Erica brings deep love, care and magic to everything she does. She touches the hearts of the women she works with deeply, holding their lives, their gifts and potential as sacred. In doing so, she treats them as flowers ready to unfold, helping them to gently and courageously open to themselves, to a community of sisters and to the greater currents of life.
This ceremony was created as a self-blossoming of who we were born to be, of our authentic, core and essence SELF, to inspire a flowering of our highest destiny, our soul’s expression, and the realization of our magnificence- to give birth to our self. The lunar cycle was overlaid onto the map of the Dance Our Way Home practice for this ceremony, offering each phase of the moon as a metaphor for and an invitation to the stages of blossoming. Gentle initiations and tasks were designed to move us from one phase to the next. *Please note that this map is my own loose interpretation of the lunar cycle. Oh how I LOVE my work!
In gratitude:
Before I share the day with you I want to express my deep gratitude to ALL the women in attendance, and to a few women in particular. Big love goes out to Kyla Landon for being Goddess of Door, as well as assisting in the whole set up and close down of the space. Thank you to Debbie Charles for creating our beautiful altar. FYI: Sarah Blagg created the painting which was the main part of the altar. Thank you, Sarah. Huge gratitude goes out to Guiomar Campbell for bringing her drums and positive vibes. Once again, she came through with such joy and talent! And lastly, I would be remiss not to mention my gratitude and joy for the 6 adventurous dancing divas who travelled up from Buffalo NY. and Pennsylvania. Thank you Kimberly and Mary Ellen for manifesting that caravan.
“And the day came when the risk to remain in a bud, was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin
The flow of the day went like this:
We started in a large seated circle on the floor where the invitation, intro, principles and tips for DOWH, and the format of the day/ceremony, were shared. We then did a go-round the circle where each woman said her name and proclaimed, “I am committed to my full blossoming”, or something similar. (There is something very powerful about stating an intention aloud for others to hear!)
We then began the journey in the Dark Moon phase, the place of mystery, where the task and invitation was to empty, surrender, accept and explore the unknown. Dropped down to mats, women were guided into a “Visualization of Relaxation & Mystery”, connecting to the earth below, to soften their bodies and minds and become open vessels between earth and sky, and surrender to peace and the dark mystery of who they are. Once up onto our feet, we continued to relax from head to toe, preparing for the first dance of the day, a “Personal Dance of Mystery” where our focus was internal and personal, allowing ourselves time to dream, quietly and gently moving, dropping in, dropping down, and emptying out.
The initiation from the Dark to the New Moon was explored in a “Fertile Ground Dance” where our task was to feel and sense, to make the earth of our body fertile and rich with awareness and presence, listening to and trusting in our own movement impulses and stirrings.
When we arrived at the New Moon phase of the journey our task was to find the Keeper of the Seed of our authentic self, in a “Finding the Keeper of the Seed Dance” where the One who had been holding our authentic seed for our whole life was met. Who was she? We danced with Her. We allowed Her to be felt, seen and moved. We asked Her to trust us with our seed as we did a “Receiving the Seed Dance”, telling Her of our commitment to blossoming. She needed to know that we were committed to it. The invitation was to see and feel Her giving up the seed, and explore the seed's uniqueness and preciousness as a gift.
In the initiation from New Moon to Waxing Moon, in our “Planting Dance”, it was our task to willingly give up something that held/holds us back from fully accepting this new seed by shake up and soften the earth of our body. Using the medicine of shaking we let go, trusting our body/mind to know exactly what it needed to surrender and release. Then we placed the seed within us, feeling its roots growing down towards the earth. We moved and danced around the room, travelling with our invisible roots while the tiny and fragile seed was kept in safe-keeping in our body, mind and heart. As we passed each other in our dance, we acknowledged and supported her by saying: “I honour your fragile and tiny seed”.
In the phase of the Waxing Moon, or the bud or budding stage of our being, it was the time of growing, playing, expressing and exploring. We did a “Budding Partner Dance” where the task was to play and be seen, to show up authentically and creatively.
We completed the morning portion of the ceremony with an Art/Journal Piece, where we wrote on the art paper “I am commitment to my full blossoming” and then drew and wrote about our 'mystery, to seed, to bud' movement experience.
In the afternoon, the initiation from Waxing Moon to Full Moon, from bud to blossom, we affirmed our power and glory, in seated circles of 6 and 7 women. One at a time, each woman sat in the middle of their circle, closed their eyes and received inspiration words of praise from all the women around her, all at once! (I’ve done this before, and it feels like being showered with positivity and love.)
From there we arrived at the Full Moon, the full blossom. Our task was to SHINE! It was a time to celebrate and radiate, to smell the sweet nectar of our heart lotus, to feel beautiful, abundant and alive. It was a time to be free, to grow wings and fly. Inspired by a long delicious DJ’ed set, along with the use of shakers and scarves, we danced our “Blossoming Free Dances”, followed by a large “Communal Blossom Dance” in a circle. Guiomar Campbell accompanied us with her brilliant dumbek grooves. We took turns dancing in the centre in 2s, 3s, 4s and more, sharing the flowering of our self, our wings, and the fullness of our being.
In the initiation from Full Moon to Waning Moon we became a beacon for others to be of service, to be the great giveaway to share the fruits of our wisdom and blossoming. We did a “Witnessing and Sharing Partner Dance” where one woman was the witness while the other danced, and then the roles were switched. (This kind of witnessing, with open heart, body and mind, is rarely experienced in our lives. There is potency in this kind of mutually held space of connection.)
Arriving at the Waning Moon we began the journey back into the darkness, back to self to unite with spirit and all that is, to spiral back to the great mystery in gratitude. We danced a "Back to Self Dance", and then finished our Art Piece. We closed with the sound "AH" for and from the heart, and a final go-round offering a movement or gesture as closure and giveaway to the circle.
The whole day, for me, was a great blessing. To witness each woman come into their own dance, to connect and share this sacred journey, was and always is such a great honour.
*This day was the second ‘pay-what-u-want’ retreat that I have offered and based on the numbers, as well as the blessing and joy it was for me, I will definitely do it again! Come fall I hope to do another 2 or 3, so stay tuned for that!
FYI: Here’s a sampling of some of the CDs I played:
Dreamland (Laura Nashman & Michael Moon)
Afro Celts
Vas
Sadhana
Bellylicious
Dead Can Dance
African Travels
Brazilectro
Soul 2 Soul
Sounds from the Ground
Slumdog Millionaire
Ekova
Sade
I will leave you with a beautiful poem created by Brenda Clews written at the retreat. Thank you, Brenda!
Bramble Rose
Petals edges
butterfly wings
blue powder.
Blossoming
from the hips.
Singing
hip-hop shaking
strutting
struggle with closed bud
of a cocoon.
Here to blossom.
A whole life
to unfurl.
Unexpected, that.
It never gets boring.
The unflown flying.
Petals in the wind, pink,
blue dusting to indigo.
This sun, this rain
never felt before.
Be the valley of women dancing.
Be the flowers, and the earth,
and the wind, and the moon.
Tattoo me on your skin.
Ink me in colours of the meadow,
a blossoming bramble
rose
As I dance the opulent
blossoming
of you.