Women's Mystery School
WOMEN! Are you here to live on purpose? To know the fullness that life has to offer? To choose to live each day with your innate woman wisdom? To know that life, even in its mundane and practical occurrences, has greater meaning?Remember who you are and claim the innate wisdom that comes with being a woman! Your life WILL increase in quality, meaning and fulfillment from walking with the mysteries.
The Sacred Groves Women's Mysteries School consists of a variety of classes, circles, workshops and ceremonies designed to enhance and enrich all the phases of a woman's life by restoring understanding and reverence for the whole-ness of our womanhood. These events and ceremonies are designed to help each woman tap into her ancient women-wisdom within. Offerings include:
Remember: A womans life, when celebrated with Rites of Passage and ceremony, makes sense in a new way. The cycles and changes of her body becomes a portal into deep spiritual communion with that ultimate mystery: Spirit, God, Goddess or whatever you choose to call that ineffable higher power that underlies all of life.
Women's Mystery School Offerings
If you are interested in any of these offerings, check the calendar. If you don't see one scheduled please let us know of your interest.
Women's Moon Ceremonies (offered Saturday eve monthly 6-8:30pm)
In this ritual we come together in Sacred Space to find balance, focus our intentions for what we want to create in our lives, and have those intentions empowered as we share them with other women of power. This "Rainbow" Ceremony, based on Native American teachings, provides an opportunity for you to reconnect: with the Source (whether you call it God, Goddess, Budda, Great Spirit), with the earth, with Grandmother Moon, with eachother, and with what is most important in your life. It is our intention that the Women's Moon Circles offer a comfortable, nurturing place for you to center and ground yourself each month as you connect with a supportive community of women. Your energy and presence will be a welcome contribution as we empower eachother's prayers and dreams with our combined energy and sacred intentions.
Earth Mother Apprenticeship
The Clan Mothers Apprenticeship is a year-long womens group dedicated to learning from and with our great great grandmothers who speak to us through our womens bodies, the natural world using Jamie Sams book The Thirteen Original Clan Mothers. The Clan Mothers are thirteen ancient archetypes of women in their power from Native American traditions, wonderful role models for us modern women who are hungry for finding our true source of woman-power in this patriarchal world. The "Apprenticeship" includes a personal commitment to spend quiet time in nature on a monthly basis, listening, looking and learning from these grandmothers. It includes spending time with a different Clan Mothers story each month and sitting in a circle with other women sharing about how we are integrating the teachings into our lives. It also includes keeping a Moon Journal to help you attune to the rhythms of the moon. The 13 month journey also includes the opportunity to do two Clan Mothers Sweatlodges and set up a personal quest at Sacred Groves.Facilitated by Therese Charvet, women generally join this group in January. Open for guests as well.
Gateway to the Mysteries
This workshop includes an overview of the phases of a woman's life, the many aspects of womanhood, rites of passage ceremonies and modern "initiations." We will bring forth feminine archetypes and goddesses to awaken and connect with your own divine feminine and ancient women-wisdom. We will talk, move, sing, share stories, do ceremony and set the stage for your deepening work to restore understanding and reverence for the whole-ness of your womanhood. Facilitated by Therese Charvet and Kendra E. Thornbury.
Motherlodge, a nurturing ceremony for mothers Mothers Day This opportunity for "pampering" is available to all mothers who want to nurture themselves by taking a couple hours on Mothers Day to come to the Groves for a special "Earth-Mother Spa. " You will be pampered at the Moonlodge with hands-on touch, a facial, healing music, warm beach-stones, a hot soak under the open sky, and an after-bath wrap. You will have the opportunity to walk in the woods quietly for awhile, filling up on the quiet and beauty of the Groves. There will be special honoring of your motherhood and a small gift to take home. Offered by Therese Yakshi, Mother of Sacred Groves.
Women's Rite for Healing and Empowerment
The intention of this week-end retreat is for women to heal from negativity picked up during girlhood, adolescence and adulthood, and step into the fullness of their woman power and woman wisdom by deepening their connection with their bodies and the spiritual power of their monthly cycles. The week-end will include talking circles, movement, meditations, a sweatlodge, singing, and a ceremony to honor and welcome each woman to womanhood. This ceremony has healing power at any point in life. Women who have participated say that this retreat marks a turning point, after which they feel a new sense of beauty and empowerment in their womans body.
Personal Retreats and Vision Quests
Women who want to delve into the magic and mystery of silence, solitude and time in the natural world can schedule a private retreat at the Groves or join the Women's Way Vision Quests that happen twice a year. These retreats, facilitated by Therese, can be scheduled individually, by appointment. Vision Quests are offered in spring and late summer, sometimes in the woods of Sacred Groves, sometimes out in the wilderness of the Olympic or Cascade Mountains.
Other Women's Mysteries Ceremonies
Crone-InitiationThe time after menopause is especially potent for women, but the culture has not acknowledged this and many women have fears about growing older. This ritual honors older women and wakes them to the full potency of this stage of life. These rituals are scheduled by special request and can be for one woman alone or for a small group.
What are Womens Mysteries?
The female body that is the temple for a womans emotions and spirit contains many mysteries. The onset of menstruation and monthly cycles, akin to the phases of the moon, mark the entry into these mysteries. Many cultures believe there is a special spiritual power available to women during their Moontime and have special ceremonies to honor a young woman at this time. Our sexuality is another mystery to be explored; the role of lover is a rich learning ground; connecting sexuality and spirituality is an important link for enhancing both aspects of our womanhood. The next mystery, pregnancy (along with labor, the process of giving birth and breastfeeding) are another part of the journey. Many women have deeply spiritual experiences as part of their passage into and journey with motherhood. Then, as our bodies age, there are the mysteries associated with our approach to menopause. This is a time when many women are stepping into their power more fully. Eventually, our monthly bleeding cycles cease altogether and women enter the last mysterious phase, that of the Crone.
In addition to the mysteries associated with our body's cycles and seasons, there are many other women's mysteries: magical connections with our mothers, sisters, daughters; spirituality connected our intuition and guidance from within; claiming our emotions, personal power, intelligence, speaking our truth. Each woman is on a personal journey to claim the full-ness of her womanhood. This journey proceeds in a spiral-like way as we go around the wheel of life, re-visiting different phases as we move toward the center.
