Making space for grief
The Grief Retreat is a four day retreat for you to pause and make room for the grief that has been sitting on your heart.
This is not an educational retreat about grief. It is an invitation to enter into a process where we allow, honour and hold space for our grief within a safe community. You will be invited to take part in ritual, reflection, movement, creativity, sound, nature and community.
We are not coming together to get over grief or leave it behind. We are creating space for grief to move, speak and be witnessed, and to discover what may emerge alongside it.
Through witnessing, expression and connection there can be growth, lightness, joy and even celebration. Grief remains part of our story, but our relationship with it can change.
"Grief work is not passive, but an ongoing practice of deepening, attending, and listening, an act of devotion rooted in love." Francis Weller - "The Wild Edge of Sorrow".
Who is the retreat for?
This retreat holds space for loss in all its shapes, not only the ones we're taught to call grief. Whatever your grief is carrying, it has a place here.
This retreat may be right for you if you know there is grief in your life that you would like to honour and you feel willing to enter a shared process with curiosity, personal responsibility and respect for others.
You do not need previous experience with grief work, meditation, ritual or retreats. You do need to be willing to spend time with your own experience and to witness the experiences of others.
Before your place is confirmed, Peter will speak with you personally to explore what is bringing you to the retreat and whether this experience is appropriate for you at this time.
Grief in Community
One of the first things we will do together is build safe community.
Grieving in our culture can be deeply isolating. This retreat creates a resting ground, a foundation where you can slow down and honour what you are carrying in the presence of other people who are also willing to witness and be witnessed. Francis Weller describes grief as something not to be resolved, but rather something that needs to move within a safe container.
There is no expectation that you perform your grief, explain everything or share more than feels right. You will be invited into the practices and you remain responsible for your own boundaries. We listen. We witness. We honour. We do not try to fix one another.
"We need to recover our right to ask for help in grief, otherwise it will continue to recycle perpetually. Grief has never been private; it has always been communal. Subconsciously, we are awaiting the presence of others, before we can feel safe enough to drop to our knees on the holy ground of sorrow." Francis Weller - "The Wild Edge Of Sorrow"
Come with Intention
You are invited to arrive with an intention for your grief. Not necessarily an intention to change it or resolve it, but an openness to listen to what your grief may be asking of you.
Your intention becomes a foundation for the four days. It can be simple. It may be something you want to honour, something that needs to be witnessed, or simply a willingness to make space for grief that has not had enough room in your everyday life.
What you will experience
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Creating safe space within our community for the retreat
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Sharing heart circles (only share as much as you feel comfortable)
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Shared practices in pairs, small groups and community
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Ritual and ceremony, including creating a sacred space and building a fire circle
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Meditation and quiet reflection
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Gentle movement and stretching
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Time in nature and a gentle bushwalk
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Creative expression through art, writing and movement
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Journalling and letter writing
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A dedicated sound healing bath
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Periods of silence and personal reflection
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Nourishing vegetarian meals and shared community time
Ritual, spirituality and culture
The Grief Retreat is non-denominational. You do not need to be religious or spiritual to attend.
The retreat includes earth-based practices, ritual, meditation, nature, sound and the elements. You are encouraged to bring your own beliefs, culture, traditions and ways of making meaning into the experience. Nothing requires you to adopt a belief system that is not your own.
The setting
We will gather at a retreat centre in the bush in the Blue Mountains, NSW. The setting is simple, peaceful and close to nature, giving us space to step away from the usual demands of life.
Accommodation is simple. Bedding will be supplied. We ask that you bring your own pillow and any extra bedding to make yourself feel comfortable during our time together. The bathrooms are shared and we will be walking outside as we move between our accommodation, the main hall and the dining room.
Nourishing vegetarian meals will be provided throughout the retreat.
This is not therapy
The Grief Retreat is not therapy.
The experience may, however, be therapeutic in ways that are unique to you. Ritual, witnessing, creativity, movement, nature and safe community can create meaningful space for grief, but there is no promise that you will feel or experience a particular outcome.
You are welcome to bring your emotions to the retreat, and be open to others honouring their emotions on the weekend. The perspective is to witness with compassion, but not feel that we have to "save" anyone on the weekend.
This retreat is not a substitute for counselling, medical care, psychiatric care or crisis support.
Who this retreat is not for?
This retreat is not appropriate for anyone going through any acute mental health, medical or crisis support. If you are currently at risk of self-harm or suicide, or require urgent psychiatric or medical support, this retreat setting is not an appropriate substitute for professional or crisis care.
The retreat will be a group shared experience. If you feel you may not be able to manage yourself in a group setting, respect confidentiality, and be available to also witness the grief of others, this retreat may not be appropriate.
This retreat offers therapeutic outcomes, but this is not therapy based retreat. There will not be one to one counselling support at the retreat. If you feel you might need more personalised support, this may not be the right time for you to attend. You can ask Peter in your introductory conversation if you have any concerns about this.
Your introductory conversation
When you apply to attend, you will be asked to complete the booking process and take part in an introductory conversation.
The conversation is an important part of creating a safe group. It allows us to meet, talk about what is calling you to the retreat, begin to clarify your intention, and consider whether The Grief Retreat is the right experience for you.
Your place is confirmed only after the suitability conversation and agreed payment arrangements are complete.
What is included
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Three nights accommodation
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Four-day facilitated retreat program
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All vegetarian meals, morning tea, afternoon tea
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Sound healing bath
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Ritual and creative materials
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Pre-retreat introductory and suitability conversation
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A carefully held group experience facilitated with trauma informed care
Dates and Location
Thursday 26 November to Sunday 29 November 2026
Near Katoomba, Blue Mountains, NSW
Arrival: 5pm Thursday afternoon
Departure: 3pm Sunday
Exact venue, arrival information and items to bring will be provided to confirmed participants.
Investment
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Early bird: $980 per person
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Early bird closes: 23rd October 2026
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Full fee: $1150 per person
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Payment plans: Available by arrangement.
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Full refund up to 4 weeks before the retreat. See full cancellation terms at booking.
About your Facilitator
I'm a Transpersonal Counsellor and member of the Australian Counselling Association. I currently work in private practice and for a health organisation. I work with many clients going through varied stages of grief.
I was deeply touched by grief in 2019 after the passing of my mother. It was at this time that I was introduced to the work of Francis Weller, author of "The Wild Edge Of Sorrow." This opened up a deeper understanding of the initiation we are invited into when we meet grief in our lives. And that we are often meeting grief in our lives and we are missing the signs.
I have worked deeply with ritual in my personal practise and in the programs I have facilitated over the past 20 years. I have taken part in grief retreats and rituals and find this work deeply rewarding. I see this work offering an invitation to transform grief into deep compassion and gratitude for life, with the potential for a more enriching relationship with love and joy.
The inspiration for this retreat was born after the passing of a friend in 2024.
If you feel called
I invite you to notice what happens when you imagine giving yourself this time. Close your eyes for a moment. Go within. Notice whether something in you is asking for a pause, a place to honour what is present, and the experience of being part of a safe community space to honour the grief on your heart, and to gently witness with compassion the grief of others joining us for the weekend.
If The Grief Retreat is calling you, begin by making your booking enquiry. I will contact you to arrange your introductory conversation, and we will proceed from there.
I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Peter