To celebrate sisterhood and the healing power of women, we offer you the foundation stones of a women’s circle to use and adapt within your own feminine flow, should you feel called to create your own. 

 

This was taken from a conversation between Ariel and Zohie, two sisters who share a women’s circle in Torquay, Australia. 

 

 

Creating Sacred Space.

 

Circle is a place to be open and vulnerable, therefore rules and boundaries are important for all members to feel safe in expressing themselves. We found it helpful to divide our time together into two parts. Each sister would take turns cooking and we would share a meal whilst waiting for others to arrive, which was the more casual way of relating and a chance for a catch up. Once this was complete we would officially move into sacred space.

 

The host creates an altar, which usually consists of crystals, flowers, candles and angel cards spread around in a circle. This would be the centre point we all gathered around while sitting on the floor on equal level with one another. Sometimes sisters would bring jewellery or their own crystals to charge on the altar whilst circle was taking place. There is a natural reverence for the altar, and each one would look different depending on the creativity of the sister who created it. 

 

We would state “and now we open circle” so everyone was aware of the shift in energy. Sometimes women can fall into shame by laughing and not taking it seriously due to our societal conditioning, but once they really experience connecting with women in this sacred way a primal sense takes over. Gathering with women in circles truly feels like coming home. 

 

 

Communication.

 

Values of honesty and non-judgement are how the space is governed. We created a talking stick as a visual cue to who was speaking and they would hold it until they had finished expressing themselves. 

 

The concept of Dadirri, which is a First Nations Australia custom that is also known as deep listening, was encouraged so everyone had a chance to speak and be heard. Dadirri is the practice of listening with your whole body and allowing what the other person is expressing to sink into your being, instead of formulating a response in your mind which may interrupt the flow of the speaker. This allows them to reach their own conclusions rather than being told what to do. It is a really powerful practice.

 

Each individual would be invited to express by asking themselves, “what is something I’ve learned, something that has challenged me, or something I wish to celebrate.” This allows everyone to be witnessed, which is a simple yet powerful way of healing. 

 

 

There is also space for sharing skills or doing exercises. Sometimes a sister would share their skills on a course they are studying, or a project they are creating. Sometimes we would be invited by the host to write a letter to our soul and everyone had the choice to either read it aloud or keep it quiet. 

 

Because of the values circle is built on we advocate for each other's self-care. When a sister makes a choice to care for herself we all fully support her.

 

We are mindful that as women sometimes we can fall into bad habits of talking negatively about other people as a way of connecting, also known as gossip. This is a habit that needs to be broken and can be achieved through honest communication and genuine care. Sometimes we share resources about non-violent communication to allow us to reflect on what we can do differently to cause less harm.

 

Governance. 

 

The woman who initiated the beginning of our circle is a kindergarten teacher, so she naturally set it up in a similar way to how she cares for children. For so many of us our problem is our inner child holding trauma so this framework allows for our inner children to feel comfort, nurture and connection. We created our own rules and solutions together so everyone would feel safe and included. We are not saviours, we hold space for healing. When a sister would experience an emotion we would give her the space to move through it on her own accord. 

 

 

Relating in this non-hierarchical way is the antithesis of our government, so it’s actually a de-centralised mode of government that empowers individuals. People may think “oh it’s just a women’s circle” but it’s actually a completely new paradigm. Do not underestimate its collective power.

 

It’s important to remember to close circle as officially as it was opened. We often share a meditation or mantra and would hold hands, one up one down, and feel the feminine energy flowing through all our beings. 

 

This energy charges the Earth, anchoring light and new higher frequencies. 

 

May this be supportive to you within your own flow of blooming.

 

Rise Sister Rise.