Ceremonial performance followed by council around a fire, duration: 2 hours, The Glade, Dartington.
Allies: The Grandmothers, drum, menstrual blood, stone, fire, the directions, flowers, trees, birds, roots.
The Glade Performance
I gather materials, agencies / allies. Flowers from my garden, pieces of slate and river water from the woods, dark black mud from the moor, two jars of menstrual blood collected from the last two months bleed, objects for the altar, my granny’s perfume, sage, candle, small jar of salt.
I arrive at the Glade and find a space under some trees. I demarcate a small circle with sticks in the ground for the directions – I orientate myself in this small space – I usually sit or stand in the West and face East – or this is what has naturally occurred recently. A fire is lit under the parachute which stands behind the hut to the South. Slight rain falls and the women arrive. I set up the directions with a few objects in each – candle for East, fire dragon for South, large stone for West, and the tip of an antler for North.
I greet the women by the fire and then we come to the ceremonial space. I first light the candle and drum in the directions and call in the ancient Grandmothers. I ask each woman to take 4 stones, 1 for each of their grandmothers, 1 for their mothers and 1 for themselves – and ask them to place the stones around the outside edge of the circle and speak the names of these women, both the maiden names and married names. It was very powerful to hear these names spoken and have the stones placed on the earth – my heart felt incredibly moved, tender, tearful - yet strong in the honouring of these women (here present in flesh and in spirit). I felt the gathering of the grandmothers, their potency and power was palpable.
Then I poured salt over the slate stones, around the outside edge of the circle – then I poured river water around the circle – so that the circle was very clear and had these elemental powers to enforce it – to protect it. I then took off my clothes and brought the mud and the blood into the centre of the circle. I began by mixing the mud and blood in a small bowl – squelching through my fingers. Then I rub this mix onto my lower belly, my womb, abdomen, and around my hips and across to my sacrum. I keep rubbing and feeling this ‘seat of power’ – this throne – that is my hips, belly and womb.
I then rub the mud/blood mix onto the under sides of my breasts – again all the ‘undersides’ or ‘insides’ of my body called out to me. My inner thights and legs, the soles of my feets, my heart, my neck and throat, and my solar plexus. I speak of the wound here, in my solar plexus, the emptiness I can sometimes feel here – and I honour the emptiness, a deep bow to the potency of its unknowingness and yet continuous revelations.
I ask someone to rub mud onto my back, my spine – the back of my heart – and B steps in and does this. I cry from the care and contact – and the comforting pleasure of having my back rubbed.
I then pour the remaining blood all over me, over my forehead and it runs like a river down all over my body – there’s a lot of it – which surprises me – and it’s everywhere, all over my face, dripping into my eyes and mouth. I welcome the mess - the mess of life, of birth, of being here in a body - and yet am slightly embarrassed, to be seen like this.
Then I feel sound in my throat and 'voice' wanting to happen. I’d rubbed earth specifically on my throat and neck, to support my voice – to let it come – in it’s wild raw, uncivilised way - in fact, in an attempt to give over my voice to the Grandmothers. It comes in fits and spurts but really, as I look up into the trees, all I want to do is listen to the silence, to the birds – I feel so thirsty to listen - so thirsty for silence, that exists with the sounds of the woods. My voice doesn’t flow and I don’t want to push it.
So I invite the women in, if they feel moved to enter the circle. P comes in and does a full body prostration on the earth, tears in her eyes. D takes off her clothes and steps in naked and sits beside me – I make noise – some kind of animal noise, like a growl of happiness, a sound of the sense of togetherness I feel. I want to anoint these women, I feel a movement – but I stop myself – because of the mess of the mud and blood and some shame perhaps or fear of rejection - and also the thought: who am I to anoint anyone! I stands outside the circle and moves fluidly in and out of a bowing gesture. H and A come in to kneel on the earth and to rub earth on their faces and hands. It is very strong and sweet to be with these women in this way. Noise, or voice, happens together, for a while, letting the waves of sound come... and resting in this potent space we created. We then go to the fire to sit in a circle and speak. What transpires is that the women felt their Grandmothers present, the ceremony reminded some of the birth of their daughters - daughters, granddaughters, nieces all became part of the ceremony - so we women sat in-between, behind the ancient Grandmothers - in front the daughters.
Feedback:
I arrived at the venue with some trepidation, not really knowing what to expect, and was immediately put at ease by the welcome from Heidi and Zanna who were holding the event. The space is beautiful and peaceful. A fire was made in the circle which felt very comforting. The plan for the afternoon was explained clearly and with gentleness which allowed me to feel safe and open to what was happening. The ceremony was simple, intimate and deeply touching. Zanna was very open about the process she was going through and created a permissive and accepting atmosphere which helped me to take part in a spontaneous and honest way. I felt no pressure to be a certain way. The council circle which followed was very nourishing. I was touched by each woman's contribution, I appreciated the opportunity to honour the women of my family. I felt enriched by the sharings and grateful to have the opportunity to express myself and be heard. Having spent a lot of time on my own recently, I really noticed how beneficial this experience was for my sense of wellbeing, to be with others in such an open and honest way in this nurturing beautiful space. I hope to return to the Glade for more of this!
Zanna's performance was a journey of remembering and reclaiming our ancient roots as women of the earth.
Ceremony offers a simple container for profound transformation on an individual, community and environmental level
This was a magical experience where spirit was invited in and given the space to be followed. An honour to witness and life affirming to be part of. Deeply enriching to my life. Thank you.
Sense of deep connection- togetherness- being a part of a much larger web of life- with nature/ ancestors/ future generations. Very supportive and nourishing to be with women... to feel the potential of strong relationships/ when we come together/ sit together/ be together.... we humans need ceremony in our lives- to enrich it and give it meaning and depth and connection.
Being part of a group, being listened to and hearing others, being in the elements and walking barefoot. Feeling inspired by others.
Honoring our bodies and our grandmothers.
The blurring boundaries between performance, prayer and ceremony.
Being part of a group of women and connected to something bigger.
A sense of connectedness with myself, others, the natural world and the support that comes from that.
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