Uwe Harders' Ben Allen studio is full of warmth and hums with positive vibrations.

Uwe Harders is a guide.

He offers support and direction on the paths through thickets of loss, attuned to the forgotten frequencies of grief he believes are essential for living a whole life.

The registered massage therapist says recovering some of the rhythyms of our humanity will be essential as technology overwhelms, and culture inhibits, our ancient ceremonies of life's natural cycles.

"These Celebrations of Life leave no room for mourning," Harders says. "There'll be fifty people celebrating, and three people standing at the front of the hall appalled, deep in mourning."

Harders' personal journey showed him how he can help others discover and accept mourning and grief as the most necessary parts of Celebrations of Life, and how to take that forward into a new life.

His recent graduation as a Loss and Bereavement Facilitator, through Dr. Alan Wolfelt Grief Studies in Colorado, means he's offering his services to those finding their way through death and loss.

"I just knew I wanted to help," he says of his decision to start shifting his practice from Shiatsu massage to grief facilitator at his studio in Ben Allen.

Uwe Harders is never far from his dogs. Black lab Paddy has retired as Harders' working guide dog, his new yellow lab Mickey is enthusiastically training to take Buddy's place.

Uwe Harders, RMT, Grief and Loss Facilitator, can be reached by phone at 519-378-6063. His Georgian Bluffs studio is just outside of Owen Sound in Ben Allen on Grey Road 17.

– by Staff
David Galway