Whitfield Wholistics
The Vilomah's Journey
The VIlomah's Journey is a part of the Dance of Life Ministry, a mobile outreach to families who have lost a loved one in some way because of substance abuse, addictions or overdose. Many families have lost friends, jobs, and relationships, feeling isolated from the world. Dance of Life Ministry will travel to them offering spiritual comfort, friendship and healing hugs. I will also provide Grief Reiki should the person desire. Each recipient will be counseled and provided with information about resources available to them to help them in their own journey of grief.
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There hasn’t been a word to describe a parent who has lost a child until now. Duke Professor Karla Holloway coined the word Vilomah. There are two accepted pronunciations of the word "vilomah." The word may be articulated as "VEE-AH-LO-MAH" or a simpler "VEE-LO-MAH."
In Tim May’s article entitled “Vilomah: Meaning and Origin of a Powerful Word he explains Vilomah’s origin. “Vilomah is a Sanskrit word, from the same language that gave us the word "widow," which means "empty." Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages in the world, sating back to about 400 BC. Today, Sanskrit is one of the official languages in India, but it is only used for religious purposes. Vilomah means "against a natural order." Professor Holloway began using the term when she discovered there was no English word that gave meaning to a parent whose child had died.”
We at Brandon Tolson Foundation reached out to Professor Holloway to introduce BTF and ask her permission to use her word. She graciously responded “I created the word for all of us and have been surprised and humbled by its adoption—indeed it has taken off worldwide (England and Ireland, as well as Australia [I have a google alert]). There are films and posters, art installations, and other material evidence that the word has taken root. My hope is that it is of service to our community, one reluctantly gathered by grief, as well as fully open for others to understand that there are too many of us who gather under this name. When you say a word, poet Gwendolyn Brooks once said to me, you release it to the air. I have released Vilomah.”
Read more: https://www.lovetoknow.com/life/grief-loss/vilomah-meaning-origin-powerful-word
