OUR Circle
Where Center is Spirit
For most participants, being a Grandmother includes having a sense of spirit. Each has her own understanding of what “spirit” means. It may be God, Higher Power, Mother Nature, Energy force¸ or the special feeling that comes from what is right and good.
A central and primary aspect of each Gathering is the designated time we allow for spirit-led circling. Our circles follow the world renown Circle Way process, formerly referred to as peer-spirit circling. The small circles are a safe place to share our stories, honor our voices and claim our empowerment as we soothe our souls and transform our lives.
The Peer-Spirit Circle Way
The Circle Way process is based on the work of Christina Baldwin and Ann Linnea, first published in the early 90s in a book titled Calling the Circle: The First and Future Culture. This book continues to be a visionary statement of belief that gathering in peer-led, spirit-centered circles can help us successfully face the challenges of our times.
How It Works
Approximately eight women are randomly selected at the beginning of the Gathering to sit together in a small circle each day. Two women are co-facilitators throughout the duration of the Gathering and the discussion is focused around the Gathering theme which changes each year.
The topic might address our relationships, personal growth, values, our inner lives, our outer surroundings, our legacy. We might answer a question: How am I creative? What touches my spirit? How do we achieve simplicity? What can I do to help heal the earth? What do you do with solitude? How much is enough?
Encouraging Autonomy | Sharing Authority
In this circle process, no one sits at the head. No one person makes the decisions. Our Circles are held with agreements, a focus on center, and rotating leadership roles of host, guardian, and timekeeper.
Relying on Spirit means we keep our focus on the highest intention of the group.
We give ourselves permission to slow down, watch for what is needed, and see how we each might do our part.
Along with the agreements, there are three “practices” we are called to exercise in each circle.
The first practice is to Listen with Attention. This means to focus clearly on what is being said by someone else. Mindful listening in the circle often becomes a spiritual practice because of the way we receive each other’s stories and insights.
Second Practice: Speak with Intention
“Speak with intention means contributing what has relevance, heart, and meaning to the topic and situation of the moment. Intentional speaking requires patience until we understand what to contribute and how to speak our truth without blame or judgment.”
Third Practice: Contribute to the Well-being of the Group
Contribute to the well-being of the group means considering the impact of our words and actions before, during, and after we interact. Before speaking, it is wise to ask ourselves: how will my contribution benefit what we are all doing here together?
The Medicine of the Circle
Because the circle process encourages autonomy and shares authority, circling is an extremely complex social form, delicate and sturdy at the same time.
There is so much going on in the moment: our senses, intuition, intellect, and emotions are all called to attention.
What is coming forward for healing?
We trust the process, lean into the vulnerability, and honor the sacred agreements by sharing authentically and intentionally.
The medicine of circle is powerful and runs so much deeper than we realize on the conscious level.
What do we do in circle?
We acknowledge that in the Center is Spirit, the combined essence of us. We hold the rim. Each Circle meeting is different. The facilitator selects a topic and provides questions to which we respond, taking turns and listening to each other’s stories with our whole hearts and without comment (Quite different from the sewing circle, the board meeting, or the gathering at the coffee shop!).
The Circle Way
The principles and practices of the Circle Way have developed into a social and spiritual movement with a global presence through the non-profit organization that formed with the same name in 1998. To learn more about the teachings, practices, and global colleagues affiliated with the Circle Way, we encourage you to visit the immensely resourceful Circle Way website.
If you will be participating in our annual Gathering or joining a small circle in your area, the Circle Way guidelines are the fundamental principles meant to guide each meeting. Many have taken this practice into personal areas for breakthrough communication and mediation between family members or co-workers.
Circles of Connection
If you are interested in joining a circle with us, we encourage you to sign up for announcements on when new circles may be forming. Several of our Grandmothers have started their own small circles in various parts of the country, but we may be able to facilitate starting more local circles if enough women express interest. Please sign up on the form and we will add you to the list we notify once new circles start.
You may also subscribe to our email list or follow our social media accounts for the latest announcements about future Gatherings and our global connections.
Sign up for our email list to receive news about new small circles forming, information on our upcoming gatherings, and more.
