What is a women’s circle and why you should find one.

As I’ve been preparing to hold my first women’s circle tomorrow night I’ve been getting a LOT of questions about what actually is a women’s circle anyway and what are you going to be doing there?!

What is a women’s circle?

Essentially a women’s circle is a group of women coming together to connect with each other in a safe space.  Traditional cultures did this really well. They came together to prepare food and tell stories-  hell even our grandmothers did a pretty good job – they’d get together for craft and social groups and in the process really connect.

These days I feel like we’ve lost the art of truly connecting.  Technology has made it so easy to keep up to date on what everyone is doing, that we don’t seem to make the time to really ask how each other is doing – and then listen.  We’re so used to the over-polished versions of everyone’s lives that we’ve become uncomfortable sharing and hearing the hard stuff.  It’s become normal to ‘put on a brave face’ and get on with life.

But as emotional creatures, we need to honour and share our emotions otherwise they just build up, and up and up and eventually explode.  And if you’re anything like me – my explosions are usually directed at my husband for something (that in hindsight seems) minuscule and irrelevant (washing, a plate in the sink, you get the picture).  I’m sure the poor man often wonders what the hell happened – but it’s usually just a build up of me not dealing with how I am feeling on a day to day basis and stuffing those feeling down there somewhere (possibly usually under a pile of chocolate).

In a women’s circle we take the time to share how we are feeling, give advice and to sit in the (metaphorical) darkness with other women (rather than taking the masculine approach which is to go straight into ‘fix it’ mode.)

What do you do in a women’s circle?

Every women’s circle is different depending on the energy of the group, the facilitator, their preferences and the current energy of the moon (if your group taps into that).

Circles may include:

• meditations
• group oracle reading and sharing
• moon guidance
• sharing circles
• intention setting rituals
• releasing rituals
• yoga
• other activities – oil mixing, craft, jewellery making, self-care practices, etc

A circle could include any  activity as long as it has the intention to allow women to connect and share in a meaningful way.  It’s a unique type of gathering in today’s culture that involves sharing your truths and having them heard without using alcohol or other substance to fuel the bravery.  A circle may feel a little bit nerve-racking at first but sharing is always a choice and often women walk away from a circle feeling empower by the collective energy of the group.

Why you should join a women’s circle?

• Circles are a great place to meet other like-minded women to grow your own personal social and support circles.
• Circles are a place to share and vent so that we can show up in our relationships in a more whole way – without having to rely on partners or friends who may not have the ability to support us in the way that we need.
• Circles can help you focus on what you’d like to bring into your life and by putting them ‘out there’ you’ll be amazed at how connections are made and opportunities start rolling in.
• Circles are a fun way to spend an hour or so with a group of women that doesn’t involve a sore head the next day or spending too much money.
• Circles can be a great way to de-stress and release the emotions we drag around with us all day.