Coming together as a circle of women has many benefits. They support the upward spiral dance of women’s empowerment which leads to better relationships for all of us.
Think about how you feel when you hang out with your best girlfriend.
Magnify that feeling by ten!
That’s what a circle of women will give you.
In this article I’ll go over how gathering in a circle of women will not only offer you a source of feminine support, it’ll reconnect you to the strength of your own wisdom. The wisdom inside you that’s longing to be expressed. And I’ll invite you to my personal online circle where we gather in my Sacred Zoom Room to give the feminine a voice.
It’s your time. And time for women to come together. The strength and healing qualities of the feminine are needed more than ever in our global community. The divine feminine must re-emerge from centuries of repression. We need “her” inspiration, courage and sense of community that her presence so gracefully gifts.
And when you are regularly involved with a women’s empowerment circle it becomes a fabulous ritual for taking care of yourself emotionally. Here are six ways in which a women’s circle will enhance your life.
1. Sisterhood is Good For Your Health
When women gather something magical happens. The special connection created in female friendships has great healing power both emotionally and physically. Women’s empowerment circles are good medicine.
We all know that stress is not good for our health. And women respond to stress differently than men. In a state of stress, we all go into the fight or flight mode. This releases a hormone called cortisol from the adrenals. But studies have shown that men respond by getting more aggressive and women respond by wanting to gather. It’s called the tend and befriend response. This response produces a beneficial hormone called oxytocin.
Giving yourself a place to gather with other women, especially when stressed, is good for your health because it creates safety.
Our ancestor women knew this. They felt safer and able to protect their young from attack by coming together. It’s still the same today. Though for different reasons. Often more emotionally based. So when you engage in this biologically based tend and befriend response you’ll produce even more oxytocin and feel emotionally safe.
Oxytocin is the nurturing hormone. It’s the hormone that’s released when you cuddle. Unlike dopamine which can set up addictive responses, oxytocin is a non-addictive brain chemical in the body. It nurtures, supports and connects you to others. It makes you feel safe.
Oxytocin is also responsible for helping a woman right after birth to activate her milk for breastfeeding and release the afterbirth from her uterus. Oxytocin is a magical chemical and we need more of it flowing in our bodies to create better lives. A supportive circle of women will activate oxytocin in your body and therefore a regular source of nurturing energy in your life.
2. A Safe Place To Be Heard & Understood
A good circle gives you a safe place to be heard and understood. Creating a safe, non-judgmental place for women to speak up supports our evolutionary process. Women’s empowerment equals Mother Earth’s empowerment. And we know Mother Earth needs us to honor her more.
Plus speaking up for yourself is something I find women have a hard time doing. By the time we speak up for ourselves, it comes out wrong. In the form of yelling, nagging or being over emotional. That type of communication is both frustrating and ineffective. Such behavior happens because you’ve let things build up and haven’t addressed them in a productive way.
Having a women’s circle gives you a place to vent. It gives you a place to feel heard and even understood because often other women are challenged by similar issues. And together you can find ways to address life’s issues in more productive ways.
Being in a circle of women who support each other is a powerfully potent way to receive validation.
And when you feel validated it increases your self-esteem. You’ll stop second-guessing yourself. And realize your feelings are valid and actually offer you great wisdom and guidance. Because we live in a more masculine-oriented world, it’s easy for a woman to second-guess herself. The systems and structures aren’t set up for her. So if the system doesn’t fit, but she’s grown up in it, she wonders, “what’s wrong with me.”
I want you to know nothing is wrong with you. We just have a broken system in our society. And getting validated in a women’s circle will give you the confidence to make our world a better place.
3. You’ll Learn From Each Other
When you can acknowledge and validate your feelings you become a wise woman. Gathering with a circle of women who are caring, sharing and transparent with the challenges in their life is a great resource for other women.
We learn from each other. We share our challenges and wins and hear the challenges and wins of other women. This is very uplifting and inspiring. You gain momentum in your life when you know what you have to say has helped others.
And also by seeing other women supported through their challenges, you witness their transformation. They role model for you a new way. We need better women role models. But better women role models show up when we seek them. And they are found in women’s empowerment circles.
Proper support creates courage and then transformation happens. When it’s witnessed by others it creates an opening for their transformation. Gathering intentionally with a circle of women create this type of magical space for change.
4. You Realize You are Not Alone
Have you ever felt alone and isolated when you were facing something challenging in your life? Did you feel you had no one to turn to? And that no one understood?
Well, another benefit of women in circle is hearing other women’s challenges. You find out they have similar challenges as you. It creates a commonality and you no longer feel alone.
Isolating ourselves is easy to do but definitely not healthy. When you have a circle of women you can turn to, you realize you’re not alone. You may even hear another woman’s story of a similar issue and it helps you get through yours.
Maybe women’s circles should be called sanity circles.
For me, other women have been my main source to keep me from going crazy! Turning to a group of girlfriends or my sisters has been my saving grace.
We are power in numbers and we have lots of wisdom to share. A circle of women is a way to provide you with the support you are longing for. You have a place to go. A place to address your stress instead of denying it. And when you have totally lost perspective the circle helps you gain it back. Maybe women’s circles should be called sanity circles.
A circle of women that you feel safe with will give you the oasis you are looking for. Especial when life’s challenges arise. You won’t have to go it alone. You’ll have a nurturing group of women to turn to.
5. Community Is Created And You Feel Supported
Ahhh… now you’re in a circle. You feel supported. You have a group of women you can turn to on a regular basis where you feel heard and understood. A place where you feel supported and where you can give support. A place where women’s wisdom is shared and honored. You are now part of a community. You share similar beliefs, goals and desires.
There you can offer your wisdom as well as give it. You can get feedback and an objective point of view for an unclear situation in your life. This is the power of community. You are held in an energetic field of love, acceptance, and support.
These are the types of communities we need to create to establish a better world. A world based on love and connection instead of fear and separation.
6. Connecting To Our Ancient Ways of Matriarchy
As a woman, inside you is a seed of communication, cooperation, and co-creation. This comes from our ancient days of Martriacrchy. It’s in your DNA to want to get along. The downside of that is many of us have created a bad habit of going along to get along, sacrificing our own needs. And a patriarchal society hasn’t helped any.
Gathering regularly in a women’s circle activates the power of our ancient ways. The times when women were honored for their feminine wisdom and their connection to Mother Earth’s healing powers.
Making it easy for you with an Online Women’s Circle
I’ve been gathering women in my Sacred Zoom Room for a few years. Zoom is similar to Skype. You can see everyone who is gathered via video. It’s quite intimate and you don’t even have to leave the house.
More and more gatherings are becoming virtual like this.
It’s so much better than being home alone, watching some boring TV show, over-eating or having too much wine …. right?
I love my Sacred Zoom Room. I’ve had some awesome gatherings with women where we have cried and laughed and learned from each other. I would love to see you there.
An Online Women’s Circle is for you if you:
- Spend more evenings alone at night than you want to.
- Desire more nurturing supportive energy in your life.
- Are the only female in your household and want more interaction with women.
- Want a place to regain perspectives when life gets rough.
- Wish to be with other women of similar interests.
- Want to be with women seeking positive solutions.
- Know you have wisdom and want to stop second-guessing yourself.
I’m Anna-Thea, an author and Divine Feminine Educator. I educate women on self-love and emotional empowerment. Want to experience the benefits of a women’s circle? Make sure you register for our next online circle. Looking forward to seeing you in our circle of women!
This article was originally published at: www.annathea.org
If you would like to see the original article please visit: https://annathea.org/circle-of-women
