Turning Grief Into Altars: The Nature-Based Healing Practice

Turning Grief Into Altars: The Nature-Based Healing Practice

From Grief & Happiness by Emily Thiroux Threatt

June 2, 2026 · 21 min · Episode 434

About this episode

Day Schildkret discusses the Morning Altars practice as a transformative way to work through grief and celebrate life.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by grief and wondered how to move through it, Episode 434 of the Grief and Happiness podcast offers something tangible. Day Schildkret shares how the Morning Altars practice emerged from his own devastating loss and has since transformed how thousands of people around the world work with grief, celebration, and change. Through simple acts of gathering natural materials and creating meaningful offerings, Day shows us that beauty and healing don't have to wait until we're ready. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (01:21) What it means to tend to a community and the relationships within it (02:13) How Morning Altars work and the three core tenets of the practice (03:50) How the practice began with Day's father's death and absolute devastation (06:21) The power of nature connection and play from childhood into adulthood (07:27) Why wonder and impermanence matter when you're working through grief (09:14) How creating with your hands becomes a meditation and a way to slow down (10:06) Being fully present with what you're making as a rare gift in today's world (14:46) The seven-step practice: gathering, creating, offering, and letting go (16:15) How Morning…

People in this episode

Host: Emily Thiroux Threatt

Guest: Day Schildkret

Topics covered

  • grief
  • healing
  • nature
  • creativity
  • ritual
  • community

Keywords

  • grief
  • healing
  • Morning Altars
  • nature connection
  • creativity
  • meditation
  • community

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Morning Altars

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