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MOON CIRCLE |
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  Yes, the Moon Circle is an actual space! It is housed in the reception area of Suzanne Rougé's reflexology practice. It seats about 25 people and has room for break out sessions. The hoop gatherings are offered on Saturdays. The word hoop refers to the interconnectedness of all things on this planet. The Sacred Hoop encompasses the totality of the planet to which each one of us is a contributing member. The hoop was broken in the past as a result of a belief that we are all separate. The Moon Circle is dedicated to providing a space for us to begin to recognize our relationship to each other and to the whole. The intention behind these presentations is to enhance the connection that all of us feel to our common experience as human beings. Men, women and children are invited. The New Moon and Full Moon events are exclusive to women. The intention behind these events is to encourage and foster intergenerational relationships among women. It is also designed to develop inner awareness. The new moon evenings host activities that are self-reflective and the full moon gatherings host drumming circles and activities that are more outward in expression to help facilitate community and foster women supporting women through life. |
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MOON CIRCLE MISSION |
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The purpose of the Moon Circle is to help re-establish and honor the role of the feminine in the modern world. The basic idea is to introduce to the 21st Century some of the positive aspects of the traditional moon lodge. I think there are relevant aspects that translate into our modern day world. The Healing Path Magazine,
www.healingpath.com, features a series of articles that explain the different aspects of the evolution of women from puberty-through-the-Crone's Crowning. Now is the time for the Divine Feminine to come into balance in order to usher in the Age of Aquarius. The Moon Circle provides a space for women to connect to support the growth of other women. Each Moon Link will consist of a Wise Blood Woman, a menopausal woman, a childbearing age woman and an adolescent girl. The Moon Links come together naturally as women share experiences that reveal the things that they have in common during the full moon and new moon gatherings. |
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HISTORY |
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Indigenous cultures are commonly matriarchal, or at least
matrifocal. A woman was honored during her menstrual flow, or moon time. This was considered the blood of creation and was both revered and believed to be powerful in both positive and negative ways. There was a separate lodge where women went when they were on their "moon" in order to cleanse, similar to the "Red Tent" in the Hebrew tradition. While a woman was in the Moon Lodge, a Wise Blood Woman, an elder who served as a mentor, would take care of her needs and responsibilities. This Wise Blood Woman, or surrogate grandmother, cared for the children, did household chores and also brought food, water and fresh moss (used as feminine pads). She would nurture the woman, doing massage and administering appropriate herbs to aid in her comfort. During her moon time a woman was considered to be most open or receptive to Spirit and to vision, so she was given the time and space to be inward and reflective. When she left the lodge she would share any insights, visions or messages with the medicine women. In the modern world it is difficult to set aside the entire moon time for quiet contemplation, but there are things we can do to provide a respite for our sisters. A grandmother might do a little baby sitting, provide a meal, or take her moon time friend out for lunch. Anything that seems to fit their personal relationship. If they share an interest or skill, they may spend some time together quilting, painting or developing business proposals. |
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MORPHING THE CONCEPT INTO THE 21st CENTURY |
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| The benefits of re-establishing aspects of the Moon Circle are numerous: building community; inter-generational relationships; valuing the input of elders; mentorship to pass down essential skills and information; group support; the acknowledgement of rights of passage; and the honoring of the Sacredness of a woman's blood and its importance to future generations. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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MOON CIRCLE GATHERINGS |
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(Gratitude blessing) The moon ceremonies are designed to help a person come into balance with the natural rhythms established by the cycles of the moon. Because 75% of our bodies are made up of water, we, like the tides, are affected by the moon at deep levels of emotion and psychic energy. This undercurrent can aid us in surrendering to the flow of divine consciousness. The phases of the moon are used as calendars for action and inaction. We can be guided to wiser decisions when we allow the phases of the moon to slow us down and provide time for reflection. Disciplining ourselves to pause and ponder before doing or saying anything helps us to step into our power and allow ourselves to be guided. |
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FULL MOON/NEW MOON GATHERINGS |
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These gatherings will be held closest to the moon phase
(Click
for 2008 schedule) from 7:00 pm to 9 pm.
The Full Moon features activities that are outward, like drumming circles, dance, storytelling and games. The New Moon features activities that are inward and self-reflective. My intention is to include both women AND men in most of the activities hosted at the Moon Circle. I believe that it takes an understanding of the masculine and feminine aspects in both men and women to bring balance to the modern world. The new moon and the full moon ceremonies however, are reserved for females of any age. You do not need to be a mooning (bleeding) woman to participate in these events. |
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TSLAGI DANCE OF LIFE |
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 (Gratitude blessing)The Tslagi Dance of Life is a physical movement meditation/ prayer. The essence of this movement is to honor, share, and integrate the spiritual gifts and qualities of the Peoples of the Four Directions. Wisdom is discovered and expressed in the balancing of each of the Four Directions. The dance relieves the stresses of the mind and opens our hearts to gather healing energies. |
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GUEST SPEAKERS |
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| The Moon Circle will host monthly community events featuring a variety of women's topics. Listed are some of the past speakers:: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Click
map to enlarge the details