Grief does not move in stages. It moves in cycles.
Building off of the impact of Fall 2025’s Grief Series in demonstrating the value of intential space for conversation, connection and sharing in a supported way, through the leadership of Carlene Dingwall, PAN’s Capacity Building and Leadership team will be hosting a year-long circle which will offer four facilitated gatherings across the seasons, inviting participants to be together, to share their experiences and witness the experiences of their provincial comrades.The circle will be guided by the concept of ethical space, as articulated by Willie Ermine; a space created between perspectives where dialogue can occur with mutual respect, accountability, and humility.
Participants are encouraged to attend all four gatherings to chart their experience across the year, though each session may also stand alone.
This is not therapy.
It is not a support group.
It is a facilitated practice space rooted in ethical engagement and shared responsibility.
The next Seasonal Webinar will be held June 17th from 9:30 to 11:30 AM PT. Stay tuned for more details and registration. We hope to see you there!
Read more on the entire series below:
Grief Handiwork: Keeping company with grief across the seasons
These four touchstone sessions will give each of us a chance to notice, reflect on, and chart how grief shifts over time; in our bodies, our work, and our relationships.
The Directional Arc of the Year
As we know, there are many different interpretations of the Medicine Wheel. This one comes from Elder and spiritual advisor, Francis Whiskeyjack, of Saddle Lake, Alberta. To read more from Francis Whiskeyjack on this medicine wheel, please visit: https://windspeaker.com/teachings/the-medicine-wheel
The series embraces the teachings of the Medicine Wheel, which models that life and grief are cyclical, relational, and directional. Each gathering moves through one direction of the Wheel (East, South, West, and North) using seasonal themes as anchors for reflection and dialogue.
Who this circle is for:
- Frontline workers and care providers
- Leaders navigating cumulative stress or moral complexity
- Those carrying layered or long-term grief
What participants will gain in each session:
- Increased awareness of how grief lives in the body
- A sense of shared experience and reduced isolation
- Orientation to the Medicine Wheel as a healing tool
What participants will gain over the course of the year:
- The development of a clearer language for their grief
- Noticed patterns and directional shifts over time
- Strengthened capacity to stay present without overwhelm
- Reflection on how grief intersects with professional and personal life
- Each participant will be invited to track their reflections season by season, creating a personal map of their grief across the year, which is private and for their own use.
For additional learning options, visit our library of on-demand webinars.
We greatly appreciate the vision of our government funders and their ongoing commitment to supporting the work of PAN. In particular we gratefully acknowledge the Public Health Agency of Canada – HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.
read about past events:
April 15th 2026 was Grief Handiwork: What is beginning? (Spring/East)
Theme: Physical – Beginnings, clarity, vision, breath, seeds, light, yellow.
This seasonal reflection offered connection on the grief we carry in our personal and community lives.
The Spring opens in the direction of the East- a time of beginnings, breath, renewal and visioning.For many of us, this past winter came with more losses in our communities and personal lives. This session offered some brief teachings from the land about grief, andcreated an ethical and safe space for connections and guided discussions.