Ep 109 Creating Rituals and Ceremonies For Grief & Loss with Jess Wertz

So many women are turning to ceremonies and rituals in ways we haven't for centuries. This week's guest and her sister have created a beautiful company to support anyone looking for a unique way to honor a loved one in Spirit, whether the loss is recent or long past.

Jess Wertz, and her sister Amanda Wertz McClellan founded Spirit Vessel. Jess and I had a magical conversation and covered so many things about the beauty they've brought to a topic people frequently ignore, until they're faced with the most difficult of life's decisions. In this episode, Jess and I talk about:

• The beginnings of Jess’s journey into art
• What led her to opening up more conversation around death, rituals and ceremonies
• The importance of creating personalized rituals and ceremonies that honor the emotions of grief
• How nature helped her heal from a breakup
• The impact conversations with friends and family navigating grief had on the creation of Spirit Vessel
• How my Mom’s preplanning helped me in the aftermath of her sudden return to Spirit
• The stark difference when my son returned to Spirit with having no plans in place (this underscores the importance of preplanning at any age)
• Why we need rites of passage in the course of our lives
• How ritual and ceremony allow us to come back and hold space for our grief and emotions
• How preplanning allows us to be more present with our grief and with others in times of loss
• The way in which ceremony and ritual allows the paradox of joy and grief to co-exist
• Why it’s so important to move our emotions out of our heads and into our bodies
• How the original intention and vision of Spirit Vessel changed due to the pandemic
• Why the idea of rewriting the ideas and stories of how things should look around grief and loss is very intriguing and exciting
• How the traditional ways of experiencing death and grief are disrespectful and uninviting
• The Ceremony Guidebook Jess created that you can use at any time to honor your loved one and your grief
• How you can work with Spirit Vessel in creating your own unique ceremonies and rituals
• Why ceremony and ritual helps us avoid the isolation that’s so prevalent in modern society
• The passage Jess read from her beautiful Ceremony Guidebook on Opening To Forgiveness

Please be sure to visit their website (this is an affiliate link) and follow them on Instagram!

Do you have your copy of my free guide, 4 Steps to Connect with Your Higher Self? If not, get yours here!