Happy International Women’s Day to everyone,
but especially
to all those incredible women out there
who have had the courage to truly be themselves
and helped me learn the following:
By Karen Moon:
#9. You don’t have to know exactly what you are doing to take that first step. I started hosting over three years ago, when a friend of mine began these circles with me and another friend, but then decided it was too much to host. I didn’t want to stop and could not find a Circle to attend (hence the website), so I picked it up … having no idea what I was doing. Yes, I am a better facilitator now three years later, but there is nothing wrong with learning your way with some others ….
#8. How to truly find time for yourself in a busy life. I have four kids in a blended marriage and a busy, chaotic household. I have hosted these Circles every two weeks for the past three years. I remember feeling oh so guilty that my husband had to take care of the kids during this time. I remember having a difficult time putting it out of my head how they were doing. But now, I watch my girls play ‘moon lodge’. They climb up into our tree and proudly say ‘this is my moon lodge.’ And I realize that I have been teaching them, as well as myself, that they are something valuable and worthy of taking care of. Not a ‘girls night out’ where mommy goes out and drinks too much with her friends, but Soul Time. Time for reflection. Time for growth. Time for beauty. Time to grow.
#7. How to find your voice. I love to sing, but am not the best singer. In our Circle, we push the envelope of our comfort level. If you never sing in public, try at least to whisper. If you usually politely sing along … make it a bit louder. And if you want, give a good howl. Try it. It feels great. And we’re not just talking about singing, are we …
#6. Simple is good. I’ve spent so much time over the past three years, worrying, discussing and analyzing how we should or if we should change our Circle. I’ve come to the realization that it works and to just learn to let it work and let go. The Circle changes depending on who comes and what they bring, but that is okay, as the bottom line is, as with most of life, in the end, you get out of it what you put in to it. We open our Circle, sing/drum, talk a bit about astrology or current cycle, do a short meditation, intention setting and then a blessing. That’s it. So simple. So profound.
#5. I am not a witch. But I have lots of friends who are. It is not important how you find Divinity, but That you find divinity. I have realized, no matter what religion a person follows or if they follow a religion, there are shitty, small minded and mean spirited people who will suck the life out of you and there are big-hearted, open-minded, loving people who will encourage the life in you … but most of us, are a balance of the two. And it’s up to you to find the right balance in your friends, family and partners.
#4. Finding that balance in the people you surround yourself with, requires learning to let go. I have lost a few close friends, family, possibly a spouse or two LOL through the Circle. I’m not sure if I”m imagining it, but sometimes, I feel those ‘looks’ out in public as if they don’t quite know what to think of me. As Marianne Williamson said in one of my all-time favorite speeches, if you haven’t pissed off a few people, then you’re not being authentic, are you. Okay, she did not quite say it that way, but that is most definitely what she meant, right. As I become more myself, I find myself drifting farther away from more than a few people. But that’s okay. As that Native American river metaphor says, the ones you end up with, those truly are your people. Gosh, I wish I had figured this one out earlier in life.
#3. And that one comes right after figuring out, you do not have to justify what you like or how you think. Our ‘talking bowl’ that we pass along has been instrumental in learning how to reach deep inside and say ‘you’ without regard for how it is going to be received. Alright, if that ‘you’ is evil, dark and nasty, you’ve got some serious work to do. But most of the time, it’s just ‘weirder’ than we want to admit. It may not be the path someone else sees for us. It may not jive with others perspectives. Doesn’t matter. Say it anyhow. Reach down deep and figure out what is in your heart. You don’t have to defend it. Others don’t have to agree. But find it.
#2. We are all more alike than we realize. So many different types of women have come to our Circle over the years, and when they truly open up, I see just how similar we all are. Some of the most ‘put together’ women, ones who intimidate me, walk through the door of our Moon Lodge and open up about their struggles, their fears and their challenges. We all have them. You end up realizing it is really not about what happens to you in life, but how you handle what happens in your life.
#1. You have the strength to handle it. We know what we need to do in life. When you really get quiet and still and learn to listen, you already know your next step. You may not know your destination yet, but you know your next step. Even if it’s a tiny little baby step. And that’s all that life is .. learning how to believe in yourself enough to take that next step …
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