Wherever you are,
I invite you to take some time now to get safe and comfortable sitting or lying down somewhere where you'll be safe and undisturbed for the next little while.
As you have a good shuffle,
A good wriggle,
And get yourself really comfortable.
I invite you when you're ready.
To close your eyes.
And begin to bring your focus to your breath.
And as you breathe,
Let us start by allowing that breath to draw you inwards.
Into your body.
Into this space and this time in which you offer yourself.
A moment for connection.
A moment to be held.
As you breathe,
Allow each and every in-breath.
To draw you further into yourself.
Further in to your body.
Further in to this moment.
Further in.
To this journey.
And meanwhile,
With every out breath.
Feel yourself releasing more of what you don't need to bring into this next time,
In this next space with you.
Letting yourself be free.
Knowing that anything that needs to be revisited.
And come back again.
Once this journey is complete.
But for now.
.
.
Just allowing it to be left behind.
Knowing as you do that the in-breath that follows each release can bring in the freshness.
The cleanness,
The peace.
Of the air that is waiting to breathe.
And as you continue to breathe,
At the rhythm,
The depth and the peace that feel right for you.
We begin by calling in a circle around us.
Calling out to the east and to the air.
To intuition and to wisdom,
To logic,
To the whispers that move on the breeze and the power of our own breath.
To the power of our voices as they sing and they shout.
To the power of our memories,
Of the memories of all.
We call to the clouds,
We call to the birds.
We call to the butterflies who can teach us so beautifully what it is to transform.
And we call to the power of the wind,
To those gentle breezes that stir us from slumber,
To those great gales that force us to move in a different direction when we are sleepwalking our way through life.
To the east and the air.
We invite them to join with us,
To work with us,
To bless this time,
This space and this work that we do together.
Welcome.
And then turning to the south we call to the south and to the fire.
To passion,
To action,
To creativity,
To the power of our heat,
To the power of our wild alchemical rage.
We call to the dragons and the volcanoes,
To the sun itself that is the source of all life here upon this planet and beyond.
We go to the tiny candle flames that light a pathway for us in the dark,
And to the great bonfires around which we gather to sing our songs,
To tell our stories,
To remind ourselves that we are safe.
And we are never,
Ever alone.
To the south and to the fire,
We invite them to join with us,
To work with us and to bless this time,
This space and this work we do together.
And then turning to the West,
We go to the West and to the water,
To the ebb and the flow of the tides,
To the cleansing and the nourishment of the rains,
To the release and the emotion of our tears.
We call to the mermaids and to the sirens.
We call to the fish and to the whales.
To all those who are the keepers of the waterways that are the memories of our planet.
The storytellers of our planet.
And as we call to those waters,
We ask them to remind us that everything is constantly in flow.
Even in the moments it feels like we are stuck.
To the West and the water we invite them to join with us,
To work with us,
To bless this time,
This space and this work we do together.
Welcome.
And finally we turn to the North and we call to the North and to Earth.
To the trees and the plants,
To the animals,
The mountains,
The rocks and the caves.
We call to groundedness,
To surety,
To steadfastness,
To fertility,
To nourishment and to abundance.
And as we do,
We remind ourselves of the earth beneath our feet.
Of how,
Just like the trees,
We are rooted and our roots go deep into this air.
We are reminders of the way that the Earth holds every one of us,
In every moment.
That even when it feels that we are alone,
She is still pulling us tight.
Pulling us close.
Holding us safe.
To the North and to the Earth.
We invite them to join with us,
To work with us,
To bless this time,
This space and this work we do together.
Welcome.
And as we draw this circle around us,
By east,
By south,
By west,
By north and back to east,
We call in a circle of protection and connection,
A circle of community and of power,
A circle of wisdom that is rooted in this beautiful earth and that is rooted in our beautiful community.
We call this in across time and space,
So that wherever you are,
Whenever you are listening to these words,
You know that you are held.
Always held in this beautiful circle that is a place of power,
A place of safety,
A place of connection.
And into that power we call to the centre,
To soul,
To space,
To spirit and to ether.
We call to our guides and our helpers,
Our teachers and our inspirers,
Our ancestors of blood,
Of stars,
Of heart and of soul.
And we ask that all those represented within this circle may be supported by the love and the guidance of spirit,
By the wisdom and the power of soul.
By the vast,
Limitless potential of space.
And by the great mysteries and protection of Ether.
