Who I am.

I write about the landscape of grief, nature, and the wisdom of fools. The author of four books, my essays, poems, and reviews have been published in over 50 journals, including in the Huffington Post and Colorado Review. I’ve won the River Teeth Nonfiction Book Award, the Chautauqua and Literal Latte’s essay prizes, and my work has been nominated for four Pushcart Prizes and named a notable by Best American Essays. My account of hiking in Yosemite to deal with my wife’s death, Mountains of Light, was published by the University of Nebraska Press. http://www.markliebenow.com.

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Rituals of Grief

People circle around a center altar, then kneel in the darkness of a cathedral as a candle is processed in by a dancer to the middle and lights a circle of candles. A bell rings, and we open ourselves to the mystery of this moment, not knowing what we will discover tonight. A cello plays a meditative melody. A loaf of bread is broken and passed among the people. The bell rings again.

* If you would like to read the rest of this post, let me know and I’ll send it to you. *
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1 comment:

  1. Mark LiebenowDecember 31, 2014 at 2:10 PM

    I love the images you paint of ritual, Mark, just as I love the images you paint of nature. I'm savoring Mountains of Light. Thank you for making my work part of your post. This year, as for the last six years, I was grateful to have a Solstice Ritual with family. I wasn't home and this was a first. I missed walking in my big woods and visiting familiar trees and streams on Christmas Day.

    I love a silent ritual. I love the ritual of dance. In the first few years after Vic's death, my life was filled with rituals, dreams, grief, and no deadlines. It was a painful time, but also a sacred journey to the Underworld.

    Elaine Mansfield

    Thank you, Elaine, for your kind words. Your focus on rituals is encouraging me to do more in this realm. And your grief memoir inspires me.

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