When the women find their chairs and the shuffling ceases, A woman walks to the center and lights the candle, A woman rings the bell and the space becomes sacred. Maybe, for me, chairs will shuffle forward a bit or back a tad, so every woman sees every other woman’s eyes. A safe container forms …
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When the bell rings
October 20th, 2016 | Posted by in Circles | Gather the Women | Gatherings - (0 Comments)Nancy Nolin – Portland, Oregon: New Moon Ceremony – 2016 Intentions
January 15th, 2016 | Posted by in Circles | Gather the Women | Gatherings | Inspiration - (0 Comments)Greetings Barbara, I am attaching a few photos for the blog if they fit the theme. I did not take photos of us in circle but a photo of us after we completed the circle. I also have a photo of the center alter but it is not all that clear however I am attaching …
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Gathering the Women 2015
November 19th, 2015 | Posted by in Circle Spotlight | Gather the Women | Gatherings | Inspiration - (0 Comments)We are back home in Juneau, Alaska. It snowed earlier today, but now a cold hard rain is beating against the window. The warmth and sunshine of Florida are just fond memories, but my thoughts have lingered on our 2015 Gather the Women circle at the Dayspring Conference Center near Tampa, Florida. My gratitude goes …
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Last Sunday, my friend Darcy and I met at Vintage Faire, a coffee shop tucked away in our local mall and a halfway point between our homes. We each picked out a teabag, carefully filled our mugs with scalding water from the spigot, and found a table for two. In Juneau, we forego the darling …
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Refusing to Release a Big Idea
December 14th, 2014 | Posted by in Activation | Empowerment | Gatherings | Inspiration - (0 Comments)by Barbara Belknap How many women in the world got an email from Jean Shinoda Bolen today? I’m on her mailing list, and when I see her newsletter I stop whatever else I’m doing and read it. Today, her newsletter features an essay she named “Still Here”. Jean is one of many women on this …
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Hali Karla’s blog post on October 8 has been on my mind ever since I read it on GTW’s Facebook page. It is what Heather Plett calls “open-hearted writing”. If you didn’t catch it as it flowed through the Facebook River, you will be rewarded if you go back and find it. Her website is …
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On my way home from grocery shopping, windshield wipers going full tilt, I was thinking about my next blog post and up popped women’s laughter. Juneau is breaking all records for rain and that’s saying something in a city that measures annual rainfall in feet. As I was checking out at Safeway, I said something …
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Re-Entry into Normal Life
September 28th, 2014 | Posted by in Activation | Circles | Gather the Women | Gatherings - (0 Comments)Our annual Gather the Women gathering ended with one last ring of the bells at noon on Sunday, September 21st. Our GTW Facebook pages glow with images of brilliantly colored scarves laid out like the spokes of a wheel around the center altar. In honor of the history of the Black Hills, there were times …
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In a little over three weeks the women will be gathering. Last year, we said our long goodbyes on the shore of an exquisite turquoise lake in the mountains of California. This time, we will greet each other with warm hugs in Rapid City, South Dakota, in the Great Plains. After months of making do …
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When the GTW Conveners worked with Jennifer Ball at their retreat, they birthed a list of values for themselves that would serve our families, our workplaces, our non-profits, and the world. Jennifer is a co-author of “Doing Democracy with Circles: Engaging Communities in Public Planning”, a consultant, and a member of Gather the Women Canada. …
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