Sacred Women Circles

There are many ways and many reasons to sit in a circle. At its very core, a Sacred Circle of women is an opportunity to be Loved and held in a way that only women can provide. The Circle itself represents a Sacred Symbol that has been honored throughout time. It is a reminder of the Sacredness of the Circle of Life, the Seasons, Sunrise to Sunrise, the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Earth, all things round.

There is something magical about a Circle. Geometrically it encompasses more space than any other shape. Within it, one sets out on a journey and returns having never left her seat. Whenever we engage in an act of Ritual or Ceremony that has been shared throughout time, we are the beneficiary of all the Goodness that has come from it. The Circle, in and of itself, is imbued with lifetimes of profound Wisdom.

Holding Sacred Circles means that there is an agreement present to hold each other and the Gathering itself as Sacred. What is shared or spoken is done in a Sacred manner. As we listen to one another, we do so in a Sacred way. There is no judgment or criticism present. We are able to listen Whole Heartedly to what each Woman has to say, holding her in Support and Compassion, receiving her in Wholeness.

Circles also allowing that everyone within the Circle is equal. There is no hierarchy in Circle. Everyone and every expression is equally valued. We learn so much from one another. We witness each other, allowing ourselves to be seen and heard, honored, loved and enjoyed. These things go a long way toward strengthening us individually and collectively.

In a Sacred Circle, each participant is encouraged to take guidance individually by listening to her Inner Voice. Each guidance, Soul and life experience, when offered to the center, begins to resonate throughout the Circle and creates what we experience as a resonant field. This Unified field operates as a Source of Light that illuminates our individual blind spots, makes us grow and find clarity. It is one idea perceived from multiple perspectives at once allowing it to evolve to its most Profound Wisdom in that moment. In this way, the Power and Energy that flows through the Circle is guided by Divine Grace. Energy that we might otherwise experience as “local” or limited to our own perception becomes Universalized and "global" through a balanced and refined process of a Circle. We discover, then, that we are as One, learning, living and sharing One Spirit in a Divinely orchestrated, Authentic way.

© Amari Gold
Photo: Ma Gaia Drummers


Short list of interesting books to read about Women Circle's:
Click on the links to buy them

Sacred Circles: a Guide to Creating you own Women's Spiritualy Group
Author : Robin Dean Carnes & Sally Craig

The Millionth Circle: How to Change Ourselves and The World
--The Essential Guide to Women's Circles

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We have come to Be Danced

Not the pretty dance
Not the pretty pretty, pick me, pick me dance
But the claw our way back into the Belly
Of the Sacred, Sensual Animal dance
The unhinged, unplugged, cat is out of its box Dance
The holding the precious moment in the palms
Of our hands and feet Dance

We have come to Be Danced
Not the jiffy booby, shake your booty for him dance
But the wring the sadness from our skin dance
The Blow the chip off our shoulder Dance.
The slap the apology from our posture Dance

We have come to Be Danced
Not the monkey see, monkey do dance
One two Dance like you
One two three, Dance like me Dance
but the grave robber, tomb stalker
Tearing scabs and scars open Dance
The rub the Rhythm Raw against our Soul Dance

We have come to Be Danced
Not the nice, invisible, self-conscious shuffle
But the matted hair flying, Voodoo Mama
Shaman Shakin’ Ancient Bones Dance
The strip us from our casings, Return our Wings
Sharpen our Claws and Tongues Dance
The Shed Dead Cells and slip into
The Luminous Skin of Love Dance.

We have Come to Be Danced
Not the hold our breath wallow in the shallow end of the floor dance
But the Meeting of the Trinity, the Body Breath and Beat Dance
The Shout Hallelujah from the top of our Thighs Dance
The Mother may I?
Yes you may take 10 giant Leaps Dance
The olly olly oxen free free free Dance
The everyone can come to our Heaven Dance

We have come to Be Danced
Where the Kingdom’s Collide
In the Cathedral of Flesh
To Burn Back into the Light
To unravel, to Play, to Fly, to Pray
To root in skin sanctuary
We have come to Be Danced

We Have Come..

~ Jewel MathiesonPhoto Art: Sarume Tribe Barcelone

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Croning Ceremony

Croning Ceremony

Celebrating the Wisdom of Age

 

In Ancient times, older women were the keepers of primal Mysteries and were revered for their special wisdom.

Clad in purple, surrounded by memorabilia, Linda Sanda stood in her Urbandale, Iowa, dining room and talked about turning 50. About 40 close friends, co-workers and family members came to mark the occasion. But there were no mocking black balloons or teasing "You're Over the Hill'' banners.

This was a Croning Ceremony, designed to invoke Spiritual reflection, dignity and wisdom. An Ancient Rite de Passage to Honor older women, Croning Ceremonies had become nearly extinct. But they are making a comeback. And they're going mainstream.

With the oldest baby boomers turning 50 this year, many women are evaluating what it means to stand on the threshold of old age. For some women, Croning Ceremonies serve as an ideal way to make a statement about that passage. "I see so many people fighting the aging process,'' says Sandra Bury, another Des Moines-area woman who went through the Ritual. "I wanted to celebrate that to become old is a gift. I didn't want to be afraid of it.''

