id: grief-tending-council
title: Grief Tending Council
description: >-
  A council practice for tending collective grief — clearing the emotional
  weight that can impair a community's capacity to govern and act. Drawing
  on Indigenous council traditions and contemporary grief work, the
  practice creates a dedicated space for grief before returning to
  decision-making.
source: Ojai Foundation / Council practice tradition
source_url: https://www.ojaifoundation.org/
tags: [council, grief, healing, facilitation, circle]
forked_from: null
image: null
steps:
  - headline: Set the intention
    description: >-
      The facilitator names the purpose: to create space for grief that
      the community is carrying, so that it does not block clear
      thinking and action.
  - headline: Open the circle
    description: >-
      The circle opens with a moment of silence or brief words
      acknowledging what has been lost.
  - headline: Share in rounds
    description: >-
      A talking piece is passed. Each person may share what grief they
      carry — personal or communal. No response, advice, or cross-talk.
  - headline: Witness without fixing
    description: >-
      The circle holds each person's grief without attempting to resolve
      or comfort it away. Silence is welcome.
  - headline: Transition to purpose
    description: >-
      After grief has been given its space, the facilitator gently
      transitions the circle back to the matter at hand, naming that
      the community now carries both its grief and its capacity to act.
outcome: >-
  The community has acknowledged its grief in a held space, freeing
  capacity for clearer deliberation and action.
practice: >-
  Do not rush this. Grief does not follow an agenda. If someone weeps,
  let them. The facilitator's role is to hold the space, not to fill
  it.