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Descriptions of Past Circles

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Following are descriptions of our 2007 Circles.
These are provided to give some idea of what we do.
Each circle is very different so these are just examples
from one cycle of the Wheel of the Year.

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December 2007 Circle

Winter Solstice:
Going into our Caves

Saturday, December 22nd
6-9 pm

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November 2007 Circle

Wheel of the Year: The Crone

Viewing of Full Circle
(Last Film in Women and Spirituality Series)

Saturday
November 10, 2007
6-9 pm
Spirit House

Please contact for more information and to Register
Directions sent to those registered.

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October 2007 Circle

Samhain
Stepping Through The Veil

Saturday
October 27, 2007

This Ritual is
By Invitation Only

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September 2007 Circle

Our September Circle
will be an all day workshop
on
The Wheel of the Year:
A Spiritual Psychology for Women

Saturday, September 8, 2007
9:00 am to 4:00 pm

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August 2007 Circle

Celebrating First Harvests
A Lammas Feast
Saturday, August 11, 2007
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
at
Spirit House

July 2007 Circle

EMBRACING COMMUNITY and
CELEBRATING THE AMAZON
Saturday, July 14, 2007
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
at
Spirit House

Our July Circle will focus on getting to know each other and
embracing new ideas, new people and a new community
and all under the influence of a NEW MOON!

Our Wheel of the Year learning will be about the Amazon
and how this archetype exists in all of us.

Through ritual and sacred play,
we will learn of
...our commonalities and,
our differences, of
...our hopes and our dreams.

Come with an open heart and mind
and get to know your sisters,
share ideas, laugh and sing.

June 2007 Circle
June 23, 2007
7-10 pm
CELEBRATING SUMMER SOLSTICE

At Summer Solstice We Honor and Celebrate
She Who Nurtures and She Who Sustains
That Which She Has Created

This is the cycle of the Mother at the fullness of her
strength and fertility. We honor the abundance of our
lives and focus on the fulfillment and consummation
of wishes, dreams and desires.

Persephone has made the transition
from Maiden to
the fertility cycle of the
Mother Goddess as maker/creatrix.

The crops in the fields are in full bloom now and
the grain forms on the stalk and the ear. This is the
midpoint of the growing season and, although the bounty
is promised, it is still far away in the future and susceptible
to many things that may prevent a successful harvest.

Midsummer celebrates the full powers of life and the
beginning of the change from a waxing to a waning year.
It is the longest day and shortest night of the year.
At the height of increasing light, this Sabbat marks the
zenith of the year's waxing half. From here the days get
shorter, the nights longer and the dark/inner side
becomes the focus of the cycle.

But for now, there is light and heat and abundance.
So Celebrate Summer Solstice...
a celebration of the Goddesses of the
South, of fire, of creative energy.

***NOTE***
Registration for this Ritual is open only to members.
Please contact Arlene to Register.

May 5, 2007 Circle
~*~Celebrating Beltaine~*~
Saturday, May 5, 2007, 6-9 pm
All Women are invited to join us for an
evening of ritual and sisterhood.

LOCATION
We will be gathering at a private residence in rural Greensboro.
Location Details Given with Pre-Registration.

What is Beltane?
For those not familiar with the
Women's Spirituality Wheel of the Year...

Beltane is the midpoint between Spring Equinox and
Summer Solstice. This is one of the four ancient fire
festivals of Europe, also called the Power Gates - Beltane is
the Power Gate of the Earth element. At Beltane focus is on
fertility, sensuality and creativity. There is a focused release of
earth energy, the beginning of an elemental power tide and the
full potential of the earth. It is the cycle of the blooming and
passion of the coming-of-age Goddess and earth. Persephone has
come of age and reached menarche. No longer the child/Maiden,
like the earth at this time of year, her body is changing and the
stirrings of life force energy, passion and sensuality are all around.

BELTANE FEAST AND RITUAL

We are asking ALL women to bring a dish to share.
Melissa has graciously created a menu for us and if you are
willing, we ask that you bring a dish made from some of the
suggested foods. However, as this is a feast and, since we all love
to eat, we will welcome whatever you feel led to bring!

