Women in the Wild Weaving
the power of women's circles
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Last Saturday, I gathered with a group of women to learn how to forage vines of bittersweet and wild grapes and, in a process that is magical in ways that I can’t explain, weave them into circles that become wreaths without the aid of wire, string or glue.
The circle itself is a potent symbol. It is the great eternal, the ouroboros, the snake eating its tail. The circle is karma, the wheel of fortune, the wheel of time, the glyph of eternity, the mandala of Self, the emblem of the Divine.
I was so taken with the process that I came home, and, immediately the next day, began going around my property and foraging. There’s plenty to choose from, and while the wreath I originally made is hanging inside my home, the first of the winter decorations, I decided that such wild creations belong in the wild, serving wild creatures.
Above, you see my first effort at this. I stood at the edge of the woods next to my house and wove a circle of bittersweet and grapevine. Since one of my poles for hanging birdfeeders was nearby, I decided that this magical wreath could feed the birds. I attached a suet holder and some berries and seed heads from nearby shrubs and flowers. The winterberry grows wild. The viburnum and echinacea I planted.
The weekend experience of learning to forage and make wreaths stirred something in me. Women in the wild, weaving wreaths. That was something quite extraordinary. It reminded me that women inherently have magic in them. The magic to gather, to make, to weave, to create, to cook, to sew, to heal, to grow. They have for millennia done this “in a circle” with other women. The circle of women no doubt at one time provided safety as well as companionship, and allowed for wisdom and knowledge to be shared.
What women were doing was often in service to others. Sewing clothes, grinding grain, weaving cloth, just as my own wreath was meant to provide for and be in service to the birds and animals whom I share the land with.
This idea of women serving others has, over the last five decades, become unpopular. Women are meant to be leaders, “girl bosses,” taught to cultivate their own ambitions and out for their own success and fulfillment.
But, I wonder, have we, in the process of opening up opportunities for women to fully explore their abilities, dismissed something inherently important to the essence of what women most need to thrive?
Being in that magical circle of women, as we walked the land, foraging, gathering, and then sat weaving wreaths (in a barn accompanied by horses!) I felt something very deep was taking place for all of us. We were rekindling the ancestral ways of women. The wreaths we created were meant to honor the land, bring beauty to our homes, and, in some cases, feed the birds. These were wreaths made to serve needs in the world that are often neglected.
Women in the wild, weaving wreaths, are magical women. Women, when they gather and do what women do, bring something to the world that needs to be there, lest our world continue to fall out of balance and spin into chaos.
As the winter season arrives and we inhabit Samhain as a particular energy through the month of November, take time to explore the magic of sacred circles.
Traditionally, both women and men have always had sacred circles of influence, community, and work, which brought harmony and safety to families, villages, and towns. We’ll look more at this during Celtic Advent and during the winter season, and its ancient feasts and festivals.
Longing for a sacred circle experience?
Take a new moon to full moon journey with me. This offering is especially for women who are intrigued by what the Crone can awaken in them.
Learn about some of the ways the Crone appears in myth and folklore.
Work with the energy of Scorpio season, early winter, and the phases of the moon.
Engage with your wild immortality, erase regrets and lean into possibilities, remove the blindfold, and free your mind. All this and more make up the seasonal energy of the Crone.
From the new moon to the full moon, 14 days of sacred sisterhood and circle time await.
You’ll dream, muse, journal, and create in intuitive ways carried along by the Crone Energy of the season.
If you’ve been traveling with the 13 Moons of Samhain Class or if you created ancestor art in the Free Mini Samhain Creative Journey, this is a perfect way to continue discovering your stories and shaping your future self.
Available immediately upon joining
Welcome Module Video
Orientation - including process art video classes
Overview - of the journey including energetic influences, oracle + tarot cards to help you prepare
November 11th - New moon materials available
November 18th - Waxing moon materials available
November 25th - Full moon materials available
Course includes:
written materials
images
videos
audio files of guided journeys
art invitations
journaling questions
private classroom
sharing
And, of course, I will be there to guide you and provide insight, especially for you as you share your experiences and art.
Before the madness of the holiday season is upon us, gift yourself quiet, introspective, and creative time to find a part of yourself that longs to come forward. Find out more about who you are and who you are becoming through inner journey work and creative self-expression.
Thank you for reading Hedge Mystic and participating in this vibrant and growing community of creative, spiritual humans. You are always welcome here, appreciated, and loved.
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I have memories of my mom and her friends crafting together when I was young. I think they then sold what they made at craft fairs or for school fundraising - I can’t remember (I’ll have to ask her!)
When I had a gardening company, I’d have my gardeners gather and craft/decorate holiday wreaths we’d then give to our clients as tokens of thanks. We’d sip tea, coffee and cocoa and nibble on cookies as we worked, raising our creations to another asking , “what do you think”?
There is something really special and uniting about this gathering and crafting in a small group -
The Millionth Circle in another creative expression!