Spring 96

MoonCircle

by Twyla Reardon

Once a month, on the evening closest to the full moon, for 13 years we have gathered in a circle. Greeting one another, sometimes talking of magic, then casting a circle - calling the elements to join us as we relax and ease out of our everyday existence into another state of being - a meditative perception.

At the onset of this winter I looked to my dreaming and meditations to give the form to the season's MoonCircle meetings. In early winter we began with a meditation - finding a cave before us. Upon entering that cave, we began our season's work of introspection with a desire to bring about internal changes. The cave's threshold became the threshold to another world. Each surface, shape and sensation of this cave became a mirror of our internal selves. We opened to the cold, to the dark, to the 'earthiness' of the season.

We enter the cave and move down a tunnel into an open chamber becoming aware of the smells and sounds and sights we found there. After some time of quietly exploring we move to the edge of a quiet pool of water. Each person looks within and finds a precious jewel that the cave has offered as a gift. I pass a bowl of water with beautiful stones to each person, placing their hand into it so that they can choose the stone they are drawn to. These jewels are gifts from our cave and are a symbol of our own magical work for the winter. The jewel can hold our power, our energy and our inspirations.

When all have chosen a jewel, we sit and chant together grounding our meditation and planting our images within the stones, creating a physical reminder of our work. Then, returning from our meditation, several of us share our experiences, our visions and our desires. We will keep these jewels with us throughout the winter, finding creative ways to work with the energy further - using the stones in meditative baths, sleeping with them as a tool to focus our dreams...

Our winter MoonCircles flowed with images of caves and jewels. Finally, in February we emerged from the cave to a snow-covered landscape under the bright silvery gleam of a full moon and starlit sky. We reflected upon the changes brought by winter for the Earth and for ourselves. Now, with the growing warmth and the return of green to the Earth, we will further explore our connection with the cycles of nature as MoonCircle revolves into the spring.

Twyla Reardon facilitates MoonCircle, which is open to all members of EarthSpirit and to one-time visitors. We are actively seeking a new location for Mooncircle meetings. For updates on our new site, or if you have ideas or resources, please e-mail us at earthspirit@earthspirit.com

For the next MoonCircle date and location, please visit our Events page.