How to Lead A Women’s Circle
Image taken at our Rising Women Leaders retreat in Bali
Leading a women’s circle is a deeply fulfilling way to foster connection, healing, and sisterhood. A women’s circle is more than a gathering; it’s a sacred space where women come together to be seen, heard, and supported in their authenticity. If you’ve been called to lead a circle but feel unsure about where to start, this guide will help you structure, prepare, and facilitate your first women’s circle with confidence.
What is a Women’s Circle?
A women’s circle is a sacred space where women join together to be seen, heard and witnessed. It’s a space of empowerment, to have your beauty and brilliance reflected back to you. It’s a space to drop the layers and share your true self. Honesty and authenticity are honored. It is a safe space where we come together with intention and share from our hearts. It’s a place to release, to remember our innate wisdom and open to connect with others and all of life. In a circle, the energy is equal, free from hierarchy, for each woman to feel safe and witnessed. It’s an opportunity to honor our intuition, remember our innate wisdom, and connect with other women, (free from jealousy and comparison).
Why Women Are Being Called to Circle?
Modern women are rediscovering the power of gathering in sacred spaces, echoing ancient traditions that were suppressed for centuries.
Women’s Circles offer:
Meaningful Connection: Depth, intimacy, and collective wisdom arise naturally in this space.
Empowerment: A space to gain confidence in your voice and activate your unique gifts.
Healing Ancient Wounds: A space to reclaim the right to gather, share, and create in community is a profound act of healing from the Witch Wound many Priestesses still carry.
When designing a circle, here are some guidelines to get started:
1. Set Your Intention
Decide what you hope to offer through this circle. Envision the energy you wish to cultivate and set a protective boundary around the space to ensure alignment.
2. Choose the Space
Options range from online platforms to cozy living rooms or rented community spaces like a yoga studio. Ensure the environment feels inviting and supportive. It helps to have pillows to sit on, or chairs available for those who need it.
3. Energetically Prepare Yourself and the Space
Use self-care rituals such as salt scrubs and essential oils to energetically cleanse your body and mind before holding space. You may like to dress your best, aligning with your inner Priestess. Cleanse the physical and energetic space with sage, opening the windows or using essential oils. Consider incorporating sensory elements—like flowers, candles, incense, strawberries or tea—to enhance the experience.
4. Create an Altar
Consider your intentions for the space and bring sacred objects to create an anchor in the center of the circle. You may also invite participants to contribute objects representing their intentions. Include elements such as a bowl of water for the water element, a crystal for the earth element, a candle for the fire element, and a feather to represent the air element in the space.
5. Create a Pre-Ritual Before Your Gathering
Connect with your intention. Connect with spirit, source, your guides, and create a grounding cord connecting your Sacral and Root chakras to the center of the Earth. Then speak your personal prayer, especially around “Becoming the Vessel,” allowing spirit to speak through you in the circle.
Enrollment is Open for our Priestess Initiation + Women’s Circle Facilitation Training
Add structure to Your Women’s Circle
The masculine element of structure allows the feminine to feel safe to feel, flow and let go in a circle. This creates an environment where women feel safe to share and connect.
The Opening
Begin with grounding breaths, centering the group, and slowly opening their eyes to the center of the circle, the beautiful altar you’ve created, and then up into the eyes of the other sisters. Create a space of warmth by sharing your gratitude for everyone being there, why you felt called to create the space and what your intentions are for the circle. You may also like to acknowledge the moon cycle or seasonal phase, and if we are near any high holy days of the year.
Offer Guidelines and Agreements
Take a moment to let people know where the bathroom is, and it is totally fine to take care of yourselves in the space. Establish clear expectations:
Respect confidentiality. (What’s shared here stays here, invite women to raise up their palms to honor this)
Speak with intention and listen with compassion (Try to stay in your body when listening, rather than planning what you’re going to say)
Allow vulnerability and tears to flow without apologies
Create Sacred Space
This is where the magic of a women’s circle really begins. We enter the everyday consciousness into liminal space, where deep insight and wisdom emerges. The facilitator may like to call in their guides, angels and protectors, light a candle and/or call in the directions. If it feels right, holding hands at this moment creates an energy of unity as we step into sacred space.
This is your time to embody the High Priestess:
Open to become a channel for spirit
Be completely present in the moment
Maintain a connection with your heart and imagine your words coming directly from the heart
Sharing and Prompts
Use a talking stick or crystal to pass clockwise, building the energy of the space. Allow each participant to share based on the prompt. Offer prompts such as:
What is your name and intention for being here?
What are you releasing and bringing today?
Why did you feel called to this circle?
You may then like to go around a second time for a longer share, more specifically answering a question related to the theme of the circle.
Experiential Practices or Rituals
Incorporate an activity like journaling, singing, meditation, sound healing or ritual to deepen the experience. You may like to pair people up or create small groups to foster connection within the group. Rituals, such as lighting candles, picking up a rose and claiming your intention for the new season are some simple ideas to create ritual in the space.
Offer a Cohesive Closing
Ask participants to share what they found valuable, their takeaways, or what they wish to commit to moving forward. (Sharing counterclockwise around the circle helps to close and seal the energy). Thank the guides, angels and protectors for holding the sacred space. Thank the directions if you called them in at the beginning. Close with a blessing, song, an om or moment of silence holding hands to seal the circle.
Promoting Your Circle
Start small with friends or free events to build confidence. Use social media platforms, flyers, or word-of-mouth to invite participants. Tools like Canva can help you create attractive graphics to post online or text to friends. As your experience grows, consider transitioning to paid events or series.
Final Thoughts
Leading a women’s circle is an act of courage and service, an opportunity to embody the archetype of the Priestess and create transformative spaces. With preparation, intention, and presence, you’ll not only guide others in their healing and empowerment but also deepen your own connection to the sacred feminine within.
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