Woman’s Way Red Lodge’s 2010 “West Gathering”
Saturday October 2nd, 10am – 6pm

Once again Sacred Groves will host WWRL’s autumn event and once again, we will honor and celebrate our elders and ancestors as part of the energy of the West. We will also acknowledge and celebrate the other we-moon phases (maiden, mother and queen) along the journey toward elder-hood

This event will be held in sacred space in the meadow at Sacred Groves which will be prepared with four gates, one in each direction as we invoke the grandmothers of the four directions creating an “arbor” for the day’s ceremonial activities. Drumming and singing with the Mother Drum and a sacred fire burning through throughout the day will anchor the ceremony. We will meet in small groups with others in the same we-moon phase for discussion, songs, movement and ritual so that each woman deepens in her personal we-moon journey.

Elder women who have not experienced a Crone Initiation Ceremony are invited to join the Crone Circle to discuss the importance of this kind of ceremony and the possibility of joining a year-long group to prepare for a Crone Initiation Ceremony in Autumn 2011.

Each woman who attends will be asked to choose which we-moon phase she feels drawn to, using the following as guidelines (note: these are not rigid categories; choose the phase that resonates with your heart):
Maiden: Young women (from onset of menses up to about age 30) who have not yet become mothers. Maidens–please wear RED.
Mother: Women of any age who are mothering small children and/or are caring for or teaching children, and/or any woman who is in a nurturing role akin to mothering. Mothers–please wear GREEN (colors of Mother Earth)
Queen: Still-menstruating women who are in a self-directed, self confident phase, not bound by the pressures of mothering, teaching, nurturing, moving into the world in a bigger way prompted by an inner call to manifest her purpose beyond the sphere of the home. She may be experiencing peri-menopausal symptoms. Queens–please wear YELLOW OR GOLD.
Crone: Women older than 51 who have not menstruated for one full year. Note: “Baby Crones” (younger women who are feeling the changes of menopause or have experienced surgical menopause) are welcome to join too. Crones–please wear PURPLE OR BLACK.

Suggested donation for this event will be $25 plus potluck item for lunch.

Please bring potluck lunch food, your donation for the Groves, and an outdoor chair if you have one. Wear shoes appropriate for walking on forest paths and dress in warm layers with rain gear, hat etc. for being outdoors. Bring an umbrella if it looks like rain. If you have any statues, pictures or other arty, sacred objects that carry the energy of your we-moon phase, please bring these too. Initiated Crones:bring your staffs and crone regalia!

For more information about Woman’s Way Red Lodge, click here.

PLEASE RSVP to Therese if you intend to come so you can be sent any last-minute instruction.