Last month, I introduced you to Grieflandia and five of its characters. Today, I want to tell you why I decided to turn Grieflandia into a deck of cards rather than another book.
Grieflandia is a creation of mine comprised of 78 characters. Those 78 characters include:
51 Griefies – who represent the thoughts, feelings and experiences that may be a part of grief
24 Helpies – who represent actions or practices that may soothe us in our grief
…and…
3 Certainties – Time, Change and Death
As the author of two books, I considered writing a book about Grieflandia, and I may still do that someday. Instead, I decided to create a deck of cards because not every character will have a place in every grief experience. I wanted you to be able to select individual characters, hold them, contemplate them, and combine them in whatever way reflects your grief at a particular moment. A book would have imposed an order. A deck allows each person to create their own. I did not want the first physical manifestation of Grieflandia to be constrained by a binding, so a deck of cards seemed to be the answer.
Recently, a good friend whose husband just died came over for a visit, and I handed her the prototype for the deck to look at while I prepared our snacks and drinks.
When I came into the living room to sit down with her, she had pulled out about 10-12 cards and said, “This is where I am right now.” This is just one of the ways I envision this deck being used.
The deck itself reflects a central idea behind Grieflandia: Every grief experience is unique, dynamic, and unending.
Check out these photos of the deck.
The cards are 4”x6”, and because there is one card for each character, the deck has 78 cards. Each card has an image of the character, the character’s name, an explanation, and a reflection question. Although Grieflandia is a deck of cards, it is not a game. It is a resource for exploring grief and what may help.
One could use the cards as contemplation prompts for art, writing, or discussion. They can be used in a group or one-on-one setting. A licensed clinical social worker who specializes in grief has reviewed the deck and plans to use it with clients. A facilitator of peer grief groups is also looking forward to incorporating the cards into her work.
Not knowing how Grieflandia and the deck would be received, I chose to self-publish, do a limited print run of these decks, and sell them directly from the Grieflandia website. For the foreseeable future, these decks are not available in bookstores or on Amazon. If you are interested in purchasing a deck, click the button.
take care,
jennifer