On the 26th of May 2018 at Mind Body Spirit Festival in Olympia, London, Shakti Sundari (Priestess of Love & Sacred Sexuality) facilitated a sacred women’s circle.
With the support of her three assistants, Ania Anais Gaia, Bristena Georgiana and Celine Bourd, she created a space of celebration and honour of the divine feminine for fourteen beautiful ladies who showed up and answered the call of the Awakening Shakti.
In tribal cultures, women gather to create safe spaces amongst themselves.
Together they strengthen their bonds and discuss matters of feminine relevance. The practice of the Red Tent seems to be revitalised these days through women such as Shakti and many others who feel the need for such spaces of unconditional feminine presence, support and healing nourishment.
Today’s women are awakening to the fact that they are not alone in their struggles anymore. They realise they can come together to support each others blossoming, rather than continue to engage in patriarchal competitive attitudes against each other.
Of such nature was Shakti’s circle.
The circle started with an invocation led by Shakti, who called upon the Divine Feminine to support us with Her blessings and unconditional love. Shakti was reviving an ancient practice which, to the modern eye, seems silly or pointless. However, with an open mind and heart, one could maybe begin to feel a sense sacredness and safety in the air, without which a deeper exploration could not begin take place.
The circle continued with a Womb Greeting.
Every Shakti was warmly welcomed and received into the shared space. This initial greeting also carried a sacred feel to it. We don’t usually take the time to fully gift our attention, in turns, to members of a group. This deep acknowledgement of every individual woman, therefore, created a sense of equality and respect, a powerful entry point for our shared journey.
The Womb Greeting was followed by brief introductions from each woman.
Everyone shared their reason and intention for being in the space. What stood out collectively was a desire to be together in a safe space with women, with no judgements or feelings of animosity prevalent in some women’s past experiences.
Some expressed their vulnerability as they entertained the idea of joining such a circle, and their bravery was deeply received and appreciated. Someone even confessed her old belief that women are evil to each other, but was led to come here by a new impulse which spoke to the contrary. Indeed, this was to come true in such a gracious way.
After the introductions, Shakti invited everyone to drop into their bodies, to move and shake to the rhythms of the beautiful playlist she prepared for us.
The guided movements were intended to help connect with the sensuality, creativity and wildness that resides at the core of being a woman. Dancing the body became a bridge towards dancing the soul, and so our souls were awakened and our passions stirred, in deep recognition of each others beauty and uniqueness.
Dancing in groups of three was a beautiful moment, as we witnessed one another in our creative expression. To see one another and to be seen in return, what a powerful modality to remember our intrinsic worth and value, beyond ideas of right or wrong, good or bad.
The dancers then joined a big circle, which was led by Shakti in clockwise or anti-clockwise directions, clapping and cheering the joy of being alive, radiant and connected.
What ensued after the dance was the Angel Walk.
Women were asked to create two parallel lines. Each of us was invited to close our eyes and walk through the tunnel, receiving whispers of love and support.
Powerful statements such as You’re powerful, You’re strong, You’re wise, Thank you for being you, May all your dreams come true were addressed to each woman as she walked through the tunnel, showering her with blessings that she may have never received before.
After half the women passed through the tunnel, some began shedding healing tears of relief, deeply moved by the intensity and purity of the love that proved can be shared amongst women who maybe didn’t know each other before, in deep recognition of their shared values and beauty.
Finally, there wasn’t one woman more beautiful, more successful or more intelligent than another!
There was simply a shared feeling of togetherness and unity which broke the metaphorical waters and allowed us to shed, even just for a few moments, the protective masks that we usually carry.
Indeed, the Angel Walk felt like a movement out of the primordial womb, to be reborn into the world with increased strength, trust and generosity.
The last exercise of the circle brought us together in groups of three or four to practice giving and receiving.
Shakti remarked that her recent experiences with women’s work revealed a common thread in relation to the idea of allowing.
By giving someone what they want or need, we allow them to give us in return what we want or need. Also, women sometimes find it hard to ask for what they want, so this exercise was going to be an opportunity to practice such an important aspect of relating to ourselves and the world.
We were therefore invited to take turns and ask for touch, massage, advice, or simply to be listened to. We followed the instructions and found ourselves in such a deep space of unconditional giving and receiving.
The groups shape-shifted and formed according to each woman’s wish and became such a pleasure to look at some women were being hugged, others were holding hands, listening to each other and providing the comfort and nourishment that they needed.
In my little group, one beautiful woman expressed how healing this experience was for her.
She had been having issues around affirming herself in front of other women, and this led to her having a dysfunctional relationship with her female boss. She confessed that seeing other women weep during the Angel Walk opened her up to the realisation that is it safe to be vulnerable with other women, that we share the same sorrows and joys. It was a big breakthrough for her, and her sharing deeply touched us. Her beauty and power were astounding especially because they arose from a space of such heartfelt sensitivity.
That moment made my day!
The circle ended with a gentle sound bath.
The repetitive beats of the shamanic drum, combined with the soothing tones of the Tibetan singing bowls, the playful sounds of the hapi drum and the angelic voices of the assistants created an immersive atmosphere which facilitated the integration of the insights and feelings that arose during the shared time together.
What a precious gem of an experience that was!
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, coming together as women to hold space for one another as we awaken to our deeper nature is extremely powerful, transformational and inspiring.
Thank you Shakti for facilitating this workshop. You are a great teacher, space-holder and facilitator. You bring so much authenticity, joy and radiance to everyone that crosses your path. It was a pleasure and honour to assist and learn with and from you.
Shakti is now offering her Dancing the Goddess dancing circle in London every Thursday, as well as planning an Awakening Shakti year group soon. Stay tuned for more women's work events by visiting her website https://www.shaktisundari.com/
Photo credit: Celine Bourd
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Bristena aka Diary of a Free Spirit