Mirabai's practice of radical self-inquiry—examining why and what you mourn—reveals whether you grieve an actual loss or an idealized fiction of who you were.
Mirabai's poetry is relentlessly interrogative: questioning desire, attachment, and the nature of her own longing. When you grieve a lost identity, the examined heart asks: are you mourning the actual person you were, or an idealized version you've constructed in memory? Often we don't grieve who we truly were—insecure, flawed, struggling—but rather a polished myth. Through honest self-examination in the tradition of Mirabai's bhakti, you investigate your loss: What specifically do you miss? What freedoms, capabilities, or relationships? What aspects are genuinely gone versus merely transformed? This practice dissolves the fog of nostalgia. You may discover that some losses are real and deserve acknowledgment, while others were never actually yours to begin with. The examined heart doesn't erase grief but makes it precise, and precise grief can finally be metabolized and released.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
Explore related journeys or tell Peri what you're working through.