Womongathering - The Rituals

My Heart is open
My Spirit is present
From Sister to Sister
The circle grows.

There is something extraordinary about participating in a large ceremony.  It takes skill and leadership to be able to plan and execute a large scale ritual with dozens of people involved and have it be meaninful, powerful, and magical.   All the ceremonies we attended were all that and much more.

To create the sacred space some of the ceremonies created the sacred space by having two circles form.  The inner circle faced outward, so that as the two circles circle around and chanted we looked in the eyes of the women across from us as we passed.  This was extremely powerful and moving.  In one circle we raised the cone of power by shouting out our names all at once.  We called the quads with song and built the energy of circle with song, and our hearts, minds, and spirits joined together in celebration. 

Even though some of the rituals had a style that was pagan, wiccan, Native American or other roots, everyone could attend and enjoy the ceremony no matter what religion or path they followed personally, because all the rituals honored the Goddess within each womon.    

Rituals We Attended At Womon Gathering 2008:

Thursday Evening: Community Ritual - Lighting of the Sacred Fire (Sappho Morissette) .  The ritual began with a long procession starting near the dining area and winding across the field to the sacre fire area.  Tall (over 8 foot) puppets representing the Goddess were carried by 3 to 4 womyn each.    We watched and waited by the gazebo near the sacred fire and it was truly a moving and sacred experience. 

We entered the sacred fire, stopping briefly to cleanse\bless first (selecting one of th of 8 choices, i.e. sage, blessed, water, singing bowl, tuning fork etc.).  Upon entering we walked the outline of the infinity symbol, with a pond on one side and the fire the other, and the 8 directions marked with altars, stones, crystals and other objects. 

Once everyone had entered, we were welcome into the sacred space.  Sappho Morissette explained her vision for this year’s fire that included the duality of the fire and water.  All emotions were welcome within the sacred space.  As we sat together watching the flames reach skyward, it was a truly sacred and moving experience, a feeling of connectiveness to everyone and everything filled my heart and spirit.

Friday Morning: Opening Ritual - Let the Sacred Waters Flow (Marie Summerwood) - We were asked to bring a small amount of water from near our homes for this ritual.  Each womon poured their water into large bowls as they entered the circle.  In this ceremony we celebrated the connedtedness of all water and invoked Quan Yin’s compassion.   There was a ritual theaterical performance honoring the death of the last of the freshwater dolphins. We honored the sacredness of tears, and let our grief and sorrow be felt and heard.  Tears were gathered by young maidens who carried chalices, the tears were then combined and given chalice given the Goddess Quan Yin to drink. 

This was one of the most moving rituals I have ever attended.  The ritual was beautiful and moving, sorrow and grief were welcomed and allowed to flow and be released.  The art of wailing as a sacred rite was extremely powerful.  The sorrow and energy were honored and transformed, and everyone’s heart and spirit were uplifted and filled with the compassion Quan Yin.    As we left the ritual area, we were allowed to take some of the combined water to bring home with us for our altars.

Earth is my Body
Water is my Blood
Air is my Breath
Fire is my Spirit

Friday Evening:  Mirrors Of Our Souls  (Rowdy Goddesses) One of the wonderful aspects of this ritual was celebrating the Goddess four aspects (Maiden, Mother, Queen and Crone) - it is a little different from the way I traditionally thought of the Goddess (maiden\mother\crone), but the four aspects feels “right,” balanced and complete and is something I will be incorporating more in my own ritual and meditation work.

We built the circle energy with chanting, circling and by shouting out our name in unison, and called the quads with song.  As we circled round and around in a spiral we were each lead to the center to peer into the four mirrors to hear and see the messages the Goddess had for us.  In the center four priestess dressed to represent an aspect of the Goddess held an ornate mirror, beside each stood another voice who spoke the words of Goddess.

By the end of the ceremony there was “rowdy” chanting and circling which was awesome to be a part of.  I did have to sit down at one point but that was easily done because there were chairs available along the circle’s edge for those who needed to sit.   It was a very good experience for me to be able to be a part of such a wonderful ceremony, and at the same to be able feel a part of circle and the energy even when I sat down.  Sometimes in every day life, the aches and pains can make me feel as if I am not able to contribute or participate as much as I would like too. However, the whole experience of Womon Gathering and the rituals where this is no judging and every womon is welcome, was very healing for my soul.    

Sunday Morning: Closing Circle at the Sacred Fire - a quite ceremony with a few last minute words from some of the gathering leaders, a thank you to everyone who made the event possible,  and dismissing the 8 directions. 

Small tinfoil packets of ash had been wrapped and laid around the fire pit and we were invited to take one home to use in own fires, as well as a few shells from the pond of water.

As we left the sacred fire circle we got to hug our Reiki teacher on the way out.  We also shared smiles and hugs with other womyn we had met, and as we made our way back to our cabin to start packing we waved to every one we passed with the promise “see you next year!”

 Until then, the sacred fire burns in our hearts.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose