New Moon Women’s Circle
Intention of the circle:
We meet at the New Moon instinctively, as an organic marker in nature for us to sync & rest into, with the objective of supporting one another’s personal growth, through sharing of reflections & intention-setting. We gather with with the intent of loving one another, through listening, so that we may find the circle a space to practice the valuable skill of truly listening & seeing one another. We do our best to hold space for one another with open minds and open hearts.
Update: I (AJ) first held this circle around 9 years ago at our farm in Plymouth Indiana & it has become a deep, rhythmic, & healing part of my life- & my family’s! While traveling the U.S., living in our skoolie for a year and a half, I also held some circles on the road. In late January of 2024, our family rooted down to new land we purchased in Inverness, Florida & I stepped away from the original circle in Indiana….AND! Beautiful thing is, the circle continues! Because it is not meant to be MY circle, each woman who shows up IS the circle & we hold space together. Since there has been so much work cultivating an intentional space over the years, that circle will thrive and continue on as long as the women wish to gather & make space for what they need.
If you have questions about the circle being held in Northern Indiana, the circle in Brooksville Florida, or questions in general, please reach out to me directly & would love to answer your questions, get you into contact with the women who gather in Indiana, or welcome you to the circle in Florida- if you read this entire page find it to be a good fit. A text or call is best & my info can be found at the ‘Resumes’ section of this website. We are currently a closed circle, but generally open at the Solstices & Equinoxes. Thanks so much for checking in and reading! I am grateful for your interest.
Who Women are:
For the purpose of this circle only, we welcome women of any age who have previously started their menstrual cycle. Babies in arms are welcome to join. This is the space I feel capable & called to hold.
Before you join:
Understanding what you’re gathering for & how the space is held is important. Please read the following if you are interested in joining & if it feels like a good fit, contact me for the next date and location(our home in Brooksville).
Commitment:
We meet once a moon cycle, on or around the New Moon. At the circle, the space holder shares dates to consider & we all agree upon a time that works best for everyone. Times best fit for the group seem to change with the seasons and are decided upon as a group. A commitment to the roughly 2-3 hour listening circle, once a cycle, is imperative. This commitment is important for your development and for the trust to organically arise in the circle. If you are not able to make a circle because of unforeseen events, it is your responsibility to let the group know, so that we can continue promptly and respect everyone’s time.
Flow of the circle:
-Opening, Lead by AJ. (Naming of the moon cycle, seasonal placement & any added acknowledgements/guidance)
-Brief reminder of the three guiding principles
-Focus finding meditation
-Listening Circle (One person speaks at time, order determined at will)
-Closing of the Listening Circle
-Card drawing (We each draw a card, then we go around sharing what comes up when we received it)
-Open Circle (Open conversation as a group, leaving when you see fit)
3 Guiding Principles:
-Come as your full self
This is primarily a brave space and as an organic result of the principles upheld together- a safe space.
-Loving, through listening
When a person shares, we are focused on loving through listening and we do not interject with our opinions, feelings, understandings, concerns, or suggestions. After a persons share, it is commonplace to say ‘Thank you for listening’ as a way to signify the end of a share. A response in the form of an acknowledgment (Such as ‘thank you for sharing’ or ‘I see you’) are often given by the listeners. In the context of this circle, we see loving someone as the act of truly seeing someone as their full self, and not looking away. We aim to achieve this by first showing up as our full selves, so that we are giving others the opportunity to love us as we are, and then by listening without judgment, expectations, or criticism.
-Our words are sacred.
Sacred: regarded with reverence.
Reverence: treated with respect, tinged with awe.
In the context of our listening circle, this simply means that what we share in the circle should be taken in with the understanding that it was put forth, for our circle only. This applies to two main ideas:
1) Retelling of what has been shared within the circle, with others outside of the circle and without consent, would be to act with a lack of reverence. Simply, what is said in the circle was intended for our ears and hearts only.
2) When a person shares in the dedicated listening circle, we are focused on the disciplined practice of loving through listening. This however, does not mean that the contents of the share may never be spoken of again. Although we are resting in the focus of their share during the listening circle, should we wish to check-in, share our experience with something similar, or ask lingering questions about something you did not understand at a later time-either during the open portion of our circle, or outside of the circle-a good practice would be to ask the person first if they are open to a suggestion, question, personal interpretation, or similar personal experience. This guidance is given because, while what is shared is not always a deepest, darkest secret or life-changing revelation, what is shared in the circle can be coming from a very raw, sometimes groundbreaking or even unsettling or not yet fully understood place. Asking the sharer first gives the person a chance to open up a conversation on the subject or respond with things like ‘Thank you for asking first and…. ‘I’m not ready to discuss this more deeply with others yet’ or ‘I’m not looking for suggestions on this topic at the moment.’ or simply ‘I’d like to sit with this longer before I take in others reactions.’ or ‘Maybe in the future, but not yet.’ When you ask first, in the form of a question that shares your intent, it also helps the person understand the place your question is arising from.
Examples of where a question or comment might be coming from after a listening circle share: curiosity, possible misunderstanding of your share, advice, or concern. Asking the sharer first for permission to ask or comment also re-establishes understood reverence for their share. By asking first, you are acknowledging that you did listen deeply and are looking to travel deeper in some way with them. This is important boundary-setting work that does not come without practice and we see the circle as a place to put that intention to use.
When boundaries are crossed(the three guiding principles are not upheld):
We will not always achieve these goals and when one of us steps outside of these set boundaries or deviates from the three guiding principles, there is a call to each of us to uphold these, with respect & sometimes bravery. This means that we should not simply cast out a member who crosses a set boundary, but use this, as a group, to re-establish what our guidelines are and why. In situations like this, it may mean speaking up for some or simply listening with an open, curious heart for others. Speaking up moments such as this may look like ‘when you said/did this it made me feel like this because I understood the group be operating like this.’ Or possibly, ‘When you said this is made me wonder this because it doesn’t seem to be aligned with this guiding principle of the group. What do you/you all feel?’
Thank you sincerely for using your time and energy to understand more deeply, the space I choose to hold. I take the responsibility of cultivating this with humble gratitude and my foundation is a deep love for listening and holding space for women who want to do this work, together. There are many different ways for women to gather and varied versions of Women’s Circles have been held since the dawn of time. Being clear on the space that I hold is very important to me. It has taken many years to find what works and I am so grateful for all that I have learned in the process. This will not be ‘everyone’s cup of tea’ 🙂 But if this does speak to your hearts yearning, please do step into the warmth and light of the circle and let’s hold one another, in love.
Warmly, AJ
A Wild Family 