We’ve sourced these dates from the Interfaith Network, the UN, and other trusted listings. If a day is missing, please know it’s not intentional. We aim to be as inclusive as possible, but sometimes things are missed. Find more dates here.
onespirit connects newsletter
Each month, we come together to share updates on our offerings, whether it’s our enriching paid courses or the free programmes available on our website. But this newsletter is about more than just what’s coming up… it’s a space where we highlight news from our vibrant community and pass along information, events, and opportunities from those who call OneSpirit home. We want this to be a place for everyone, students, faculty, ministers, and friends of OneSpirit, to share, learn, connect, and stay inspired.
We’re glad to have you here with us, where connection, collaboration, and engagement are at the heart of what we do. Read below to see all the updates and opportunities that bring us closer together!
“In every change, in every falling leaf, there is some pain, some beauty. And that’s the way new leaves grow.”
Amit Ray
Table of Contents
A Note from Us: Holding Nicola, Holding Each Other
To Our Dear Community…
It is with the deepest sorrow that we share the news of Nicola Coombe’s passing.
Our Dear Nicola, gone too soon.
Nicola was not only a beloved tutor, mentor, and colleague, but a guiding light at the heart of OneSpirit for nearly two decades. In her 19 years of dedicated service, as Director, Focaliser, Seminary Leader, Faculty member, Supervisor, and friend, she helped shape the very soul of this organisation.
She offered wisdom with clarity, presence with warmth, and leadership with integrity. She believed in people before they believed in themselves. She held space in a way that was both strong and tender, meeting people exactly where they were, while gently encouraging their growth.
Nicola transformed lives. Her voice, her laughter, her insight, and her unwavering belief in the sacredness of this human journey left an indelible mark not just on our community, but on all who had the privilege of knowing her.
As a team, we are sitting with this news. Like many of you, we are grieving. We’re feeling this loss deeply, as colleagues, as friends, and as members of a community Nicola helped build and shape with such love. We’re doing our best to hold space for one another, and for the many students, ministers, and friends of OneSpirit who were so deeply touched by her presence.
We will be sharing more in the coming weeks about ways we can gather and honour her together. But for now, we invite you to pause with us. To take a breath. To light a candle. To send love to Nicola’s beloved family, and to all who are holding this loss with tender hearts.
“When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.” – Author unknown
Nicola, we rejoice in the light you so generously shared, even as we mourn your passing. Your legacy is woven into the very fabric of OneSpirit and carried forward in the hearts of those you taught, mentored, supported, and held.
With deepest love,
Your OneSpirit Team
Tribute Invitation: A Space to Share
In the wake of Nicola’s passing, we’ve created a quiet space for those who feel called to share a memory, prayer, reflection, or message. Whether you knew Nicola as a tutor, a friend, a mentor, or simply as someone whose presence touched your life, you are warmly invited to contribute, if and when it feels right.
You may offer something for our wider community, which will be shared on a public memorial page, or a private message just for her family, which we will lovingly gather into a gift. There is no pressure to share and absolutely no expectation, grief has its own rhythm. Love expresses itself in countless ways. Whether through silence, a lit candle, a tearful memory, or spoken words, every gesture is sacred.
If you don’t feel ready to write, or if this form of expression doesn’t resonate with you, please know that there is no shame in that. Do what is right for you and your heart. What matters most is that you feel held, however you’re grieving. We’ve seen so many members of our beautiful community coming together to honor Nicola in their own ways, through messages, photos, memories, and offerings across social media and beyond, and we simply wanted to create a shared space for that here as well.
Share your reflection here: https://honouring-nicola-space-to-share.paperform.co
The form will remain open until Thursday, June 20, and you are welcome to return to it at any time. We hold this space together, with love.
Gentle Resources for Grief & Reflection
Articles & Reflections
“Coping with Grief and Loss” – HelpGuide.org
- This comprehensive guide explores the emotional and physical aspects of grief, offering practical advice on coping strategies, understanding the grieving process, and finding support. It’s a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand and manage their grief. Read here.
