🌾 Walking Through the Seasons of Grief

By Erin Martinson

“Grief is not something to get over - it is a sacred passage that transforms us.”

Grief does not arrive politely. It dislodges us from our routines, numbs our senses, and can make the world feel distant or unreal. Before we can move forward, grief asks us to stop - to feel, to breathe, and to acknowledge what has been lost. It is a season of disorientation, yet also the threshold to transformation.

The stages described by Dr. Don Eisenhower offer a compassionate map - not as rigid checkpoints, but as guideposts on the journey through love, loss, and renewal.

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Shock & Disbelief 🌫️

The first stage of grief can leave you stunned, numb, or disconnected. The mind struggles to absorb the reality, while the body and spirit signal that something profound has changed.

Spiritual reflection:
Even in the fog, the Sacred whispers: “This is real - and I am with you.” This stage is about allowing the heart to open to truth.

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Pain, Guilt & Longing 💔

As numbness fades, the ache emerges. Memories, longing, and sometimes guilt surface. Your heart feels tender, and sorrow can seem endless.

Spiritual reflection:
Your tears and longing are holy work - allowing the soul to process love and loss. Healing begins with presence.

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Anger, Bargaining & Questioning 🔥

Anger, “what ifs,” and questions about meaning are natural. Life may feel unfair, and you may wrestle with deeper spiritual questions.

Spiritual reflection:
The Divine remains present, even in anger. This is a sacred wilderness where you reclaim your voice, express truth, and wrestle with meaning.

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Reflection, Adjustment & the Slow Return 🌿

Over time, grief softens. You notice beauty, breathe more fully, and re-engage with life. Loss is still felt, but life begins to move forward.

Spiritual reflection:
Transformation is occurring. You carry the loss while reclaiming presence and meaning. Your heart is learning to live again.

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Acceptance, Integration & New Life 🌸

Acceptance is not forgetting. It is living with loss, carrying love and memory while creating space for new life and deeper connection.

Spiritual reflection:
Your life becomes a living altar. Compassion, wisdom, and love grow from grief, offering renewed purpose.

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Notes for the Journey 💬

• Grief is not linear; you may revisit any or all of these stages in different order.

• Presence matters more than “fixing.” Which may sound like you are being lazy - but staying present with what is happening through you is hard work, 

• Some days will feel heavy, others lighter.

• Seek support if grief becomes overwhelming.

• Your journey is sacred - every tear, every memory, and every sigh matters.

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An Invitation 🌻

If you are walking through a season of grief, I would be honored to accompany you. Together, we can explore what your heart and spirit most need and move forward with compassion, presence, and hope.

“You are not alone. Your sorrow is seen. Your healing matters.”

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#GriefHealing #SpiritualDirection #HealingTouch #LifeCoaching                    #EMBodyWisdom #SacredJourney

Growth Takes Time: The Hidden Transformation

Lately, I’ve been seeing all these statistics about personal growth and life coaching - and honestly, they’re surprising. Some say that only 2% of people experience real, lasting transformation.

But here’s what strikes me: we often measure transformation by speed. We expect change to happen quickly - within weeks or months. Yet real growth rarely works that way. Just like you don’t see muscle after one week at the gym, deep transformation takes time, consistency, and faith in what’s happening beneath the surface.

The Bamboo Lesson

Think about the Chinese bamboo tree. Its story is a perfect picture of how transformation unfolds.

For five years, you water and nurture that little patch of soil - day after day - with no visible sign of growth. Then, suddenly, in its fifth year, the bamboo shoots up 90 feet in just a few weeks.

Did it really grow 90 feet in a few weeks? Or was it growing underground all along - building roots, preparing to thrive?

The same is true for us.

Learning and Growing Beyond the Classroom

We spend years in school learning - about the world, about others, about ourselves. But once we step into “real life,” we expect to instantly grow, succeed, or transform. When that doesn’t happen, we think something’s wrong.

Yet those who truly flourish aren’t the ones who grow the fastest. They’re the ones who keep learning - who stay open, humble, and patient, trusting that growth is happening even when it’s unseen.

Transformation Beneath the Surface

You may not see it yet, but something is shifting inside you. God is moving. Your soul and spirit are being shaped in quiet, steady ways as you show up - in prayer, in community, in healing work.

Transformation is rarely loud or immediate. It’s sacred, slow work that changes who you are from the inside out.

Healing Takes Time

If you’re walking through grief or loss, remember: healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means becoming. You are no longer the same person - and that’s okay. That loss becomes part of your story, your wisdom, your growth.

Take your time. You’re growing - even if you can’t see it yet.