To the centre,
To soul,
To space,
To spirit and to ether,
We invite you to join with us,
To work with us,
To bless this time,
This space and this work we do together.
Welcome.
And as you sit within this circle,
As you allow that energy to build within and around you.
Continue to focus on your breath.
And let that breath bring your attention all the way to the back of your neck.
That place where your skull meets your spine.
As you begin to notice.
Beautiful silvery white light.
Creeping out of that place that we call your causal chakra.
Creeping out and down your spine.
At first this looks just like tendrils of silvery white light.
But as you follow it down past your shoulder blades,
Down through the middle of your back,
You notice these tendrils becoming thicker.
And wider.
Brighter.
And bolder.
And you come to recognise that they are roots.
Energetic roots growing right the way down your back.
Becoming thicker and brighter with every single cell that they pass.
You notice these roots as they move down through your hips.
And down out of the base of your spine,
Becoming broad enough to hold your entire body.
Broader still,
Broad enough to hold your entire energetic body.
As they move down through the bed or the chair that you're resting on.
Down into the floor of the room that you're in.
And as these roots grow down out of your body,
You notice just how bright they are.
Bright enough that you can follow their pathway down through the floor of the room that you're in and down through the rest of the building.
Down through the foundations of that building.
Down through all those layers of soil and of stone,
Of rock and of sand that sit below the place where you find yourself now.
Layers that have long been walked upon by those who have come before you.
Layers that hold the memory of all those who once called this same place home.
And you follow those roots as they move down through the caverns and the caves of the inner earth.
Until the songs and the pulses of those that have gone before echo around you,
Echoing in every part of your being.
Until they seem to form a part of your being from deep within the earth.
Within the cave.
And still you continue to follow those roots of yours downwards.
Down through the rivers and the streams that lie within the earth.
Down through the oceans that are held like a secret whisper by the earth herself,
Holding the deepest memories,
The deepest stories,
Ones so ancient that they are almost forgotten in word and in whisper.
That they are held only in blood and in bones.
Held only in the faintest knowing deep within you.
And then you continue to follow.
Those beautiful silver white roots of yours even further.
Down through the ring of fire that surrounds the very heart of our planet,
That protects the very heart of our planet.
And down into that crystalline core of Gaia.
And as you reach that crystalline core,
You see these roots of yours stretching out.
Further and further out,
Further and further down until they meet the roots of a great tree.
That stands as the waiting at the very centre of this crystalline heart.
Stretching out its roots to meet yours.
And when the two touch,
Like old friends greeting once again the embrace.
And begin to weave with one another.
Weaving together,
Moving around one another.
Until this tree seems to hold your roots.
Keeping it entirely safe.
And saw you stand here before the tree,
Your roots anchored in to the very centre of Gaia.
And you let yourself walk now to that tree.
The tree that seems like it has held it all.
You walk towards it and place your hands upon its back.
Perhaps even your head.
And as you stand.
Face to face with this glorious tree.
You allow it.
To meet you.
To speak with you.
To share with you anything and everything.
That it needs to tell you in this moment.
And as you continue to connect.
And commune with this tree.
You begin to notice that the pulse of it,
The beat you feel gently pounding against your fingers from within,
Is suddenly moving around you too.
Made manifest in a steady rhythm that beats out from behind and around you.
And as you become aware of your surroundings here in the heart of Gaia,
That beat becomes louder and louder,
Deeper and deeper.
And suddenly,
As you look around yourself,
You see that you are surrounded by women,
Dancing and drumming.
Hollering and singing,
Stamping their feet and clapping their hands.
They are moving with a rhythm that seems to be wholly aligned with Gaia.
A rhythm you can feel deep within your own body,
Within your own heart,
Within your own hips.
And now,
As you walk around the tree at the centre of this circle,
You begin to look at the women around you.
Women of all shapes and sizes.
Women from all over the world and perhaps even beyond.
Women from right the way through time.
Women whose faces you recognise and those you have never seen before.
Let yourself walk this circle.
Familiarise yourself with their faces and their movements.
Let them all greet you as you move around this beautiful space and connect yourself with this potent gathering.
And finally you come to a stop at the point in this circle that is exactly yours.
Before you stands a woman.
An elder who simply nods to you.
And steps to the side to allow you to take your place amongst the others.
And so you do.
Hand in hand with those next to you as you hear the feet stamping,
The drums pounding,
The voices cheering and chanting,
Singing and hollering.
And suddenly you feel it flowing through every cell of your being.
