Women’s circles are a gathering of women, for women. These sisterhood meetings give women a safe space to connect, share, and empower. 

Today, you may come across a monthly full moon goddess circle at your local yoga studio or travel to a far off destination for a sacred women’s retreat. And while some may write these gatherings off as “new age”, our ancestral mothers, grandmothers, and sisters joined in these sacred gatherings for thousands of years.

Our female ancestors gathered in the red tent and moon lodges as a sacred space to connect, especially during menstruation. Religious groups, like the pagans and Celtic Christians of the 5th and 6th centuries joined in women’s circles. So too did Jewish women throughout the centuries to observe Rosh Chodesh, the first sliver of the moon at the “head” of the month.

Indeed, the women’s circle is an ancient practice. With the fire at the center, women circled the light and the warmth, a place to share stories, cook meals, honor the gods and goddess, and dance under the stars. When we participate in a women’s circle, we carry on the tradition of our female ancestors by forming a sacred goddess community to celebrate the feminine.

Why sit in a women’s circle?

When we sit in a women’s circle, we connect and support sisterhood in a safe space. It’s a time to celebrate the divine feminine, to encourage originality and uniqueness in our sisters, and let your authentic self shine

We honor our female ancestors.

A women’s circle honors female ancestors through unity and ritual, a moment to consider the generations who paved the way for the opportunities available to women today. We honor their strength to overcome the many obstacles of womanhood. We celebrate the female “firsts” who stood up against the patriarchy and became leaders in their community. We remember the great warrior women, the shield maidens, the Grandmother Shaman, the Rosie the Riveters, every woman who embodied the divine feminine with bravery, resilience, and compassion.

The women’s circle is a place for community.

As an inclusive space, the women’s circle welcomes all ages and brings together the generations. Great-grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers, and daughters sit together in solidarity. The elders pass down their wisdom learned through experience. New generations of girls restore the childlike wonder and playfulness of youth to their elders. Together, shared strength circulates through every generation, a way to empower each other to participate meaningfully in the community and pave the way for future female generations. 

The women’s circle reinforces female empowerment and sisterhood

Society has often found ways to break apart the sacred bonds between women. A women’s circle reminds sisters to treat each other as allies, rather than competition. We don’t ostracize or gossip. We don’t point out flaws or compete for a man. Instead, we embrace women as our sisters by lifting each other up.

The women’s circle celebrates the divine feminine

In the last centuries, society has glorified the traits of the yang masculine energy like ambition, logic, competition, and accomplishment. And while the universe needs the masculine, it also calls for the yin feminine to rise up and maintain balance.

The women’s circle is a chance to tap into the divine feminine. Women reawaken their connection to intuition, imagination, and the ability to flow with the rhythms of life. As they reconnect with that divine feminine through sisterhood support, they can better express that wisdom within their relationships, families, and communities, to restore the balance of the masculine and feminine in the world at large.

The women’s circle is a safe, supportive space

The women’s circle gives each participant a chance to speak their truth without judgement. Sharing with supportive, empowering women releases the weight of our burdens. We shed light on our fears, thus, diminishing their power. We can then step beyond the wall of fear, into the freedom of our strength and divine light.

The women’s circle is a place of self-care

Women play essential roles in societies. They are the mothers, the wives, the aunts, the sisters. They uphold positions of power, guiding future generations of females to pursue their dreams. They are the queens of multi-tasking, caring for their families and paying the bills while juggling a career. 

Often busy lives get in the way of self-care. The women’s circle is a moment for self-love. It gives women permission to take time to nurture themselves. A circle of sisters offers a “pat on the back”, a time to appreciate all the hard work that goes into womanhood. It’s a time to rest, to connect with sisters, and focus on physical and mental wellbeing.

How to create your own women’s circles:

Creating a women’s circle can be as simple as calling together your close friends. You can also expand the circle and welcome neighbors and sisters of your community. A circle can take many forms and settings. Start by creating a comfortable seating in a circle, in a setting that encourages connection and safety, like a yoga studio or a quiet area by the beach. Create a calming, spiritual experience with an altar set up in the center.  Add incense, crystals, fresh flowers or anything that has symbolic meaning for you.  You might want to spread out a deck of oracle cards  and ask each woman to choose one as she enters the circle. Open the circle with the sound of a bell or play some calming music and always remember to ground and call in your guides and angels for protection and support.  

You can focus on one of the activities below to dive deep, or combine them for a more holistic experience. 
Create safe space for sharing

This type of women’s circle gives everyone a chance to open up. It’s an invitation to share. You can keep the theme open without an agenda or focus on an idea, like manifestation, letting go, self-love, and so on. Everyone can go around the circle and speak their minds in a loving space.

Moon Rituals

The moon and the female body are interconnected. Menstruation is a cyclical process, much like the lunar cycle — from new moon to waning crescent. This synchronization makes moon rituals a perfect way to honor the divine feminine and set intentions in harmony with nature. 

New moons are the time for manifestation, usually at the beginning of the month, a time to set intentions for the month ahead. Full moon rituals are the ideal time to let go with rituals that release old habits and limited thought patterns.

Yoga

Yoga during a women’s circle connects the body, mind, and soul through postures and meditation. Simultaneous practice feels empowering, as women raise the vibration of the communal space by connecting with soul and spirit. Specific asanas tap into female empowerment, like warrior, goddess, mountain, and happy baby. These poses celebrate the spirit and strength of the divine feminine and creative womb energy.

Cacao Ceremony

For thousands of years, the shamans of Peru have practiced the ritual consumption of cacao. This sacred plant invigorates the body and opens the heart. Sharing a cup of warm cacao drink, you’ll feel more relaxed and open hearted, reinforcing connection with your circle sisters. 

Dancing

Dancing embodies the divine feminine—full of creative, free-flowing, playful energy. Dancing together during a women’s circle creates and emboldens that powerful energy that releases from the body and onto the dancefloor. You flow into your power through movement and share a tangible force of connection and expansion. 

Sisterhood retreats

The ultimate women’s circle, spiritual retreats are designed to accelerate the connection of the women’s circle in gatherings that last days or weeks. (Explore our destinations HERE.) Traveling to a sacred destination in a beautiful location brings together women from all walks of life, connected at the level of soul. Sisters participate in a blend of sacred ceremony, wellness, yoga, and shamanic ritual to awaken the soul and embrace sisterhood. Spending an extended time together, participating in transformative healing rituals awakens spiritual growth, all while supported by your sisterhood.