Walk With Me

If you’d like someone to help you see your growth, to listen to your story, and to walk with you as you discover how you’re being moved and shaped - I would be honored to journey with you.

As a Life Coach, Grief Coach, Healing Touch Practitioner and Spiritual Director, I help people notice the quiet transformation already happening within them.

Because sometimes, you just need someone to remind you - the roots are growing strong. 🌱

Welcome to EMBODY

 Title: Welcome to EMBody Wisdom – Where Your Body is Your Teacher

Have you ever felt like your body was trying to tell you something, but you weren’t sure how to listen?

Maybe it’s the tightness in your chest when you're stressed…
The flutter in your belly when something feels right (or wrong)…
The exhaustion that doesn’t go away, no matter how much rest you get…

Welcome to EMBody Wisdom, a space where your inner signals are not just symptoms, but sacred messages. This is the beginning of a deeper conversation — not just between us, but between you and your body.

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What is EMBody Wisdom?

At its core, EMBody Wisdom is about reclaiming the intelligence of your body. It’s about tuning into your own embodied knowing - the subtle (and sometimes loud) ways your body communicates your needs, boundaries, truths, and desires.

Through somatic practices, trauma-informed guidance, nervous system education, and intuitive connection, we explore how healing happens through the body - not in spite of it.

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Why Start an Email List?

Because wisdom like this deserves a space to breathe.

Social media is fast, loud, and often fleeting. But healing is slow, subtle, and deeply personal. This email list is our quiet corner — a place where I can share meaningful reflections, tools, practices, and opportunities to deepen your own journey with embodiment.

If you’re:

• Curious about nervous system regulation and how it affects your emotions, relationships, and energy

• Craving deeper connection with your own body and inner guidance

• On a healing journey and looking for grounded, gentle support

• Wanting to stay informed about upcoming workshops, 1:1 offerings, or embodiment circles…

Then this is for you.

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What to Expect

When you join the EMBody Wisdom email list, you’ll receive:

✨ Monthly (or bi-monthly) love notes with reflections, practices, and inspiration
✨ Early access to new offerings, events, and workshops
✨ Exclusive content and tools only shared with the email community
✨ Occasional personal stories, musings, and ways to connect deeper

No spam. No overwhelm. Just a gentle nudge toward coming home to yourself.

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Ready to Join the Circle?

Find me at www.embodywisdomca.com

Or 

https://www.skool.com/embody-wisdom-4695/about?ref=7a91192cec284a6c9583f82aa12ff9c8

Your body already holds the wisdom — this is just a way to remember, together.

Here we go.

With love and embodiment,

EMBody Wisdom

The "Healing" of Healing Touch work

 

Early in my ministry life, I struggled with intense migraines that seemed to come out of nowhere, disrupting my work, my focus, and my sense of wellbeing. The pressure of leadership, the constant giving, and the emotional demands took a toll on my body in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time. I found myself searching for relief - not just a quick fix, but something deeper that could restore balance and calm.

That’s when I was introduced through a good friend to the world of healing touch.

It wasn’t just the physical relief that surprised me, but the way healing touch invited me to slow down, listen to my body, and reconnect with parts of myself I had been neglecting - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. 

Over the past 20 years, this practice has become more than a tool; it’s been a lifeline, grounding me in the midst of life’s storms and ministry demands.

For many years, I found myself working and serving in environments where connection was expected but often felt distant - where conversations were rushed, and the weight of responsibility created a barrier between people and their deeper needs. I found myself longing for something different. I wanted to feel seen, not just as a role or a title, but as a whole person with a body that carries stories, emotions that need space, and a spirit longing for rest.

Healing Touch became that real connection.

The work of Healing Touch is more than physical contact; it’s a mindful presence that supports the whole person - body, mind, heart, and spirit. It opens space to release tension, invite ease, and bring healing on many levels. This understanding is at the heart of EMBody Wisdom.

I came to the training and depth of this work because I knew I needed it. I continue to do this work because I believe every woman navigating midlife deserves to be truly seen, held, and supported. This season of life calls for honoring your full self - the joys and struggles, the strength and vulnerability.

Healing touch offers more than relief - it offers renewal.  As a practitioner I find my work is helpsing you feel grounded when life feels unsettled, find clarity when your mind is busy, and reclaim your natural energy. This is a practice that invites you to step into midlife (or any time of life) not as a crisis but as an opportunity to embrace your authentic self fully.

If you’re longing to reconnect your body, mind, heart, and spirit, I invite you to explore healing touch with EMBody Wisdom. Together, we’ll use gentle, supportive practices to help you rediscover balance and vitality.

Your body holds wisdom your mind may have forgotten. The path back to wholeness begins with a single, healing touch.

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