In March this year it will be seven years since I started to work as a funeral celebrant. Recently I have been examining how I can use some of the skills I’ve acquired to make a change of direction. Specifically I want to look at creating events where people feel able to talk about the grief and anxiety they feel about climate change and environmental loss – eco grief.
Most people are well aware that things are not right with our world. Of course, many folk “deny” that the climate is changing…. or accept that it is but refuse to believe that we have any part in it. But I think that deep down we mostly do accept the evidence we can see all around us, and recognize that our way of life has led to this.
But this is frightening and overwhelming. Last year the UK government published a report on national security and biodiversity. I write “published” but in fact they were pressured into doing so by a freedom of information request as the Guardian’s George Monbiot reports. Without that pressure the report might never have surfaced. Its opening line is “Global ecosystem degradation and collapse threaten UK national security and prosperity. [likelihood: HIGH]”. Monbiot suggests that this report has been compiled by the joint intelligence committee. I’ve no idea who might sit on such a committee but I suspect not too many blue-haired vegan wokerati (sadly). And they speak of “national security” and even…(whisper it) “prosperity” being threatened. Now that is serious.
But it always feels like it’s just too much. So that when we most need to act, we can’t. We feel overwhelmed.
I wonder if maybe, as well as data and information and argument, we need to explore how we feel about this. Admit that we feel overwhelmed. Or scared. Or bewildered. Just acknowledging these feelings can sometimes be a prelude to action. It can help us feel less alone and isolated.
But how to do this? I’m aiming to run some climate or eco “grief circles”, initially on Zoom. These offer a safe and non-judgmental space where people can talk about their feelings. It could be sadness at the loss of something local and personal like a wood or a green space in a town. It could be that sick feeling you get at 3am when you wonder if the world itself is dying. And it could also (and this is important too) be the feeling of joy and renewal that you feel in nature, by the sea, listening to the birds.
To help in this work I’ve been studying with a team in Canada – Tracy Chalmers and Willow Meili of the Grief Well. Over the past few months they have been helping me translate the skills I’ve acquired as a celebrant. Talking to friends and families of people who have died, when grief is very raw and yet action is required in arranging a funeral that will honour and mourn their loss. Adapting those skills to help facilitate groups where people are experiencing profound pain at the loss of their worlds.
This is new for me but I’m ready to start and will be organizing my first circle soon. In the meantime I’d love to hear your thoughts on this or any aspect of eco or climate grief. Please contact me here.