for a while and stay connected through Instagram.
You do your grief, your way. I’m looking forward to walking some of this path with you.
- Kim
OFFERINGS
Online gatherings
Support circles you can join from the comfort
of your own home.
In-person gatherings
Bi-weekly gatherings and one-day events in the Haarlem/Amsterdam region.
our roots
My grief journey started at 21, when I lost my mother. I was not prepared. The tools, the support—inside me and around me—just weren’t there. Grief swept in like a tidal wave, and for years I struggled to stay afloat. It took time, much more than society will allow us, to be able to see the full breadth of my loss. To feel safe in my own body again and to accept that grief isn’t something you 'get over'. It’s a companion, ebbing and flowing with the tides of life.
As I grieved, I found many people around me were left scrambling. Faced with something they couldn’t fix, cure, or tidy up, they simply didn’t know how to be there for me. What type of support was actually supportive. Because we have never learned how to sit, walk and dance with grief.
And now here we are. After years of learning how to relate to my own grief and loss, I founded Grief Pilgrims. To offer some companionship as you walk the uncharted lands of grief. Maybe you’ve found yourself here because you lost someone you loved, to death or to life. Perhaps you are grieving longheld dreams or the loss of what never was. Whatever brought you here — you’re welcome. It’s all welcome.
We bring together people who get it so that we can create spaces of understanding and belonging. Where you are met with unflinching compassion and can embrace the beautiful -and at times terrible- mess of being human. We don’t rush or shush grief here. We slow down, invite it in and meet grief at its own pace—together.
“Most of all, a pilgrim is someone abroad in a world of impending revelation where something is about to happen, including, most fearfully, and as part of their eventual arrival, their own disappearance.”
— David Whyte, Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words
Grief is not the epilogue of death. Rather, it is the quiet shadow of all of life’s big transitions.
The end of a relationship, the loss of a pet, a job, a home, the world as it was, a friendship, the physical or mental health of yourself or someone near you..
All grief is valid. And all grief is welcome.
