Holding

We’ve slipped into another world with unseen bonds.
We feel them. Nothing seems separate.
We stay silent. Words might break this spell.
—from Unfolding.

 

 

When women stand together, feet grounded around a central flame, something ancient awakens. The space between them begins to take shape. A mandala is formed not of paint or stone, but of presence. Each woman becomes a point on the pattern, each breath part of the whole. The mandala—an ancient symbol of wholeness and sacred connection—reminds us that what we create together is both visible and unseen, both profound and ordinary.

 

From the moment we are born, we seek to be held. The warmth of a parent’s arms, the steady rhythm of their heartbeat, the quiet reassurance that we are safe. These are our first lessons in belonging.

 

As we grow, that need doesn’t vanish; it changes shape. We look for holding, in love, in friendship, in community. We long for spaces where we can be seen without judgment. True holding is about presence. It says, you are safe here; you can unfold at your own pace.

 

For decades, women’s circles have provided this kind of holding. In the stillness of shared silence, something larger begins to move among us. It is subtle, almost imperceptible at first. There is a current of energy that seems to breathe through the group. Over time, I came to recognize this as the Mother Matrix: a palpable energy that embraces the circle.

 

This energy is not something we control. It arises when we gather with intention, when we listen deeply, when we remember that we are part of something vast and alive. To be held by this energy is to rest in the rhythm of life itself. It is the same force that shapes a seed into a tree, or draws a circle of women into harmony.

 

At eighty‑two, I continue to learn what it means to hold and to be held—by others, by the work, by this living energy that moves through all things.

 

On March 29, Mary Lothrop and I will be offering a small gathering, How to Hold and Be Held in a Women’s Circle, open to women who have previously joined me in workshops, retreats, or circles. The teachings draw from The Mandala Model: How to Hold and Be Held in a Women’s Circle. Together, we’ll explore this quiet mystery: how the act of holding becomes a doorway into being held—by one another, and by the unseen bonds that connect us all.

 

May we keep learning the art of holding and being held, again and again, until it becomes the way we all live.