Frequently Asked Questions

Lighthouse Circle is for anyone needing support as they grieve a loss. Grief is the natural, emotional response to a loss. We never judge, minimize or compare grief at Lighthouse Circle. Your grief is your grief. 

The grief you are experiencing is valid. You are safe here to honor and express that grief.

There are many kinds of losses including the death of a family member, a loved one, friend, neighbor, acquaintance or co-worker.

Other types of loss include relationships ending,  job loss, pregnancy loss, death of a pet as well as loss of lifestyle due to injury or illness. Caring for elderly parents, being estranged from loved ones or anticipating a loss are all acknowledged here.   

Lighthouse Circle is also a space to tend to older, unresolved grief or grief that has been passed down generationally. 

We are also experiencing a sense of collective grief with current world issues. 

While much of the language reflects a physical death, please make any adjustments to fit your personal situation.

Upon purchase, you will receive an email tilted "Your New Sarah Furuya Coaching Account"  with a password and link to set up your account. Lighthouse Circle is hosted on a platform called Kajabi. You will receive another email welcoming you to LC and explaining the program. You will have access to the Introduction and Witnessing Grief content online soon after.

We recommend taking some time to first go through the introduction section to get acquainted with the format. 

If you have signed up for something with Sarah Furuya before on this platform you will not need to create a new account. If you have any trouble at any stage please reach out to [email protected] for troubleshooting.

The six topics are:

1. Witnessing Grief
2. Resourcing and Taking Refuge
3. Dealing with Difficult Emotions
4. Secondary Losses
5. Redefining Relationships
6. Integrating Grief

Each topic has five categories including: 

• journal prompt
• ritual prompt
• guided meditation
• embodied practice 
• resources 

We suggest watching the videos (in resources) each time we begin a new topic. We explain the theme and often discuss it within the context of our own grief. We want you to know that you are not alone in your grief. We will cover the same topic during our monthly zoom gathering. 

We encourage you to keep a grief journal for the journal prompts, various activities and anything else that comes up.  Writing is a very powerful tool.

There are other engaging elements such as ritual, meditation and activities, so think of the content as a jumping off place. You can do as much or as little as you like. Lighthouse Circle is a source of support to use however you like. 

LC is both computer and mobile friendly. You can also create a Kajabi app. 

Gretchen and Sarah are always available if you have any questions, concerns or requests. 

Lighthouse Circle has monthly 90 minute meetings. In addition to that you may want to set aside time to go through content and prompts.

Grief drains our energy and motivation, so we do recommend setting aside a set amount of time in a regular interval to help create a routine.

For example, you could dedicate one hour per week every Sunday afternoon or 10 minutes a day before bed. Make it easy on yourself. Perhaps combine reading content or doing prompts with a favorite drink or do it during a time of day that feels most calm. 

Grief is hard enough as it is so we don't want Lighthouse Circle to ever feel like a chore. We also know that you cannot control grief and there may be times you really don't care about the content. That belongs too. It is ok. We hope Lighthouse Circle can be a source of support that holds space for you to tend to your grief even (or especially!) when it is messy. 

The calls are usually scheduled to be held :

A) Third Tuesday of each month @ 8:00pm ~ 9:30 pm  JST / Tokyo

 OR

B) Third Friday of each month @ 9:00am ~ 10:30am JST / Tokyo 

Other locations, please check your local time and dates here at timezone converter.

We will send reminder emails with a zoom link for calls. 

Tuesday calls will be January 23rd, February 20th, March 19th, April 16th, May 21st and June 18th.

Friday calls will be January 26th, February 16th, March 22nd, April 19th, May 24th and June 21st.

Lighthouse Circle is a 6 month grief support community that has monthly gatherings on zoom. The topics, categories and content are the same as Evergreen. We run Lighthouse Circle twice a year. Participation is limited to protect privacy and foster a sense of connection.

Evergreen is entirely self paced. You can join anytime and will have unlimited access to content. There are no group meetings in Evergreen.  

You can sign up for Evergreen HERE.