“5 Stages of Grief: Coping with the Loss of a Loved One” – Harvard Health
- This article outlines the five stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance — providing insights into each phase and guidance on how to navigate them. It’s a helpful resource for those seeking to understand their emotions during the grieving process. Read here.
“Grief Is Horrible – But It’s Supposed to Be” – The Guardian
- This reflective piece emphasizes the importance of allowing oneself to fully experience grief, highlighting that embracing the pain is a crucial part of healing. It’s a poignant reminder that grief, while painful, is a natural and necessary response to loss. Read here.
Soothing Audio & Podcasts
“The Wisdom of Tenderness” – On Being with Jean Vanier
- This episode features a conversation with Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche movement, discussing the power of tenderness and presence in our lives. Listen here.
“Grief Out Loud” – Dougy Center Podcast
- Real stories and conversations about grief, offering comfort and understanding. Listen here.
Grounding Practices
Breath Practice: The 4-7-8 Method
A simple technique to calm the nervous system:
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Inhale through your nose for 4 counts
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Hold your breath for 7 counts
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Exhale slowly through your mouth for 8 counts
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Repeat for 3-4 cycles
Meditating on Grief
- This gentle meditation guides you through acknowledging and embracing grief with mindfulness and compassion, rooted in Buddhist practices. Watch here.
Poetry & Quotes to Carry With You
In times of loss, words can be small sanctuaries. They won’t fix grief, but they can sit beside it. They can remind us that we’re not alone in our aching, and that beauty, still, continues to rise. Here are a few quotes and a poem we’re holding close this month. If there are words, lines, or poems that are holding you right now, we’d love to receive them. They may be just what someone else needs to hear…
“When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.”
— Author unknown
“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.”
— Kahlil Gibran
“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give but cannot. All that unspent love gathers in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, the hollow part of your chest.”
— Jamie Anderson
“What is lovely never dies, but passes into another loveliness.”
— Thomas Bailey Aldrich
“Look, the trees are turning their own bodies into pillars of light, are giving off the rich fragrance of cinnamon and fulfillment, the long tapers of cattails are bursting and floating away over the blue shoulders of the ponds, and every pond, no matter what its name is, is nameless now. Every year everything I have ever learned in my lifetime leads back to this: the fires and the black river of loss whose other side is salvation, whose meaning none of us will ever know. To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.”
— Mary Oliver
A Quiet Glimpse from Our Community
Gathering in Community
In recent weeks, we’ve been reminded how much it means simply to be together, to listen, to share, to connect. Our Intro Days and Taster Sessions continue to offer spaces for just that. These free, welcoming gatherings are a chance to pause, reflect, and meet others who are exploring what spiritual connection, purpose, and service might mean in their lives. You’re invited to come exactly as you are, no expectations, no pressure.
A few sessions still remain this year, including a Meet the Tutor evening on Thursday 5 June, a Sacred Service workshop, and two gentle Sharing Circles in July and September. If you’ve been longing for honest conversation or curious about the deeper work of spiritual accompaniment, we’d be glad to welcome you.
See upcoming dates and register here! Let’s keep finding ways to come together, with openness, with care, and with one another.
Monthly Interspiritual Prayer Circle
“Come, come, whoever you are: wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving, Ours is not a caravan of despair.” – Rumi
In a time of deep tenderness for our community, we’re reminded of the importance of gathering, to pause, to breathe, to pray, and to be held. As we hold each of you in our hearts, we’re grateful to share this offering from Rev Eva Mary Spevack.
- Second gathering: Tuesday, 24 June
- 7:30–8:30pm (UK time) | Held lovingly online via Zoom
- Free and open to all — students, ministers, friends
This gentle space weaves interfaith and interspiritual prayers, readings, and expressive writing prompts into a confidential, welcoming circle. Each month explores seasonal themes and draws inspiration from nature and the world’s wisdom traditions. Whether you’re feeling weary or inspired, all of you is welcome here.
To join, simply complete the short form here. You’ll receive everything you need to attend. Let this be a place to come home to yourself.
Awareness, Spiritual, and Religious Days
