Many years ago, I participated in a women’s circle that changed everything.
Nona Jordan led this beautiful group and she introduced me to the medicine wheel.
The wheel became a mighty part of my daily practice. It sparked a new fire in my spirit and healing in my body. I spontaneously shared it with my guests on my first Glacier Quest and it was such a hit it’s now the integral theme of our annual medicine walk retreats.
The medicine wheel is based on the Four Directions.
Each direction represents different stages of life: the four seasons, four archetypes, four elements, and other aspects. It’s been used by different cultures for ages, with varying interpretations. For instance, in the Celtic medicine wheel, North represents Winter, the Visionary, Earth, and is associated with rest, vision, possibility, and connection. East represents Spring, the rising sun, new beginnings, rebirth, and inspiration.
Before that first circle, I imagined life as a trajectory.
Hustle to attain a certain status, then enjoy a long holding pattern at the top, then … well, I wasn’t thinking about aging or my later years so much. But the trajectory had failed me. Or I had simply failed. I’d gone from extremely capable adventurer and entrepreneur to a full stop. My body said: no more. I became extremely ill and was barely able to type, much less get out of bed, travel, or hustle. For years.
I could not understand why my body was breaking down on me. I felt betrayed.
Nona suggested that I was in the Winter of my medicine wheel – a season, however long, in which my body needed to rest deeply and rejuvenate. It was a time for me, she offered, to honor my body like good farmers honor fields – to allow myself to lie fallow. To rejuvenate.
Everything has a cycle and rhythm, the medicine wheel reminded me.
Even the poles of the earth experience seasons of darkness and seasons of light. I was in a season of darkness, of restoration. With this awareness, I stopped trying to force my body to heal and allowed myself to rest. To reset. And to heal.
I began to understand the reset as a sort of revolutionary act.
Winter officially begins on the Solstice, December 21. What better time to come together with a group of like-minded souls to celebrate the resetting of the wheel? We’ll honor winter, restoration, and move into the new year with clarity and vision.
I’ve created the Winter Women’s Circle to hold space for restoration and possibility.
It will be our virtual hibernation den, where we can honor the natural rhythms of the season. I’ll teach the medicine wheel and lead practices to support the balance and cycle of life. We’ll move into the new year from a place of connection, vision, strength, and inner wisdom.
I’d love to winter with you.
The Women’s Winter Circle begins on the Winter Solstice (12/21) and will continue for the three full months of winter. The cost is just $125 or 3 payments of $49.
We’ll meet virtually for a video call twice a month and connect via a private Facebook group.
Registration is open. To learn the details and to register, please click here.
Questions? Please email me for more information.