The Artists’
Grief Deck

How-to

Welcome to the Artists’ Grief Deck. There is no correct way to use these cards, but we have these suggestions:

  • Set aside time for yourself to go through them
  • Find or make a space for yourself
  • Look closely at the images
  • Be open to the feelings that arise
Learn More
An architectural drawing of a turretted building is overlayed with some map imagery. On the bottom of the vertically oriented image are the words "This place has a body"

Disappearing Place

Remember a vanished place of personal importance. Describe it, by writing or speaking of it....

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A photograph of a figurine with a round medallion-like head with eyes closed. The whole rest of the body of the figurine is swaddled in rough cloth, wrapped carefully like a small child.

A Grief Doll

This simple activity may help ease your transition. • Draw a portrait of your beloved departed • Rescue their handkerchief (or apron, or other cloth of theirs) • Make a Grief Doll and keep it un...

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A screenprint with watercolor of a river with five tributaries. It travels from top to bottom and the roman number 5 is written at the top.

Expressing Grief

The 5 of Water in the ECOtarot deck is pictured here. The water cards are related to emotions and the 5 cards are cards that relate to loss. This loss is something that must be passed through in order...

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Getting to Know Myself

I comfort myself by… I find hope in… My friends give me…...

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Seasons

The passing of seasons can be painful. You may want time to stay still so that you won’t get farther and farther away from your loved one being alive. What’s something that you associate with each...

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A colorful cartoon painting of a daisy with a face on it. Her eyes are closed and blue lines that appear to be rain cross over the image vertically.

Acceptance

Let it rain....

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A black and white illustration that features two hands braiding a loose braid of someone's hair. The back of the head is pictured in an oval frame with a black outline and a white border.

Simple Grief Prompts for Children (and Adults)

Finish these thoughts: Three people who understand my grief are…. In order to heal, I need…… When I’m alone……. I hope……… I’m letting go of…… I’m looking forward to……. I f...

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Learn Something

Sadness can dull your colorful spirit. Embrace the experience to learn something about the shapes and hues that ignite your soul. Soon, your ways of seeing will change. With the eye of an artist, you...

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From the left, an arrow pointing up reading 'inhale,' leading to a short arrow pointing right reading 'hold,' leading to another arrow pointing up reading 'inhale,' to another pointing right reading 'hold,' continuing in a stairstep pattern until the topmost arrow pointing right reading 'hold,' leads to a long arrow pointing all the way down reading 'exhale,' and a long arrow on the bottom pointing left reading 'hold,' making a continuous loop around the page of white.

The Power of Breath

We can calm ourselves through our breath. Use the pattern on the front of this card to guide you. Repeat 3 times or more. Notice how you feel....

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Hugs

Sometimes nobody else is around, or there's nobody to turn to for a hug. Maybe your person who died is the one who gave the best hugs, or even the only one who hugged you. Sometimes you just have to g...

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Mourning Loss of Mobility

Due to a recent diagnosis, I have lost the ability to perform many tasks as I once was able to. I have used walking aids for the past 5 months, many of my "friends" no longer invite me to hang out, I...

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Color Wheel

Worries seem to swirl around us sometimes. Some clang loudly, some whisper. Take a few deep breaths and call up one of your worries or concerns. Hold it for a moment in your imagination, then let it l...

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The Musing Below Helps Me Let Go

The musing below helps me let go. Whenever we paint our nails, we are more aware of the bones of the fingers. Take those moments with your body. The tick marks of my life that used to hold milestones...

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A photograph with layered exposures of rocks and water. The colors are vivid blues, greens, yellows, and white on a dark background.

Revitalizing Water Ritual

You need: Water, a glass, calm energy, a moment of your time. Take a drinking vessel and fill it with water. Hold the vessel in your hands and concentrate. Say the names of your loved ones, spirit gui...

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You are Still With Me

When I lost my mom it was devastating and it was a hard thing to take in. Something that helped me cope was to talk to a picture of her and hold her ashes. This made me feel close to her and that she...

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Unresolved Feelings

Losing people can leave us with unresolved feelings. Write a letter to your lost one(s). This can be someone you knew, or someone you never met (such as an ancestor)Tell them what you wish you could t...

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A mixed media artwork that features an abstract background in red, white and brown and a centered altarpiece. The altarpiece background is made of shattered glass and small objects are placed on the bottom ledge of the altar.

Learning From Grief

You can’t bring back the dead, but you can learn their wisdom, passed down from generation to generation. What did you learn from your loved one? What were the gifts that you received? How might you...

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A painting in bright bold colors set against a starry night sky, a face or mask of blue with pink designs on its cheeks holds its mouth open in a near perfect circle. Within the red circle of the mouth three smaller figures can be seen, from head to shoulders, one yellow, one orange, one purple. Behind the blue head, a fanstasy landscape of stripe patterned, polka dot patterned, and diamond patterns tree trunks and verticals.

Ritual of Remembrance

I didn’t know I thought about my mom everyday until I had to wake up and remind myself that she was dead. Now, I wake up and remind myself she lived. Gather on a tray: Pen, paper, candle, lighter, a...

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2019

2019, the year that brought me to my knees. The year I entered a major depressive episode with which I am still struggling. Living and working with chronic illness was killing me... my body and brain...

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