Circle 'Round

I had an amazing weekend. It is Wednesday [already!] and I am still floating on a golden cloud of joyous energy.

First of all, my dear and beloved soul sister, Julie, came down to visit with her daughter, Nyonchele. We danced and walked and played and talked and cooked and ate and I savored every moment of their company. Being a mother is so much easier and more fun with other mothers around! We are really not meant to do this alone.

Julie and I were pregnant with Mina and Chele at the same time. Photo by Jamie Minkus

It was Julie who introduced me to Tami Kent and Wild Feminine, for which I am very grateful. Wild Feminine is the book that connected me with my feminine spirit and took me to the next spiral of my personal growth. So it was extra special that Julie's visit coincided with my first women's circle gathering.

For a long time I have desired ritual and celebration in the company of other women. I was given blessingways when I was pregnant, and they were profound and meaningful experiences. A couple of months ago, after hosting a blessingway for my friend Olivia, I was inspired to start my own women's circle [for all the times when we're not pregnant!]

I planned the first circle for a Sunday afternoon when Anthony would be working [last Sunday], and it also happened to be the day of the new moon and a solar eclipse. Such serendipity!

As can happen, many of the women who had planned to make it couldn't for one reason or another. The circle ended up being myself, Julie, and my lovely friends Jess and Cassidy [and our children]. It turns out that four is an excellent number for such a gathering.

While the kids were more or less occupying themselves, we started our circle by smudging ourselves and welcoming in the spirits from the four directions. Julie then led us in a beautiful meditation that grounded us in our pelvic bowls [our roots, our centers of creativity. ] A very similar meditation can be found here.

If you are imagining us in a tranquil and serene setting, imagine again. We had children running in and out of our laps as we were served "pizza," and the sounds of Sesame Street made an interesting accompaniment to Julie's guidance. It was perfect though. We are all mothers, and having our children as part of our ceremony contributed to its power and magic.

After the meditation, we took pieces of paper and wrote down all of the things we were ready to let go of. One by one, we read them out loud and thew them into the fire. [I let go of stressed and frustrated energy; I released anxiety about accomplishing things; and I freed myself from my own expectations.] After we had cleared out the negative energy, we were ready to welcome in the positive. As we each lit a candle and planted it in a bowl of earth, we stated our intentions for the new cycle. My intentions are to allow everything to happen in its own time [without trying to rush things], to continue my early morning risings, and to continue with the women's circle.

This might seem like a simple ritual, but I tell you it was powerful. Yes it was a new moon and yes there was a solar eclipse, but the power was coming from us. I do rituals like this on my own fairly often, but there is nothing like doing it in the presence of other women. Bearing witness to each other as we released old patterns and welcomed in new ones made it a very potent and powerful experience.

As I said, I feel like I have been floating on a golden cloud of energy. I am feeling connected and aware, relaxed and joyous. I am full of love. I am so grateful to have many incredible, strong women in my life.

[Thank you, Julie, Cass, and Jess - that was awesome. Love love love.]

The next circle will be June 10th.

*Many blessings*