Crunchy love coming to you from Kate! 
I have had the pleasure of facilitating the last two Heart & Soil Circles and I needed to share about what we are creating and invite you in to experience it!
If this is the first your hearing of the Heart & Soil Circle, let me present a heart offering crafted from our late founder’s desire to gather women, have conversation, and create the change we want to see. Our current President came to me with the inspiration that now is the time, and I am the person to make it happen.
Holding women’s circles and holding space in that capacity is something that I find so much joy and nourishment in. I truly believe there is a potency in women gathering to support each other unconditionally. Our first two circles have embodied that belief and inspires me to continue to craft what this community needs from circle care.
So what is Heart & Soil Circle?
The RCL Women’s Circle
-Gathering in alignment with the seasons and cycles
-Because sometimes what we need is community care, not more self-care.
-Because we deserve to feel deep, safe, connection in a community.
-Because when enough people step forward in intentional service and presence, that wave of intention radiates change throughout the world.
-We are wired for connection, and authentic connection nourishes our being.
Where? Rockford,IL
What?: Seasonal Gathering Following the Wheel of The Year;
Learning how to sync with nature’s cycles to better understand our own life cycles;
Song, dance, and movement; nourishment of community
When?:Seasonally-Typically on Thursdays: In Alignment With The Wheel of the Year
What can you bring?: something to sit on, bug spray, snacks and n/a beverages, and open heart, and open mind (optional items: journals, poems (by yourself or just one you’d like to share), drums/instruments, yoga mat, flow arts tools like hoops and poi, oracle/tarot cards, etc)
RCL Drum Making Workshop: Finished Drums
BENEFITS:
*Women’s circles allow a chance for personal reflections, celebrations, and grievances to be witnessed, transmuted, and embodied through community.
*Witnessing: A sacred act of sharing your truth to people who aren’t trying to fix or give advice. A place that says “YES” to tears and joy alike.
*Circle: An intentional gathering of people in a physical setting; sitting or standing in a circle shape with a common intention or purpose
*An egalitarian space to practice connection, vulnerability, witness, etc.
*Reviving the ancient practice of women gathering in circle to create tangible and intangible contributions to the healing of the Earth, the reconnection of self to ONE, and the undeniable magic that occurs when women gather with intention.
*There is power in the gathering
*Re-writing the stories of betrayal and rejection through the radical act of circling, healing that within ourselves that prevents us from trusting and vulnerable relationships with other women.
Please listen to this podcast about circling; I received (and quoted above) much inspiration from this:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Ah9vsRcU2ieigYXmWWoRK?si=5f4de3bf20c0498e
Concerns: All are welcome and encouraged
Cost: Donation Based ($5-$20)
RSVP via Goggle Registration Form
The first gathering was full of a variety of women who all left feeling a bit lighter and a bit more connected; to themselves and to the circle. The evening included some HoopYogini(tm) . This is a gentle movement modality that involves using the hoop as a tool alongside breathwork and presence to alchemize the experience of being in the body in the present moment.
We sang a few chants, enjoyed the delicious snacks that some people brought, and had a conversation about what community means. It was a rich and diverse conversation that highlighted how each of our definitions of community are different. We were able to observe the nuances of joy and fear when vocalizing our own experiences and our visions for future communities. Instruments were played, tensions were released, and casual conversations that are catalysts for deeper connections wove into the evening’s end, making it easy to linger and whetting the anticipation for the next gathering.
Our second gathering included a playlist! Per the request of one of the circle members, next month’s playlist will be posted in the event page ahead of time so that you can get familiar with the songs….so you can SING THEM!
Using the voice in circle is a powerful tool of transmutation, regeneration, and reverence. We will always sing and have time to vocalize at each circle. Each circle will look different as experienced by the participants of August 3rd’s circle.
This time we took some space to really slow down, ground, breathe, and arrive as we came into the beautiful space where we hold our circles. A guided meditation led participants through the process of asking for help. We sang a few songs in circle and turned to our conversation theme that was all about asking for help; why it’s hard to do sometimes, how it makes us feel, what are the responses we receive when asking for help? After listening to each other’s perspective on help, we got into the hoop and had a free flow dance party to move our bodies. The evening ended with casual conversation marinated in the evening’s magic.
I’d love to share more pictures, but we get so involved in what we are doing, that typically we only get one or two and they are of the food! If you’re curious about attending a Heart & Soil Circle…..just show up!! We want you here!
