Francis Weller
Noted pioneer of soul-centered psychotherapy and author of The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief, believes grief must be witnessed. One must become an apprentice to, engage with, and allow the outrage to come.
Francis Weller, Noted soul-activist, psychotherapist, writer teacher and founder of Wisdom Bridge, an organization that offers educational programs that seek to integrate the wisdom from indigenous cultures with the insights and knowledge gathered from western poetic, psychological and spiritual traditions.
DM: What inspired you to write about death and dying?
My focus is on grief and its multiple manifestations that arise from various sources, one of which is the loss of someone or something we love. As a therapist for 40 years, grief is the common thread that moves through everyone’s story.
DM: What is your current state of mind?
Tender for the world, for my grandchildren, for future generations. My heart breaks daily from beauty and sorrow. I carry gratitude for this moment.
DM: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
What I want is aliveness, not so much happiness. Every emotion carries vitality and I want to be available for the whole range of feelings.
DM: What lesson do you wish everyone could acquire, long before the end?
To welcome all of who they are into their lives. To feel at home in this stunning world. To be receptive to love.
DM: What are you reading, what’s on your bedside table?
Wild Mind, Wild Earth by David Hinton
DM: What book would you like to be buried with?
My wife’s poetry.
DM: What is your exit plan? How would you like to die?
In the company of those I love
DM: Do you have a favorite writer or book?
DM: Finish this sentence: On my perfect last day I’d be…
Fully alive.
DM: Do you have a favorite quote?
Yes, from John O’Donohue: “What you encounter, recognize, or discover depends to a large degree on the quality of your approach. When we approach with reverence, great things decide to approach us.”
DM: If heaven exists, what would you like to hear when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
The wild sounds of the earth: cricket song, rainfall, elk bugle, rushing rivers, wind in trees.
