A Ceremonial Swim for Pregnancy & Infant Loss
Join Megan Sheldon of Be Ceremonial for this intentional community gathering as we share our grief and our gratitude with a swim in the sea.
Date and time
Location
Dundarave Beach
Dundarave Beach West Vancouver, BC CanadaAgenda
9:00 AM
Ceremonial Swim
About this event
- 1 hour 30 minutes
Megan Sheldon is a humanist celebrant & end-of-life doula. She's also a pregnancy loss mama. She convenes ceremonies for people surrounding moments of grief, loss and legacy keeping. She is the co-founder of the world's first guided ritual & ceremony app, www.beceremonial.com
Megan hosts ceremonial swims in the sea for her community, and has generously offered to lead one for the pregnancy & infant loss community from the Sea to Sky Pregnancy Loss group and Butterfly Run Vancouver.
The ceremony will consist of three parts:
- A ritual to release what was: we'll each find an object on the beach that connects us to our grief and share it with the group before releasing it into the ocean.
- A ritual to acknowledge what is: we will find stillness and presence in the cold water in a way that feels right to each of us.
- A ritual to acknowledge what will be: we will share what we will carry forward from this experience.
Please come in your swimsuit under clothes, and bring water shoes, towel, and warm clothes. Please also bring a mug as Larissa and Alley will have hot chocolate for everyone (dairy and non-dairy) and a blanket to sit on if you'd like.
We have limited it to 25 spots to ensure we can hear from each person joining. If you can no longer make it, please let us know and we will share your ticket with someone else.
This event will be respectfully photographed as part of a project Megan is working on surrounding grief, community and the power of cold water. Everyone attending is required to sign the photo release waiver to allow me to host this ceremony without charge.
With love,
Megan
Frequently asked questions
Megan Sheldon is working on a documentary project with her friend Nathan Brigham. They have been filming Megan's grief swims for over a year and hope to create a short doc surrounding the power of cold water and community when we're grieving. Nate will be off in the distance photographing us.
You don't need to swim, you can walk into the water and stand at your own comfort level. We do suggest anyone planning on swimming is a strong swimmer as the sea can be rough at times.
The ocean will be around 10 degrees so we recommend no one stays in for more than 10 minutes.
Nathan will be respectfully photographing the swim from afar, avoiding any closeup and personal shots. Since he will be taking group shots, it will be impossible to guarantee you aren't in any photographs. We suggest you don't attend if this is a problem for you.
Possibly - it will depend on ticket sales. Please refrain from booking a spot until closer to the date when we know our numbers. I belong to these two organizations and am offering this ceremony in gratitude for the work they do in our our loss community.
Come wearing a swim suit with warm clothes over top. Focus on clothes that are easy to pull on and off (especially when wet!). We suggest bringing a towel for your body and one for your feet if you like. Bring a tuque and gloves for after if you get chilled. Bring a mug and a blanket too!