by Linda Pascatore on 2 July 2004
It is
dusk on a night of the new moon. Women walk towards the old farmhouse.
They are teachers, massage therapists, store clerks, social workers,
farmers, artists, and students. They range in age from 16 to 70.
They carry dishes of food to share, blankets to sit on, drums, and
rattles. One brings a basket, containing a large abalone shell,
sage sticks, sweetgrass, a turkey feather, and matches.
Behind the house, at the edge of the woods, there is a large fire
circle, ringed with lawn chairs. A small altar has been set up to
honor the four directions and the four elements. On the east side
of the altar is a feather, to symbolize the element of air. To the
south, a lit candle symbolizing fire. To the west, a shell to symbolize
water. To the north, a stone symbolizing earth.
The woman with the basket puts sage and sweetgrass into the abalone
shell and lights it. Blowing on it to keep it burning, she takes
a feather, and brushes the sweet smoke around each woman in turn.
This is smudging, and is done for purification. It also smells nice
and leaves one with a light, clear feeling. Each woman is smudged
as she enters the circle.
When all the women have gathered, they open the circle. Seven of
the women choose a direction to honor: East, South, West, North,
the Above, the Below, and the Within. The circle of women turn to
face each direction, and listen to each woman in turn, saying something
like:
“We honor the East, the place of Inspiration and Creativity.
The animal is the eagle, symbolizing lofty ideals, and the element
is air. The east is the place of the rising sun, the dawn or
spring of our lives, the place of new beginnings.”
“We honor the South, the place of Love and Faith. The
animal is the porcupine, symbolizing the sometimes prickly and
difficult lessons we learn from the world around us. The element
is fire, the time is high noon, the heat of the summer. It is
a place of action and passion, when we are at our peak time
of action in the world.”
“We honor the West, the place of Achievements and Dreams.
The animal is the bear, who after an active summer, the satisfied
animal withdraws into his cave to dream. It is the sunset or
Autumn of our lives, a time for taking stock of achievements
and blessings, and then going within to contemplate the future.”
“We honor the North, the place of Strength and Wisdom.
The animal is the moose, who survives the harsh winter. It is
the midnight of our lives, the place of death and the potential
seed of rebirth to come. It is a time of sharing our wisdom
and our stories, of quiet, contemplative activity.”
“We honor the Above world; the sun, moon, stars, planets
and galaxies. We realize our small place in this great universe.
We are awed by the immensity, but realize that we have our place
and are connected to the whole.”
“We honor the Below world; Mother Earth. We are grateful
to the animals and plants of the earth that nourish and sustain
us. We think of the creepy crawlies, the worms and bugs that
enrich the soil, and are awed by the microcosm and how we also
are related to them.”
“We honor the Within, our spirit or soul, the core of
our beings that make us who we are. We honor the spirit within
each of us, as well as in every plant, animal, star, rock, and
atom, and realize that we are interrelated and interdependent.”
After honoring the directions, the women sit down and someone explains
the purpose of the the gathering. They are a circle of women, gathered
for spiritual purpose. The circle is a safe place to express thoughts
and feelings without judgment, and in confidence. They realize the
unique role of women, and need to gather to affirm and rejuvenate
ourselves monthly in a supportive circle of friends. They all take
time from our busy lives to move into sacred space, and look within
and to each other for strength, wisdom and peace.
The gathering
is on the new moon because that is a time of women's gatherings
in many cultures. When a group of women live together and spend
a lot of time outdoors, their menstrual cycles begin to syncronize.
They will usually all bleed at the time of the new moon. In many
Native American tribes, the women would go to the Moon Lodge together
at the time of their menses. During their bleeding time, they would
be segregated and not expected to cook, care for children, or do
other chores. It was a time for talking and sharing with other women,
and for introspection.
The Talking Stick is passed around the circle. The only one allowed
to speak is the woman holding the stick. Women can share thoughts
and feelings, or just pass the stick along. Wisdom, or just empathy,
is shared regarding common concerns; health, child raising, stress,
joys and grief. Sometimes a women asks the group to send prayers
or healing thoughts to a troubled or sick friend or relative. At
times one of the women present is suffering and needs a group hug.
Many offer her different types of support.
The theme for this night is Peace. The women discuss actions they
have taken for peace: political peace in the world, peace in their
families, or personal peace within themselves. Everyone chooses
a feather from a jar. A local Native American Elder taught that
birds are messengers of peace, and that feathers represent peace.
So each woman holds a feather and offers a prayer or hope for peace.
They pledge a specific action to bring a little more peace into
their world. Each takes the feather home to remind her of the pledge
she made this night.
It is time for movement and action, and joy! Instruments are passed
around and the women begin drumming and shaking rattles. A few begin
to dance around the fire. Someone leads a song. The women enjoy
the fire, the wind and trees and feel of grass beneath their feet.
Most important of all, they soak in the Woman Spirit that energizes
them to face the next month in the material world.
The drumming and singing slowly ebbs, and the women stand to close
the circle. They join hands in harmony, feeling the energy moving
around the circle. Then they reach to the sky to send some of this
healing energy out to the universe. They bend and touch the earth
to send some down to the Mother, and they reach across the circle
to send some to each other. Finally, they bring a little of the
energy back to their hearts to keep. They end the circle by individually
hugging each woman in the circle. Then it’s time to go back
to the house and share food, news and more worldly conversation.
As they drive back to their homes that night, each woman has been affirmed. She is smiling, relaxed, and full of light and energy. She will carry some of this positive energy and peace into her relationships and her life.Women’s Circles similar to the one described above are a growing phenomenon happening all over the world. I participate regularly in two women’s circles, one in Western New York where I spend the summer, and the other on Kauai. Both of
these groups have a Native American influence, but that is not necessary. The important thing is for women to gather, at least once a month, for a spiritual purpose.
Author’s
Note:
Over the years, we have had fun with various themes. We did Animal Medicine Card readings, and shared stories of our personal connections with animals and the lessons we learned from them. An artist led a us in an activity where we painted portraits of each other while blindfolded--what a freeing experience! Massage therapists have taught us to massage each others feet, or how to do hands on healing circle. We had a Gathering of the Goddesses, where each woman told
the legend of her favorite goddess figure. We analyzed our relationships with our mothers one circle, and our fathers the next. We walked up a river and had a naked mud bath!
So, if you feel the need to gather with women, invite a few friends
and start your own group! There are no hard and fast rules, you
can make it up as you go along. I wish you Joy, Peace, and Rejuvenation!
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