Burn it down: Chronic illness fire grief ritual

Chronic illness and disabilities are some of the most common human experiences. For those lucky enough to live long lives, it is almost impossible to avoid any serious bout with disease and debility. Whatever you may have been taught, most aspects of our health are entirely out of our control. This can be a scary realization, especially after being diagnosed with a chronic illness. And despite the prevalence of illness and disability, there is little recognition of it in our daily lives. We have rituals for our birthdays, for pregnancies, for marriage, for death. Religious practices are filled with rituals that help congregants develop their spiritual life and connect with divinity. Depending on where you are, there are probably national holidays that have their own set of rituals associated with them. We have so many ways of marking the passage of time and significant moments in our lives—but next to nothing when it comes to disability and chronic illness. How do we make sense of a new diagnosis? A shitty or dismissive doctor? A scary surgery, a risky treatment, or unresolved symptoms? Life within the medical system is filled with victories, tragedies, achievements, and above all, survival. Those of us who live with chronic illness also live with a profound level of grief. Grief over lost abilities, over the pain we experience, even over the plans we had for our future. All of these events and emotions deserve to be marked by rituals. We (Lorraine and Anna) are hosting a year of seasonal chronic illness rituals, starting with this one. For this ritual, we will be offering space for people to honor things they have lost because of chronic illness. We will have a bonfire in Oak Park, IL and one available for virtual attendees to write and share about their grief and offer it to the fire in community of other chronically ill folks. If you'd like to attend in person: Bring a piece of writing on a piece of paper that speaks to your grief as a chronically ill person. Dress warmly as we will be outside. Masks are required. If you don't have access to a high quality mask, we will provide you with one. The yard where the fire will be is wheelchair accessible, but unfortunately there are stairs to enter the house if you need to use the restroom. If you have questions or access needs please let us know in the RSVP or email us at l.boissoneault@gmail.com. If you'd like to attend virtually: You can mail writing you would like burned to us ahead of time by sending it to: Anna Cechony PO Box 1311 Edmonds, WA 98020 If you mail something ahead of time, Anna will read it and offer it to the fire on your behalf. You are also welcome to read it and just have Anna offer it to the fire. If you don't want to mail something ahead of time, you can have space to read your offering and have something else burned in it's place or burn it yourself at your home. However you are participating, you can share for up to 2 minutes! If you can't make it to this one, but are interested in learning more about these offerings in the future, make sure you are following us on instagram (@lmboisson and @woven.experience) We will host one per season.