Anoushka Florence welcomes you into the circle of women with her plans for a summer solstice gathering
Ever since I was a little girl, I felt the calling of the circle. I was drawn towards the ritual of gathering, the coming together of friends and family, and the safety I felt when contained in it all.
Growing up in a tight-knit Jewish community, I witnessed the coming together of people who gathered to mark holy days, new moons, seasonal festivals, coming of ages and transitions of both love and loss.
These markers rooted in me a deep knowing of how much we all need one another. The longing to gather, to be seen and to be witnessed holds the key to so much of what I believe we all collectively seek. As I learnt very early on, we were not meant to do life alone.
That experience was paired with a bohemian mama who created sacred spaces for a living. As a little girl I used to watch as she transformed people’s homes into havens. Our house was constantly changing, dependent on her mood. Furniture would move around, walls would change colour, smells would waft.
She showed me the importance of spaces, and their power to hold and move energy. She passed this gift down to me, a gift that was passed down to her by her mother, and her mother and her mother – the red thread that had always known the importance of sacred spaces.
As I grew, I found myself stepping away from more organised patriarchal religion as I sought out a path of my own. I yearned to find a deeper connection to myself, to understand my feminine nature, to move through the cycles of Womanhood in a more holistic way. I needed to figure out who I was and what I truly wanted from life. I believe that at some point in our lives, we are all called to leave what we know, in search of a deeper journey that calls us.
As I navigated my own way through the quest and all the challenges that life presents, I found myself calling out for a place where I could take refuge and find solace. A space to be seen, to be heard, to be witnessed. A space to re-centre as I journeyed deeper and deeper on my path. A space to gather with others,
to belong and to remember that although this was my path to take, I didn’t have to do it alone. Ah, the Circle was calling me again.
And so, not knowing where to find spaces like this, I decided to create them for myself. As I sought other women who wanted to gather in a space like this, I realised this longing was based on a thread so much deeper than I could ever imagine; a thread that I now know is woven into every woman: the thread of the Women’s Circle.
Having been separated from one another for so long, my wish is that as we do return to gathering, we do so with meaning, with intention, with sacredness.
This ritual is an ode to reviving the ancient feminine practice of the Women’s Circle with the intention of bringing meaning, symbolism and healing back to the moments in our lives when we need them most.
Summer Solstice Circle
WHEN On the evening of the summer solstice
WHO Three or more Women who are seeking to gather to honour the longest day of the year
WHERE TO GATHER A park, garden, beach (weather permitting). Somewhere in nature.
As it is the longest day of the year, hold a Circle in the evening, while it’s still light outside, and celebrate with a picnic.
WHAT TO BRING
- ritual basket
- 1 × bunch of sunflowers
- 1 × bunch of any other seasonal flowers
- 1 × floral wire and tape (enough for the circumference of each Woman’s head)
- 1 × wire scissors
- food and crockery for picnic
- Invite the Women to forage some seasonal flowers to bring with them to the Circle, as well as a dish to share, and a blanket to sit on.
Create an altar
Lay down your ritual cloth and create a flower circle using the heads of the sunflowers. In the middle, place candles, crystals and anything else you feel called to.
Open the space
Introduce yourself, the practice of the Women’s Circle and the intention for gathering. Smudge the Women clockwise, then yourself, and then finally the altar space. Invite each Woman to introduce themselves and their astrology sign, and to share why they felt the calling to gather and what this shift in season is bringing up for them.
Energy talk
The sun has reached its peak and hangs high in the sky. At this moment, we welcome the longest day of the year, the marker that we have shifted from the waxing/rising energy of spring into the full bloom of summer as we step into the next season and cycle of summer.
The land is abundant, filled with flowers, herbs, plants. Everything has bloomed around us, and the sun is shining down on it all. It is a time to bask, honour and give deep gratitude for all the light that has shone down on us, for all that the sun has charged within us, and for all the life, growth and bounty it has bestowed. On the summer solstice we are given a beautiful opportunity to pause, reflect, celebrate and acknowledge the light of the sun.
People have been gathering to honour the solstice and the changing of the seasons since the beginning of time. We see this when we look at the ancient stone circles that were all positioned intentionally to welcome the sun on this powerful day – the Temple of the Sun in Peru, Stonehenge in England, the Ring of Brodgar in Scotland, the Pyramids in Egypt, to name just a few.
The solstice offers us an invitation to connect to this powerful ritual once again, to honour the sun and to bask in the glory of the light. Cultures from around the world celebrate the solstice with celebration, music, dance and joy – this is probably where the idea of summer festivals stemmed from. During the summer months, we all seek a space to gather together, to celebrate all that has been, as we can finally exhale and just enjoy.
Sharing prompts
Begin to lead the sharing circle by asking a few questions and creating space for each Woman to write down what comes to her: Questions such as What are you proud of? What are you grateful for? What blessings are in your life? What can you give to others?
Once you feel everyone is ready, open up the sharing circle, inviting each woman to share something that came through for them on their guided journey or their responses to the sharing prompts.
Oracle cards
Shuffle the deck then pass the cards around, inviting each woman to connect to the spirit of the summer solstice. Each Woman should set the intention to receive some deeper guidance and wisdom as they connect to its energy.
Consider: How am I being called to see my light within? and What do I need to let go of I order to see my light?
Share what message you received with the Circle, and how you feel it connects to what you have uncovered in the space so far.
Create a crown
Invite all the women to gather the flowers they foraged and any flowers they feel called to gather from the Circle.
Demonstrate how to make a flower crown. Calling in the glory of yourself, and holding the vibration of all the light you are being asked to witness in yourself, begin to gather the wire, perhaps asking the woman beside you to help cut the perfect sized wire for your head.
Once you have your wire, you will want to start weaving your flowers onto it, taping the stems down. Ensure you place each flower down with intention.
Keep going around and around until the crown is full of flowers. Then, one by one, holding up your flower crowns, place them on top of your head, and invite the other women to witness you as you each place your crowns on your head like the queens that you are!
Close the circle
Invite the women to close their eyes, to reconnect back to the wisdom that the Circle has given them, taking a moment to honour themselves for the journey they’ve been on to connect to the seeds longing to be planted, and to send gratitude to all the women who gathered beside them and to the energy of the summer solstice for guiding you back to your spirit.
Post circle
Once you have closed your Circle, it’s time to feast! Bring forward all your food, have a picnic, light a bonfire if you feel called to, and stay up all night radiating, laughing, singing and dancing in the joy of summer, in the joy of you!
Meditation
Invite the Circle to take three deep inhalations, in through the nose and out through the mouth, then gently welcome your natural rhythm of breathing back.
Become aware of your breath, become present to it, witnessing the ebb and flow. The more present you become to what’s happening inside of you, the more you can bring your presence to all that is happening outside of you too. For the seeds we planted are beginning to bloom, and we are given a moment in time to sit back and reflect on all the ways we have grown.
What have you created for yourself this year? No matter how big or small, allow yourself to receive the glory of you. The fruits of your labour, the gifts you’ve manifested.
Trust whatever rises to the surface, and allow yourself to witness, reflect and receive the light of all that you are. (Pause for at least one minute.)
Bring this light back into the room, as you very gently feel yourself returning back to your seat, wiggling your fingers and toes, and opening your eyes.
RESOURCES
READ The Women’s Circle: How to Gather with Meaning, Intention and Purpose by Anoushka Florence (Hardie Grant)
FOLLOW Anoushka on Instagram @thegoddessspace
