A Support Group for

Navigating Our Political Moment

Creating Space Together

In times of significant political upheaval, we often find ourselves carrying emotions that need witnessing and care. Circle of Presence offers a sanctuary for processing the feelings that arise when living through challenging times—whether that's grief, anxiety, overwhelm, or the deep tiredness that comes from witnessing threats to our shared values. This is a space to be together and to regenerate together.

This is not a space for political strategy, debate, or analysis. Instead, we gather to honor our emotional responses to the world around us, creating community where isolation once existed and finding renewal through authentic connection.

Our Approach

Circle of Presence draws inspiration from Francis Weller, author of The Wild Edge of Sorrow, who teaches us that "what we cannot feel, we cannot heal."

In our culture, we've been taught to carry our grief alone, to process our pain in isolation. But Weller reminds us that grief was never meant to be a solitary experience. For thousands of years, humans have gathered in circles like this one to witness each other's sorrow, to hold space, compassion and presence for what feels too heavy to carry alone.

The political grief we're experiencing—this deep ache about our world, our democracy, the value of human life—is real and legitimate. And it asks not to be solved or fixed, but to be felt and witnessed in community.

Here, we remember that our capacity to feel deeply is not a weakness but a strength. That our grief, when shared, becomes a bridge that connects us rather than a burden that isolates us. Whether you're actively involved in advocacy and organizing, or choosing to focus on family and personal well-being, all responses to our current moment are honored here. We recognize that the political grief many of us carry—mourning threats to our shared values and democratic institutions—deserves the same communal witness that humans have always provided for collective loss.

This circle exists because what we cannot feel, we cannot heal. And what we feel together, we can transform together.

How We Gather

Circle of Presence meets weekly via Zoom for 90-minute sessions. Each person will have opportunity to share personal experiences and feelings, although listening without speaking is equally valued and welcomed.

Our gatherings are guided by principles of respect, compassion, and confidentiality. We speak from personal experience, listen with curiosity, and honor different ways of responding to political stress. Rather than seeking solutions or outcomes, we create space for authentic emotional expression free from judgment.

The idea for a political grief group recently came to Ann Grogan because she recognized deep grief she felt for the suffering of others as a consequence of anger and vengeance out and about in the world of US politics. Ann is a retired attorney and business woman, an octogenarian, and a new poet and piano student residing in San Francisco, California. She calls herself "an old-time radical feminist-humanist" who developed a life-long focus on self-determination for all. She became an activist in the 60s after attending women’s consciousness-raising groups, and she now promotes the unequivocal permission to pursue one’s passions at any age.

Circle of Presence is facilitated by Katie Louise Cooper, a death doula, impermanence coach, and ritual facilitator who specializes in guiding individuals and communities through the emotional terrain of loss and transformation. With a master's degree in East-West Psychology and Spiritual Counseling from the California Institute of Integral Studies, Katie integrates depth psychology, contemplative practices, and eco-psychology to support meaning-making at life's thresholds.

Our Circle Guidelines

These agreements create the foundation for our circle to be a place of authentic expression, deep listening, and mutual support.

Maintain Confidentiality: All sharing within our circle remains completely confidential. What is shared here stays here, allowing everyone to speak freely.

Speak from Personal Experience: We use "I" statements and share from our own feelings and experiences rather than speaking about others or offering analysis of external events.

Refrain from Advice-Giving or Cross-Talk: We refrain from offering advice, solutions, or commentary on others' sharing. Each person's experience is honored without attempts to fix, analyze, or respond directly.

Share Equal Time and Space: Everyone who wishes to share will have opportunity to do so, while listening without speaking is equally valued. Our facilitator will help ensure balanced participation and respectful time-keeping.

The Invitation

Circle of Presence offers an opportunity to transform isolation into connection, overwhelm into clarity, and exhaustion into renewed vitality. By witnessing our feelings together, we create space for whatever form of engagement feels most true to our values and circumstances.

If you're seeking community, emotional support, and a weekly sanctuary for processing the challenges of our time, we invite you to join us in this Circle of Presence and care.

Join us Mondays 3:30-5:00PM, via ZOOM. A welcome email with Zoom link will be sent to your email address after registration.

Sessions are weekly: June 9, 2025 — July 28, 2025

This is a free, community offering.

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