I am a 72-year-old human doing. Most days find me doing a lot. Now I’m content to sit here in our family room, last night’s circle still present. Fragrances of sage, and sweet grass connect me to remarkable truths each women shared.
As each lit her candle, she took a moment to silently offer a blessing, intention or prayer. Then she spoke her truth, not so much about the events of her life more a statement of essence. Not so much a list of what she’d been doing, but a reflection of how she’s being. Speaking from essence opens speaker and listener to their deepest longings.
Celebrating “being” in a culture that emphasizes “doing” makes monthly circles precious.
My rattle, that we use as a talking stick, lies before me on sacred cloth blotched with candle wax. Kim Kopp, friend and artist, made this rattle as a gift for me. She gave it to me long before I knew I wanted one, long before I knew it would rest in the hands of many courageous women. Souls sends signposts even before we know we are on a road to a new place. My rattle was like that for me. It came during my years as a psychotherapist before spirit-filled circles graced my calendar and heart with their presence.
I am at home here in a circle’s afterglow – here in the pocket of my destiny. Nest keeper is that”new place” that found me. As keeper of the nest, I make sure that those held by it respect it. I observe how we take care of ourselves and how we care for our nest-mates. I am not alone in this process. Each women’s presence is essential. Her energy enlivens and strengths the nest.
Yes, I am a Nest Keeper.
Round like a womb our circle is the place where anything is possible, anything can be born. Often the best thing for a woman is to sit in a circle with other women. To speak her truth and listen to the truth of others. Circles are tender spaces where shy souls find a voice. A place where the risks of stepping out into the world in a new way finds support. Each of us, men and women, are enriched by this experience. Bereft of soulful environments, we are destined to live in a world of doing. We might accomplish a lot, but doing that is uninformed by being is hollow.
Challenges occur after circles close. How do we bring being into a world of doing? Soon I will leave the scent of sage, and sweet grass. Choices that we all encounter await me. Do we scan Facebook or sit in meditation? Do we play another game of Words with Friends or write in our journal. Can we drive in silence or do we fill our car with noise? Do we start an endless Google search or take a moment to search our senses. We need to touch, taste, smell, hear, and feel our way into being. This takes time, attention and intention.
Making contact with how we are being in any moment is not easy.
It is always rewarding.