The rising interest in Croning Ceremonies also reflects a larger movement to reassert the value of older women, according to the book:
Woman of Ages, Celebrating Ourselves ($28,95).

In Ancient Times, she says, old women were known as Crones. They held Power and enjoyed status as "the Healers, the Mediators, the Wise of the Communities.'' Gradually, that Power and recognition were lost. In modern times, the old woman has become nearly invisible, pushed aside and forgotten.
"We don't listen to her. We shut her up,'' Only a few groups - blacks, Native Americans, Asians - Honor old women.

To recapture the value of becoming a Crone, the Feminist Spiritual Community of Portland, Maine, began holding Crone Rituals in the early 1980s. "Since the patriarchy isn't going to value old women, we celebrate ourselves. It's becoming quite widespread,'' says Ward, now 67 and a member of the Portland group. She had her Croning Ceremony in 1990. More recently, the Crones Council was formed, drawing women from all over the USA. Last year, about 300 women attended Crones Council III in Scottsdale, Ariz., says Ann Kreilkamp, 53, a member of the council and editor of The Crone Chronicles - A Journal of Conscious Aging. As a result, crone groups are forming all over the country. Circulation of Kreilkamp's journal also testifies to the growing interest. Started six years ago with 100 copies sent to friends, The Crone Chronicles now has 10,000 subscribers. The quarterly journal, published in Kelly, Wyo., dedicates itself to "re-activating the archetype of the Crone within contemporary Western culture.'' The magazine typically prints one Crone Ritual every issue, she adds. But nothing about the Ceremony is prescribed. Many women write their own, though books of Crone Rituals are now available. And there is no preferred setting. The Rituals can be done at home, in a church or outdoors. They can last 10 minutes or go on for days and include lavish feasting. Women often wear purple, the color associated with old age and wisdom.

There is also no set time to hold a Crone Ceremony. Some women wait until after menopause or when they turn 56 - a significant point in the astrological world. In all cases, the Rite de Passage carries individual meaning. For Linda Sanda, the ceremony acknowledged the troubled waters she had crossed in her life. For Sandra Bury, 61, who had hercroning at 56, it was a celebration of old age. For Maureen Barton-Wicks, 53, of Des Moines, it was a way to publicly commit her life to God and acknowledge her Wisdom.

"I wanted to say to the world, `I'm proud of who I am, and I claim the Crone in me,' '' Barton-Wicks says.

For these three women, preparation was intense. Each spent months reading, writing and reviewing events in her life. Bury, a Des Moines school counselor, says the power of the Croning Ceremony was more in writing it than going through it. For Barton-Wicks, reliving various events "was horrendous,'' she recalls. What's more, it was hard work. She revised her Ceremony seven times before she was satisfied. Barton-Wicks had her Coning during the regular Sunday service at her church. No meal or celebration followed. "To me, it's a Sacred Ceremony. It's not a birthday party. That was enough for me,'' she says. Bury's ceremony, held at the church with a few relatives and friends, took about 15 minutes and didn't cost anything. A former harp teacher, Bury wrote a chant that everyone sang. She brought objects from home that had been important in her life.

Sanda, who directs community education programs for the West Des Moines public schools, wanted a celebration in addition to a Ceremony. She sent invitations and had a buffet supper in her home. She had been a nun for 13 years, and she says she struggled for years with feelings of inadequacy, uncertainty about her relationship with God and the desire to marry and have children. Now she's married to a former priest and the mother of two. She says the Croning Ceremony felt like a coming out after years of trauma.

What does a woman gain from a Croning Ceremony?

Five years after Bury had hers, she feels vigorous and joyful about her age. "Right now, I'm thinking about what my next careers will be. I hear people talk about feeling burned out. But I'm just getting started,'' she says. Two years after Barton-Wicks' ceremony, she is studying to be a minister. "I'm allowing myself to be led by spirit, rather than ego. And today, I appreciate my fears. They're only trying to protect me,'' she says. As a bonus, she says, "I no longer feel life is too short or I am too old.''

Since Sanda's Ceremony a year ago, life has been richer and more joyful. "I've had some real healing experiences. I still get mad at things. I have a teen-age son who's challenging. But I know he can teach me.'' And what's even more important, she says: "Instead of feeling as though I'm fighting life, I feel as though I'm one with life.''

Books aimed at enriching the Spirit

For more information about crone rituals or women and aging, here are some books suggested by Linda Bacon of Morning Light Books and Tape in Des Moines:

Jubilee Time: Celebrating Women, Spirit and the Advent of Age by Maria Harris (Bantam, $22.95).
On Women Turning 50: Celebrating Mid-Life Discoveries by Cathleen Rountree ($18).
Roads Home: Seven Pathways to Midlife Wisdom, Kathryn Cramer (William Morrow, $22).
Woman Heal Thyself: An Ancient Healing System for Contemporary Women by Jeanne Elizabeth Blum (Charles Tuttle, $24.95).
Women at the Edge of Two Worlds: The Spiritual Journey Through Menopause by Lynn V. Andrews (Harper Perennial, $22).
A Woman's Book of Rituals and Celebrations by Barbara Aringer (New World Library, $11.95).

By Melinda Voss, The Des Moines Register

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