How to Guide

These cards were made by artists and by caregivers experienced with supporting people in processing loss, to help so many of us who have lost someone or something, and who may not be able to safely grieve together.

There is no one correct way to use these cards, but we have these suggestions:

  • Set aside time for yourself to go through them
  • Find or make a quiet space for yourself.
  • Look closely at the images.
  • Let the images guide you to an action or prompt you might not have considered
  • Use a journal to capture your journey
  • Some of the prompts encourage you to make something.
  • Don’t worry about it being a great artwork, this is about a process.
  • Be open to the feelings that arise.
  • Stop when you want to stop.
  • Consider asking someone else who is grieving to join you as you work with the cards.
  • Choose a card and prompt to focus your work either alone or together with someone
  • Have each person choose a card themselves and work with that prompt.
  • Have a plan for what you can do in case pain or sadness arises and see our additional resources page for help.
A painted collage on a light brown fabric background. Around the left, bottom, and right sides, a pattern of white boxes with red triangles in them. The top half is filled with an array of abstract patterns, alternating a small design made of tiny yellow squares and white diamonds. Larger, in the center, is a collaged-together abstract arrangement of triangles, diamonds, and stripes, in blue, red, yellow, green, and pink. Below this form is a plant-like form with 8 yellow 'flowers', which appears to be dropping four blue leaves even further down. Arranged around the composition are other painted-collage designs, with fruit at their centers: two cherries on a stem in a yelow circle, a strawberry in a yellow red and green oval, a colorful coffee table with flowers on top, a slice of watermelon and a chair in purpose with red and lavender star-forms on its seat, and a bunch of grapes on its back.