5 Treasures of Women’s Circles ~ Chris Maddox

by | Oct 28, 2020 | WILD WOMAN | 13 comments

When I was 25 years old, I stumbled into facilitating Women’s Circles & a couple of years later started The Wild Woman Project with the primary mission to help other women to cultivate this very special practice. I thought then, as I do now, that if a massive number of women found themselves in women’s circle, profound healing, personal and transpersonal, could come from it. 
 
We light a candle to begin, then find our way from our heads into our hearts. We commit to listen to the guidance that comes from within, from nature & from one another. There are moments that are intentionally evocative of what is sacred and others that are undoubtedly irreverent & playful. The Wild Woman Project Circles are a flavor of gathering that invokes the wild feminine dimension of life which calls up those things which are instinctual & organic, messy & magical, so we can see them, feel them, know them.
 

Over the years and years of participating and facilitating Women’s Circes and teaching others to do the same, I have seen many gifts come as a result of the practice.

 
Here are 5 of my very favorite not-so-hidden treasures that come as a result of Circling up:
 
1. Inner Guidance, amplified. We belong to each other, right? We are hard wired for community connection, a sense of belonging. There is something clearly powerful about listening within – together. It’s as though in that shared intentional space we can actually hear the voice on inner guidance more clearly. Many a seed of intention has been revealed & then planted in these Women’s Circles all around the world. Many truths and dreams uncovered in that sacred shared space.
 
2. The cultivation of compassion. As we sit, shoulder to shoulder, we listen to one another’s voices and experiences. Together we expand our capacity to understand one another by reveling in the diversity of our experiences. In Circle we are constantly learning from one another, getting to opportunity to see through another’s eyes, learning to love more. Sitting with all hearts facing center, a tenderness unfurls in the space between us. We can begin see the Soul-beauty in one another and in ourselves. In a world where forces aim to pit us against one another and divide us, Circle cultivates & secures the powerful force of love between us.
 
3. The practice of speaking truthfully. To speak your heart and your mind aloud is a powerful skill for life. Circle after Circle, we practice, together. Even when we are shy, even when our voices shake, we practice navigating the space between our hearts and our lips. And Circle by Circle we strengthen our ability to speak our truth, from a place of love. To be honest, to use our voices with skill & heart is a kind of super power that the world needs very very much.
 
4. The Soul-support of witnessing & being witnessed. To see one another, in our joy and in our sorrow, is a way off having one another’s backs & cultivating resilience. Life inevitably brings struggles & loss, triumphs & wins. To look across the circle and say, “I see you, I feel you, I love you” is a kind of profound invisible support at the level of Soul. And to be seen in that way, well…it is truly one of the greatest gifts one could ever receive. 
 
5. Building friendships & community connection. Circle is such a great place to meet like-hearted friends and to strengthen connections within communities. I’ve met many of my dearest friends in Women’s Circles and I know I’m not alone in that. Connections amongst women in local communities happen – playdates for kids planned, collaborators for creative projects found, meeting local community organizers & business owners, and on and on. There is a kind of in comfort in knowing, even as we age, there are ways to cultivate friendships and connections with other women.
 
These are just some of the reasons Women’s Circles sit at the very heart of our mission here at The Wild Woman Project. The practice is sacred & fun, soul-shaking & mystical, healing & strengthening. May we continue to Circle up, Moon after Moon, online and in person, with love and with howls!
  
 
 

Your Turn

 
In the comments below, please share:
What is your favorite gift or treasure to come out of being a part of Women’s Circle?
 
 

On the Horizon

Join us for an hour-long New Moon Meditation Adventure on December 2nd!

Online, from anywhere.

Using a dynamic meditation journey, we will tune into the New Moon, to your own Inner Guidance, synced up with wild-hearted women from around the world. This offering will include music, storytelling, meditation, journaling prompts & intention-setting.

Can’t make it live? No worries. All participants will receive a copy of the recording with 24 hours of the session.

Claim Your Seat!

Wild Woman Underground Logo for the online Wild Woman Project community

Join the WILD WOMAN UNDERGROUND.

Keep your Spirit Lit with weekly Circles & join an international, intergeneration group of weird and wonderful wild-hearted Women.
The doors to WWU will open briefly in January 2025.

Make your dream to facilitate a Women’s Circle come true in 2025.
 
Join us online, from anywhere. Spring 2025

"The Circle Leader Training Program at The Wild Woman Project was one of the most transformative and healing experiences of my life. I have received many tools, resources, support, and connections that I will carry on with me forever." ~ Hannah Devin, Graduate

Part part skill-building, part wildish personal-development, this course is sure to give you a deeper look into the Wild Woman Archetype, Moon Wisdom, Intuition and Inner Guidance, Circle Facilitation, and community building. With hundreds of graduates in 26 countries around the world, this course has been cultivated over 13 years to be our very best in Feminine Leadership Training.
 
 

We have Wild Woman Project-trained Circle facilitators is 26 countries, and 44 out of the 50 United States.

Find a Circle Near You. 

13 Comments

  1. Sarah Latifa
    Sarah Latifa on October 29, 2020 at 7:52 am

    I love the feeling of being seen, honoring my deepest self and connecting at the heart level to the humans in my circle

    Reply
  2. Nina
    Nina on October 29, 2020 at 8:00 am

    I love the palpable sense of comfort. It’s as if dropping in to circle allows for instant vulnerability and deep listening.

    Reply
  3. Sasha Conley
    Sasha Conley on October 29, 2020 at 9:23 am

    I love the deeply held community. The way that people show up for themselves and one another.

    Reply
  4. Michelle gage
    Michelle gage on October 29, 2020 at 9:33 am

    I love the sacredness and connection to others. There is this moment when you know this is exactly where I am supposed to be and who I am supposed to be with”.

    Reply
  5. Amber Blom Younan
    Amber Blom Younan on October 29, 2020 at 10:31 am

    The 5 treasures you mentioned all resonate so deeply. I would add for me that Circle is a safe and brave place to practice to be the person I aspire to be. A place where my clumsiness and messiness are embraced and held with compassion. A place to dream out loud.

    Reply
  6. Kay Jackson
    Kay Jackson on November 1, 2020 at 1:57 pm

    I love the feeling of being deeply understood with needing to work at explaining. I Love the freedom of being me and knowing it is ok- and more that my emotionalness is ok.
    I am held. I am unique. I am ok.

    Reply
  7. Shelley Mitchell
    Shelley Mitchell on September 30, 2021 at 9:55 am

    The intentional attunement to our own hearts and to the compassionate witness of Others is an overall blessing upon all that we are actually going through, whether painful or joyful. It is an act of dedication to our inner journeys, which is, over time, a life-transforming act.

    Reply
  8. Jelka
    Jelka on September 30, 2021 at 2:55 pm

    Beautifully put into words what circles create. I can resonate strongly with this sentence: “To be honest, to use our voices with skill & heart is a kind of super power that the world needs very very much.”
    May we create spaces where women find their voices and share them aloud with the word
    <3

    Reply

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