How to Create a Sacred Circle For Women
Brewing a Sacred Circle For Women
By Carmen Vasquez
It has been known for centuries about the power of being united in a sacred circle with any clear intention. In the past it was practiced mostly for magic rituals; but nowadays, is well intended to support any kind of topic and to maintain consciousness, authenticity, and staying true to our feminine nature.
A sacred circle is a space marked out by the attendance of people interested in certain topic (anything that can be chosen by the circle’s creator) and also by people who believe in the energy that will be exchanged there; individuals will get together on a regular basis with the purpose of discussing and supporting each other.
But, how to create a sacred circle? It is so simple and can lead to positive changes in many women’s lives in your area. Following, I will state some simple steps that will inspire you to start:
1. Turn your dreams into reality:
Believing that you belong to a sacred circle will improve your life. Write down your dream of having your own sacred circle on a paper and paste it on a place where you can often see it; share your dream with others and invite them to join you. Post an ad on local yoga places, community centers, supermarkets, libraries, etc. You can write something like: “We are looking for women interested in starting a circle” and add your contact information. After you have found one or two people with whom you can share your dream, you started having your circle.
2. Set a place, date and time for the first meeting:
Do it as soon as possible and don’t be afraid; probably, after the first meeting some adjustments need to be made since some inconveniences may occur with participants’ schedules; always remember your dream going back to the vision note or board your created in the first step and that will give you the motivation to keep going until all of you find the perfect time to meet.
3. Develop a plan for your sacred circle:
Along with your colleagues decide who will be the first in helping to organize the next meeting. Shared leadership will produce a self-help circle in which all people work together to make the circle a safe and supportive environment.
The facilitation team should greet each member, open and close the session and guide the conversation. Each member becomes a leader and, together, are responsible for making circle time a valuable place for everyone.
Remember to sit in a circle; it could be on chairs or on the floor, so that all members can be seen and can be heard.
You can create your own rituals for opening and closing the circle; a ritual can be as simple as each woman presents herself and tells, using two or three words, what she expects from the circle. The closing ritual may be that each woman expresses what the experience meant to her. Some will want a more formal procedure like, for example, begining with a ritual to honor their sacred space, mother Earth and life as it is; you can burn a candle while saying a prayer or chanting a mantra to honor the space and time you are sharing. So be creative and develop rituals for opening and closing that correspond to the identity of your own sacred circle; it will be unique for your group.
It’s so important that your group adopt some principles and this is something you will love to create from the beginning in order to make the sacred circle a healthy space for all. To develop this you can ask yourself and your participants the following question: “What do we need to agree in order to have a safe and supportive environment for all of us?” Then discuss about it.
Here are some examples of principles that have been used used since ancient times:
· Allow one person to speak at a time.
· Promote an open and frank communication.
· Listen actively, without prejudice.
· Listen with compassion and without judgment.
· Provide experiences rather than advice.
· Keep silent when there is doubt or need.
4. Give a name to your sacred circle and establish its purpose:
Giving a name to your sacred circle make it a reality not only for the actual participants but for those outside it. The types of circles are unlimited and you can choose to create any; some examples are: a circle of single mothers, a spiritual circle, a circle of book discussion, a circle of religious studies, a circle for mothers, a sewing circle, a recovery from an addiction circle, an environmental circle, a meditation circle, a circle for adolescents, just to name a few.
5. Decide who will be part of the next team of facilitators and establish a calendar:
Sharing leadership will help to prevent any member of the sacred circle feeling overwhelmed by too many responsibilities. Developing a clear timetable of forthcoming meetings will also help all the participants integrate the meetings into their lives.
6. Assemble the sacred circle constantly:
Make your sacred circle a priority in your life and keep that commitment as well as you would do it with any other important meeting. There will be some times when you feel too tired to go, don’t let your ego speak to you and go anyway! Respecting this sacred time will bring many benefits to you. Attending the meetings sporadically creates something incomplete; go regularly to build a powerful and revitalizing time.
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About the Author
CARMEN VASQUEZ is the author of multiple inspirational and motivational books. She and her husband are founders of Journey Angels, and are producing their first documentary and a radio station. Carmen gives private sessions and motivational speeches to help people connect with themselves and transform their lives to positive. She’s a mom of three beautiful angels, is happily married, and lives on the East Coast of the U.S.A. www.journeyangels.com
