10/13/2026
Francis Weller is a grief ritualist, former therapist, mentor and author who many, including ourselves, have taken inspiration from although we have not known him personally.
We are grateful for the courageous writing on the topic of his abuses of power that has already been offered by Holly Truhlar, Ahlay Blakely, Shauna Janz, and Carmen—who was directly harmed. Here we won’t duplicate what has already been thoughtfully said; rather we’ll offer a window into how we, as an organization, are reckoning with the news.
In brief: Recently it’s come to light that Francis Weller caused sexual and relational harm to at least two women with whom he held a position of mentor and ritualist. Our heart breaks for the women impacted who have so bravely come forth. We grieve that he didn’t responsibly embody his chosen role of elder and teacher, but instead used his charisma, position, privilege and power to manipulate and harm women in his care.
As we’re metabolizing the impact, we are praying that all of our hearts crack open to the wisdom that wants to emerge through this wound. As a part of our process, our leadership team and current A Year in Ceremony cohort are reflecting together on the following:
• What ethic of leadership do we each hold? What structures of accountability do we choose?
• How might we prevent such harm at the hands of those in spiritual leadership from happening again and again?
• What are our rituals of repair and accountability, which move us beyond punishment?
• How do we work with the shadows that arise within roles of power, privilege and spiritual leadership?
• How do we choose to engage with the work of Francis Weller going forward?
As an organization that leads ritual and apprentices those called to ritual leadership, we take seriously how particularly damaging violations of trust are within contexts of deep, soulful intimacy. Thus, as a leadership team we are compelled to deepen our long-held practice of engaging in shadow work, accountability, and feedback with one another. We’ll also be working with our mentors to further develop the code of ethics, analysis of power and privilege, and best practices that inform and infuse our community culture.
