Grief is not something we move past. In our experience, it’s something to move with. Like a rubber band stretch, it pulls us into the places that ache, yet it also propels us into growth and deeper aliveness. Together, in this ceremony, we will honor grief as a sacred passage that can soften, transform, and connect us.
Maggie Leverett, a full-time artist from New Orleans, will share her story of grief and healing through art—shaped by the loss of her sister and carried forward in her paintings and poetry. Her work will be on display, with originals and prints available for those who feel called to take a piece of her journey home.
Abby King Roberts, co-director of Mindful Wellness Center and founder of Bloom Apothecary, is someone whose path has been shaped by both personal loss and the everyday ache of impermanence. From losing beloved family members at a young age to the tender recognition of how quickly time passes as a mother, Abby has found grief to be one of life’s greatest teachers—a force that, when met with presence, returns her again and again to healing. Abby will lead the circle in a cacao ceremony, connecting with the spirit of Cacao.
Together, Abby and Maggie hold space for grief as a living thread. Painful, yes, but also a reminder that we are profoundly alive. Their hope is that this ceremony lightens the load we each carry and reminds us that even in the rawest stretches of life, we are not alone.
You are invited to come as you are, no matter the grief you carry, to sit with your own story of loss, to drink with the spirit of Cacao, to open your heart, to breathe into the body, to witness and be witnessed.
May we move through grief in reverence and collective support.
More about Maggie:
Maggie Leverett is a full-time artist from New Orleans, Louisiana—a city alive with art, music, and soul, and the birthplace of her passion for creativity, animals, and beauty. Growing up in such a vibrant and expressive place shaped the way Maggie sees the world and planted the seeds of her artistic journey.
Her life has also been profoundly shaped by grief. She lived through the upheaval of Hurricane Katrina and later endured the heartbreaking loss of her sister, Lacey. Maggie believes her sister’s spirit continues to walk with her, guiding her brush and infusing her artwork with a presence beyond this world. Through painting and poetry, Maggie channels memory, loss, and transformation, offering her work as both a sanctuary and a point of connection.
At this ceremony, Maggie will share her story of grief and healing—how art became not only survival, but also a way to honor love and carry her sister forward. Her artwork will be on display, with prints and originals available for those who feel called to take a piece of her journey home.
Maggie’s hope is that her story and art remind others that even in our darkest passages we are never truly alone. She believes that the deeper our capacity to feel in the depths of grief, the more it ignites a new aliveness within us — an aliveness both in us and around us that creates a more powerful connection with the world and with those who have passed on.
Maggie Justice Leverett, MJ’s Equine Art Studios, LLC