Our format for the evening will begin with an opening circle, meditation,
blessing of the food, feasting and fellowship, s
acred art projects and all around merriment.

On behalf of everyone working to create this celebration,
I sincerely hope you will join us. Another symbol of this
cycle is sisterhood and love, so we hope all of you will be a
part of this evening of community and ritual. The ritual
structure will be more informal with lots of opportunities to
relax and enjoy the company of your sisters. It is a great
setting in which to get to know each other better.

April 14, 2007 Circle
~*~Honoring International Women's Month~*~
~*~Film Preview and Discussion~*~
The Burning Times
Part II in the
Women and Spirituality Trilogy
Film Series
~*~Ritual for Healing and Honoring~*~
~*~Sacred Art - Weaving The Web~*~

The April Circle will focus on learning and
honoring. Continuing on our journey of
remembering her-story, we will view the
film, The Burning Times, and learn about
and honor a period in history that is greatly
misunderstood and frequently ignored.
Through interactive altars and ritual,
we will acknowledge...
we will honor...
we will heal...
women of the past, present and future.
Weaving sisterhood and re-membering,
we will end with a group ritual in
which we create sacred art.

About the Film
The Burning Times, Part II of this stunning and
poetic documentary, explores Europe from the 15th
through the 17th centuries, a time when the church
and state cooperated in the torture and execution
of thousands of women accused of
being witches. In an attempt to eradicate the
remnants of Goddess religion, establish male
dominance in the healing arts and solidify a
position of power, the Christian church, along
with local governments, instigated a reign of
terror that lasted several hundred years and
took the lives of countless (numbers range
from hundreds of thousand in the first few
years to nine million over the entire course)
innocent women, children and men.

March 10, 2007 Circle
~*~Celebration of Spring Equinox~*~
~*~Celebration of the Divine Girl Child~*~
~*~Film Preview and Discussion~*~
Goddess Remembered
Part I in the
Women and Spirituality Trilogy Film Series

The March Circle will be a celebration of Spring
Equinox/Ostara. In the Women's Spirituality Wheel
of the Year, this HolyDay is the time that the
maiden/divine girl child is reborn from the
dark...winter is over and spring has come. Day and
night are in equal balance and the earth is alive
with the newness of flowers and the return of the
green of trees and grass. Themes of the season are
Birth and Regeneration, Newness and Fertility. It
is a time for playfulness as all promise is still young
but manifesting...there is joy and rebirthing on the
earth once again!

Through interactive altars and rituals we
will learn about and honor these ancient ways
of being in sacred space with this time of year, with
ourselves and with our sisters.

During the March Circle, we will also
view and discuss Part I of the
Women and Spirituality Trilogy,
a three-part series that includes
Goddess Remembered,
The Burning Times and Full Circle.

Goddess Remembered, Part 1 of this stunning and
poetic documentary, examines pre-Christian,
goddess-worshipping religions. Incorporating the
work of archaeologist, Marija Gimbutas, art historian
Merlin Stone, and scholars Jean Bolen, Charlene
Spretnak and Starhawk, Goddess Remembered offers
insights into these ancient cultures and explores
the contemporary women's spirituality movement
inspired by them.

The Women and Spirituality Trilogy has won
eight awards including the Cable Ace award
for best long documentary and it was voted
most popular film at the Toronto Festival of
Festivals, Vancouver. The Series is the work
of Canadian Filmmaker Donna Read.

All Women are invited to join us for an evening
of learnings, rituals and sisterhood.

~*~Women Only Please~*~
$10
***Please Pre-Register!***
(Many parts of the ritual focus on individual items
for each woman. When you pre-register it helps
us know how many to plan for. Thanks!)
To Register Call Eclectic By Nature
336-373-0733

This is a Yoga Space so please wear
soft-soled shoes or be prepared
to remove your shoes.

Also, although there will be
a few chairs for our older participants,
please bring a cushion for sitting on the floor.

~*~Food and Drinks~*~

WomanSpirit Rising is a time of gathering in
circle for learnings, ritual and meditation.
Although there may be circles where food is
consumed, most months this is NOT the case.
We ask that you plan to eat before coming.
Please feel free to bring a bottled drink
(plastic only please), but please no open
drinks or glass bottles.