Full Moon Women’s Circle: How to plan
Follow these 10-Steps to plan your Full Moon Women’s Circle.
It’s always a good time to gather women and sit in Circle together but it’s often helpful to have a theme.
Let’s Begin:
Whether you’re looking to hold a women’s circle in your home for your friends, out in your community or as part of your business, the Full Moon is a potent time to do so. When you gather for a Full Moon Circle you are tapping into the collective energy of thousands of women around the world doing the same thing.
If you track your menstrual cycle or follow the Moon and journal on your monthly journey, you’ll be aware of how you personally feel around each Full Moon but, even if you don’t (yet) you are probably aware that the energy builds from the New Moon to the Full Moon and then comes the release. This is a perfect time to deal with our “stuff”; to let go of bad habits, grudges, guilt, fear, irritation, disappointment, anger and ways of being that are no longer serving us and replenish the space created with gratitude.
The Full Moon is a powerful time of the month to gather in a women’s circle and share, release and recalibrate together.
Follow these are 10 simple steps to plan and hold your first Full Moon Women’s Circle:
1. Collaboration
Decide whether to collaborate or host the Women’s Circle on your own. Collaboration can be a supportive way to hold your first Circle; you have someone to share the experience with and to help you with the organisation and facilitation.
2. Create your Circle plan
Think about where you’ll hold the Circle, how many participants you would like to attend, how long the Circle will run for, whether you will provide food or ask everyone to bring a plate and how you will invite people to come.
3. Choose your theme
For a Circle on the Full Moon, usual themes include release and forgiveness, celebration and gratitude. But, I invite you to get creative. Allow yourself to feel into the energy, connect to your heart and draw on your cultural heritage. Your Circle is an expression of who you are. If you need some inner guidance, take a journey to meet the Soul of your Circle here.
4. Write your Women’s Circle Guidelines
These are an essential element of holding safer space so give yourself time to think about what you’d like to include and how you wish participants to feel when they are in the space you have created. It is also worthwhile thinking about any challenges or conflict that could arise around your chosen theme and how you will navigate that. Don’t be afraid of challenges; if you’ve given it some thought beforehand you will have the tools to navigate it and the trust to see how it is serving the Circle.
5. Create your ritual or ceremony to open and close your circle
This may be as simple as a meditation, poem, prayer or invocation (you can write your own or find one to share) or you may wish to create an altar together, draw oracle cards or share why you were called to come to Circle.
6. Decide on any practices or activities that you wish to share and gather any materials that you will need
For a Full Moon circle you may like to invite the women to write down everything that they wish to forgive or let go of and then burn them (safely) in a fire place or cauldron (or rip them up or bury them) and then fill the space that you’ve all created by sharing what you are truly grateful for or sharing a gratitude meditation.
7. Create a timeline or running order for your Circle
Review what you would like to include and approximately how long each component will take e.g. welcome and opening ritual, introductions and sharing, talking about the theme, facilitating the practices that you’ve chosen, reflection and sharing, and closing ritual or ceremony. If you are co-facilitating, agree which roles you will both be responsible for.
8. Before your Circle starts take time to create Sacred Space
You can set your intention for the Circle, energetically preparing the space and arrange the seats in a circle (remember that the centre of the Circle is an important aspect of the space as this where all the energies pass through). You may like to play music, burn incense or diffuse essential oils.
9. As participants arrive, welcome them and invite them to take a seat in the Circle
Take your place and welcome everyone. Share the Circle Guidelines and use your running order to guide you. Conduct your Opening Ritual or Ceremony and enjoy every moment of your Circle.
10. Conduct your Closing Ritual or Ceremony
Ensure that you give yourself enough time to close your Circle intentionally so that and break from the Circle to share nourishment (tea and sweet food can be grounding).
Finally:
If you’re holding an on-line Circle, think creatively about how you can adapt these steps to plan and hold a connected and powerful sacred experience. For example, asking participants to bring a candle and an item for your virtual altar can elevate your opening ritual in an on-line Circle.
When we come together in Women’s Circles we are honouring the generations of women who have sat in Circle before us and will do so after us. Taking time to plan and prepare for your Circle supports you to create a sacred event that will nourish and nurture the participants that you gather together.
If you’re looking for support and guidance on planning, creating, holding and filling your next Women’s Circle, I invite you to consider joining us in Circle Skills. Circle Skills is a guided 10-part journey to having the clarity and courage to hold unique, powerful and revolutionary Women’s Circles. Find more details here.
