Collective Mourning
Turning a pool of tears into a sea of social change
Intentions for this space
We have come together today to create a space for mourning as a collective.
We recognize that there as so many different griefs that we are carrying and that each grief is precious and unique.
On this Day - Presence
On this day—April 4, 2025—we align with sacred time.
🌙 Moon in Cancer: Emotions rise with purpose; a time to nurture and act.
🌸 Hebrew Month – Nisan: Season of liberation, blooming with new beginnings.
📖 Torah Portion – Vayikra: A call to offer what is most tender.
🐍 Mayan Nawal – Kan: Life-force energy for transformation and awakening.
We root into the Tree of Life, drawing from the wisdom of above and below, east and west, heart and breath.
🌳 Rooting in the Tree of Life
A Ritual for Grief and Sacred Presence
With one candle lit at the center,
we open sacred space—
to remember, to grieve, to be held.
We call upon the Shekhinah,
the Divine Presence who dwells among us,
and turn to the Six Directions,
guided by the Tree of Life—Etz Chayim.
East — Tiferet
Compassion • Harmony • Heart Integration
We face the rising sun,
welcoming balance and renewal.
“God breathed into the human’s nostrils the breath of life.” — Genesis 2:7
South — Gevurah
Strength • Discipline • Sacred Boundaries
We summon righteous fire and fierce love.
“Justice, justice shall you pursue.” — Deuteronomy 16:20
West — Chesed
Lovingkindness • Overflow • Generosity
We enter the waters of sorrow,
trusting in the soft power of love.
“Tears are God’s language when words are not enough.” — Midrash Tehillim
North — Netzach & Hod
Netzach: Endurance • Willpower • Longing
Hod: Surrender • Humility • Reverence
We bow to what carries us forward
and teaches us when to let go.
“There is nothing so whole as a broken heart.” — Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
Above — Keter
Crown • Divine Will • Infinite Light
We lift our gaze to the Holy One beyond naming.
“Lift your eyes on high and see...” — Isaiah 40:26
Below — Malchut
Sovereignty • Presence • Sacred Embodiment
We root into the earth and into Her.
“Truth will spring up from the earth...” — Psalms 85:12
Center — Yesod
Foundation • Connection • Soul Bridge
We return to the flame,
to breath,
to the sacred center of all things.
“Etz chayim hi l’machazikim bah…” — Proverbs 3:18
May we be held.
May we be changed.
May we remember and be remembered.
Preparation for Contemplation
“El Maleh Rachamim” (אֵל מָלֵא רַחֲמִים), meaning “God full of compassion,” is one of the most profound and solemn prayers in the Jewish tradition, traditionally chanted at funerals, memorials, and Yizkor services. Its roots lie in medieval Ashkenazi liturgy, emerging in the aftermath of devastating tragedies such as the Crusades and the expulsions from European lands, when entire communities were lost.
Over time, the prayer evolved into a sacred container for collective and personal mourning, invoking divine mercy upon the soul of the departed. It speaks directly to God’s infinite compassion, asking that the soul be sheltered “b’kanfei haShekhinah”—beneath the wings of the Divine Presence, reminding us that even in devastation, we are held.
אֵל מָלֵא רַחֲמִים שׁוֹכֵן בַּמְּרוֹמִים,הַמְצֵא מְנוּחָה נְכוֹנָה עַל כַּנְפֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה,בְּמַעֲלוֹת קְדוֹשִׁים וּטְהוֹרִיםכְּזוֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ מַזְהִירִים,(שם) אֶת נִשְׁמַתשֶׁהָלַךְ לְעוֹלָמוֹ,תְּהֵא מְנוּחָתוֹ.
Compassionate, Highest God! Grant repose under Your Sh’khinnah’s wings in the company of saints and pure ones who radiate light like the bright sky, and among them may the soul of my (name of deceased)who has gone to other realms find gentle rest. I will offer as Mitsvah, alms to honor their memory. May their soul find itself in the garden of delight and may their remains be undisturbed and may their soul be bound up in the chain of life.
לְזֶה אֲנִי אוֹמָראָמֵן׃
To this I say, Amen.
Ore (formerly known as Wren) Ganin-Pinto (they/them) is an ordained Chaplain and Oreget Adamah (Earth Weaver). They currently serve as a spiritual care provider and death doula at Stanford Children’s Hospital and Hospice of Santa Cruz, and as musical prayer leader at both Kehilla Community Synagogue in Oakland and Temple Beth El in Aptos. Ore lives in community and are grateful for the redwoods, ocean and expansive possibilities of love in action.
Questions for Contemplation
How does grief—personal, ancestral, and collective
show up in your heart, mind, and body today?
What grief are you holding for the world
for the violence, for the silencing, for the sacred lives lost?
Sharing
We will take a few minutes to open the space for sharing, for those who feel called to speak.
This is a talking circle—we offer presence, not solutions. There is no need to fix or respond. We simply say, “Thank you,” and “We heard you.”
You are welcome to speak, to cry, or to sit in silence. All of it is sacred.
Nourishment
In what ways can you tend to your grief in the coming days—with ritual, rest, expression, or connection?
How might you honor the lives we grieve by showing up more fully—for yourself, for your people, for justice?
Closing Song
Lyrics
I believed in solid ground until I saw the earth in motion, in the winds of steady change and in the ever-rolling ocean.
All moves on in perfect, perfect motion. All is change and ever-rolling ocean.
Anni Zylstra (them/they) is a multidisciplinary folk artist based in the traditional homelands of the Oceti Sakowin and Ho-chunk in SW so-called Wisconsin. Some of the realms their work encompasses include traditional willow basketry, agroforestry, polyphonic singing, arts organizing, directing, and teaching. All of Anni's work is rooted in both deep reverence for the nonhuman world, as well as visions of radical inclusion and reimagining who is welcome in the the rural folkscape -- a space with heteropatriarchal, racist, and colonial legacies, and yet, so much to offer our collective verdant futures.
Reciprocity
If this ritual has touched something true in you—if you felt witnessed, softened, or reconnected—we invite you into a practice of reciprocity.
These gatherings, rituals, and teachings exist because people like you choose to give—not out of obligation, but out of shared purpose.
Your support helps us tend the roots: the quiet, unglamorous infrastructure that holds this sacred work. Website hosting. Accessibility tools. Making sure this portal of grief and gratitude remains open.
We ask that you consider a contribution to honor what you’ve received and support what we’re building.
Anyone who contributes $18 or more will be considered a member of our community. This summer, when we launch our membership portal, you’ll receive access to:
✨ Full-length ritual outlines
🕯️ Trainings on holding space for grief and gratitude
🌿 A growing library of sacred tools for spiritual practice and collective care
Together, we’re not just grieving—we’re growing something sacred.