This isn’t directly tied to what we’re currently working through in the Academy, but it’s something that’s been on my mind lately... I’ve had a lot of personal experience navigating grief. I've been around a lot of death in my life by the age of 32 (I'm 36 now), including losing some very important people; my grandmother (the only present grandparent I ever had), my favourite aunt... my mom and my dad… and I've learned to develop a resilience to this, not just in the emotional sense, not by shoving it down and ignoring it (this causes health problems), but in learning how connection changes after someone passes. It becomes something that deepens your relationship with a loved one even after they're gone. Even if some time has passed. Over time, I’ve learned from my grief and have come to understand it in a way that actually brings me a lot of peace, reassurance, and closeness to my loved ones even if there was trauma or toxicity within the relationship. Not in a “chasing signs” or needing constant reassurance that they're always with me kind of way… but something more grounded and steady and also has a lot of depth and healing attached to it. (It actually does kind of bridge into what we are learning right now). Like: - feeling close without needing proof - understanding when something is real from them vs when it’s coming from longing - not feeling like the relationship just… ended - continuing your relationship in a spiritual way - overcoming any resentment or shame around the relationship - having a closer connection than you would have ever had with their living person It’s something that’s helped me a lot when I first found out my mom and dad were dying at the same time... Their deaths empowered me to live life to the fullest and were the catalyst behind my biggest spiritual awakening and awakening of my supernatural gifts. It led me to becoming a spiritual coach and ultimately your headmistress... I’ve been sitting with whether this is something I should share more openly or create space for at some point.