The sense of belonging.
A belonging that is mirrored not only in the women around you,
But in the earth beneath your feet.
That reminds you that you are held.
In this place and on this planet in everything that you do.
As the fullness of it washes over you,
You tilt your head back and look up to where you see far,
Far above you in your mind's eye,
The stars.
And you know that these stars have been watching,
Watching and waiting for these moments for longer than any of us can comprehend.
And you know now that you are held,
That you are supported,
That you are part of something so much bigger.
And as the blood pulses through you and the women continue to sing,
One voice rings out louder than the rest.
Welcome,
She says,
Welcome to the gathering,
Welcome to the hearts and the minds and the blood and the bodies of all of those who have chosen to gather.
Gathering across time,
Gathering through distance,
Gathering to remember that we are one,
Grandmothers and granddaughters,
Sisters and friends.
We are the aunties who will not be silenced.
We are the warriors who will not stay calm.
We are the weavers who create the future and we are those who hold a torch up to all that no longer belongs.
That you have ever and always been a part of.
And as you hear her voice,
You hear the blood pulsing through your body at the same rhythm as the Earth's very pulse.
And you allow that pulse to lead you as you dance and sing,
Move and chant with the women around you.
And perhaps as you stand in this circle,
You hear yet more voices,
Yet more guidance,
Yet more insight.
Being shared with you.
Let yourself be part of that now.
Though the pulses don't still Though the voices don't quiet You know it is time for you to step away from this circle.
But there is something beautiful,
Is there not?
In the knowledge that as you step away this circle will continue.
That anytime you need to feel held,
Supported.
Anytime you need to feel the way your blood connects to that of so many others,
Beating together in a pulse that will carry us through the ages.
You need only root down into the earth.
For now,
Though,
You bid farewell to those who stand on either side of you within the circle.
And you begin to follow your roots back.
Giving thanks to the tree as it pulls its roots back.
And following those beautiful silver white roots of yours as they begin to retract.
As you leave this crystalline core of the earth behind you,
You know that it has not left you.
All that you found here still sitting sharp and true within your being.
As you move through the ring of fire that surrounds it,
You find yourself warmed.
You find the hope in your heart illuminated.
The fire of your passion ignited.
As you move up through the sea,
Through the rivers and the streams within the earth,
You find yourself cleansed of the heaviness that has made you feel change is never possible.
You find yourself renewed and rejuvenated as you move your attention through the caves and the caverns of the inner earth.
You hear the whispers of the stories of the voices of the wisdom and of the knowledge that needs to be reignited within you.
As you return back.
Back through all those layers of soil and of stone.
Back through all those layers of sand and of rock.
Each one a memory.
Each one holding another generation that is holding you.
A generation that is anchored in heart,
In blood,
In place,
In soul and in lineage.
You follow those roots of yours back up through the building that you're in back up.
Through the bed or the chair that you're resting on back into the base of your spine.
And as you come back into your body,
You begin to notice the way it seems to feel.
Ever lighter,
But also so much more potent.
Supported.
Anchored.
Grounded in a sense of purpose,
As though all of the emotion that flows through you is now rooted in a way that can be utilised,
Is now held in community,
In lineage,
In power and in wisdom.
In truth.
With the most potent of intentions.
And as you come back into your body,
Beginning to become aware of the sensation of the clothes upon your skin,
Of the breath upon your face,
We take a moment to close our circle,
Giving thanks to the North and to Earth,
To the West and to water,
To the South and to fire and to the East and to air.
And as we draw that circle back around us by North,
By West,
By south,
By east and back to north.
We give thanks to those elements that have gathered with us,
To those forces that have supported and blessed us.
We give thanks also to the centre,
To soul,
To space,
To spirit and to ether.
And we ask that the protection may continue for us,
From the earth,
From the stars,
From those who have gone before and those who are yet to come.
We ask that we find our communities.
In this time,
In this place,
In this world.
That we remember through those communities.
We are never alone.
We are part of something so much greater.
Thank you,
Thank you so more to be.
And with this circle closed,
I invite you to begin to move your fingers and your toes,
To let yourself once again stretch and wriggle,
Moving your head on your neck,
Moving your hips and your knees,
Your shoulders and your wrists,
Beginning to come all the way back into the present moment,
All the way back into the present time.
And when you're ready.
Opening your eyes and letting yourself come all the way back into this moment with one more great big deep breath.
Thank you so much.
