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| Dancing Round the Maypole at Beltane |
The
Women's Spirituality Movement is percolating up from the fundamental
consciousness of our collective human experience. Women the world
round are rising. Like sleepy children we are heeding Gaia's morning
call and preparing ourselves for a new era on earth. As we stand
together side by side in equality, expressing our hopes and dreams,
finding our joy and passion, we leave our fears behind and claim our
true power.
This
power, that we women cultivate in our circles, is not the false power
of holding dominion over another, it is the true power of knowing and
being ourselves. It is the essence of our soul's calling combined
with the loving support and interconnectedness of our sisters in
circle. It is from this stance, day by day, household by household
that women are claiming our place at the table and changing the
world.
We
have all seen the horrors of a world lead only from the masculine
point of view. War, destruction, mass extinctions and global warming
are all left in the aftermath. This doesn't work for anyone, men or
women, children or animals, forests, oceans or trees. Like waking
from a long nightmare, Gaia is calling the feminine and we women are
stepping up to embrace the new day.
Unlike
organized religion, the women's spirituality movement is a
spontaneous uprising of individual groups of women who gather and
meet together to reclaim the divine feminine. We meet in circles and
these circles ripple out and create more circles. We dance, we cry,
we sing and we share our hearts to find our ground. Meeting
regularly in this way, we grow in love and learn how to heal
ourselves with forgiveness and understanding.
It
is in the crucible of the circle that we begin to realize that our
challenges are really blessings as we help each other to see more
deeply. In the safe sanctuary of circle we find our voice for self
expression. We move beyond oppression and formulate new visions for
ourselves, for our families and for our world. It is within the
alchemy of the women's circle that we are calling forth a new world
view into being.
No
one started this movement. There are no rules, there is no one set
way of doing a circle. The format, structure, shape and timing are
all organically created by the various women within the circle. Time
of day, frequency, intention and focus all come into being naturally
from within the group.
Most
of the women in the circles I've been fortunate enough to be a member
of are eco-feminists, meaning that they have concern for the ecology
of our planet and believe in the need for full participation of women
both in government and the workplace. They see the need for women to
be key players in the creation of our culture. Knowing that the
personal is the political, they let their lives and choices reflect
their values. Aware of the repercussions of pesticide poisoning and
the cruelty of factory farming, many of the women in circles are
inclined toward organically grown, vegetarian or vegan dietstyles.
This holds especially true for the food that is brought to and served
within a circle after our ceremonial celebrations are complete.
Again there are no rules, but this one aspect seems to be a constant.
And, in this way we women are able to include all of our circle
sisters in the enjoyment of the wonderful dishes that we bring to
share.
Over
the twenty or so years that I have been participating in the Women's
Spirituality Movement, I've noticed that most of the women in our
circles are political or social or environmental activists, often
joining or forming one or more of the hundreds of thousands of reform
groups that have risen up throughout our world. Tending to home,
family, culture and career can be demanding. So the time spent in
circle gathering with like minded supportive women is cherished and
sacred. And we do create the sacred in our circles. We honor our
time together as holy.
When
we meet often we will begin by purifying ourselves in some way
leaving behind the troubles of the day. This can be as simple as
hugs from everyone. Or maybe we will sprinkle a few drops of the
water from a local hot spring over the heads of each woman as she
arrives. Perhaps we will choose to use a few grains of cornmeal
instead, to do the same. Often, using a bouquet of gathered
feathers, we will waft the smoke from the leaves of various
smoldering herbs around to the front and the backside of each woman.
While doing this, we may whisper words of encouragement and
appreciation as she enters the space we've created, acknowledging her
beauty and her contribution. The bundled leaves of sage, cedar or
lemon grass work nicely for this when held in a hand made ceramic
bowl or an abalone shell. Once everyone has been blessed into the
circle, it is considered closed. Then we do ceremony together.
There may be song, poetry and meditation. Frequently there is an
activity. Perhaps we honor the cycles of time. Maybe it is the full
moon or the new moon that calls us together each month. Perhaps it
is a weekly prayer or meditation group dedicated to peace. Women's
circles can be crone groups honoring and holding the wisdoms of women
who are in their elder years. Some women's circles meet only once as
initiations celebrating the first blood of menarche or the last of
menopause. These can be small family events or larger temporary
combinations of members from several women's circles.
Some
women's circles are educational groups with the members taking turns
presenting information about the Goddess cultures of pre-history.
Many celebrate the Solstices, Equinoxes and cross quarter holidays in
ways similar to those that were prevalent prior to the advent of the
Abrahamic religious traditions. Other circles may focus on actions
like writing letters for peace or finding creative expression through
dance. But the hallmark of the Women's Spirituality Movement is the
overarching theme of honoring the feminine mind and worldview and
holding our time together as sacred. As we do so, we look to each
other for support and validation. This increases our confidence and
fuels us forward on our path in our individual lives. We also
strongly encourage our intuitive nature and honor our feelings,
holding both of these as primary guiding forces in our lives. Our
time spent in circle, in the secure embrace of each other's love and
support, strengthens and renews us. It helps us to claim our power
individually and move forward with it into the world.
If
you are not already in a women's circle, they are easy to create.
You can put a notice up on the bulletin board of your local healthy
food store or at a yoga center. Or simply ask a few friends round to
tea and share with them your ideas. See what they would like to
offer. Ask each of them to invite two or three more women and set up
an initial time, place and date. Most circles meet monthly, some
meet weekly. One circle I'm in meets eight times a year, on the two
Solstices, the two Equinoxes and the four Cross Quarter Holidays:
Candlemas, Beltane, Lamas and Samhain. These are ancient markers for
the cycles of time. We celebrate them as “The Wheel of the Year.”
They also represent the cycle of life from birth to death. The babe
is born and the seed sprouts on Winter Solstice. The pattern for
that life is set and in place by Candlemas, February eve. The youth
is learning at the Spring or Vernal Equinox. By the “lusty month
of May,” young adulthood is reached and procreation is high. Come
Summer Solstice adulthood is in full bloom, the seeds for the next
generation are set. With Lamas the first harvest bread is shared.
The year is ripe and we round the corner into elder age with the fall
or Autumnal Equinox. Old age and death come with Samhain or
Halloween, as the seed drops to the ground and all appears to be gone
as winter's snow sets in. But then with the Midwinter Solstice the
babe is born again and the wheel of the year has germinated once
more.
Round
and round we go,
We
hold each other's hand.
Weave
our lives in a circle.
Our
love is strong.
The
dance goes on.
© Josephine Laing, 2014
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