| Awakening the Goddess Within Monday August 16th, 2004 |
| Awakening the Goddess Within Monday August 16th, 2004 |
As we entered the Upper Room in the parish center, Mary Welch, the facilitator of the event, greeted us. On one table were a variety of cards with paintings of different women. Welch asked us to choose a card that spoke to us and hold on to it until later in the evening.
The evening started with a prayer and introductions. Twenty-two women gathered together, coming from a variety of backgrounds. There were mothers and grandmothers, nurses, social workers, consultants, and artists. Some of the women were married, some divorced, and some single. During our introductions we were to share why we came to this event. Many of the participants were searching for peace, direction, friendship, and support.
Once the introductions were completed, we were asked to finish the sentence “A goddess. . .”. As a large group we shared some of our responses. Some of them are as follows:
Our final group activity was to think of something we were “pregnant” with, something that we had inside of us and were ready to give birth to or to begin. We went around the room and shared what we were pregnant with 3 other people. I was amazed at all the different aspects of life people were pregnant with. Some of the common answers included un-cluttering and cleaning things out, finding a job, and becoming busy with another school year.
Finally, we discussed the cards we had chosen at the beginning of the evening. With a partner we discussed why we chose each picture. People had a variety of reasons why they chose their specific picture. Some thought the woman looked like herself. Others were reminded of important women in their lives. Yet, others just liked what the picture looked like.
As we closed the evening we all recited the prayer we began with. The evening was full of compassion, peace, and joy as 22 women gathered to share the goddesses within themselves. We left that evening with a reminder to accept our own divinity, which makes each one of us a goddess.
This prayer opened and closed our evening of Awakening the Goddess Within, which took place on Monday, August 16th.
'Goddesses' Janet Heirigs, Betty Hinker, Pat Walker, Jeanne Schaum, and Wendy Snyder
We also were asked to share symbols of the goddess. Our answers included a spiral, a circle, water, fire, earth, a dove, and rings. Welch then shared some international symbols of the goddess and their symbolism.
Once we discussed the different symbols and their meaning, Welch led us in an activity to transition us from “connecting to the earth” and “connecting to the body.” We used a variety of different balls and bounced them throughout the room.
If you are interested in learning more, Mary Welch(left) will be facilitating a retreat from Thursday. November 4th at 8:00 pm through Sunday, November 7th until noon. The retreat will be held at the Dunrovin Retreat Center, on the St. Croix, near Stillwater, MN. The cost for the weekend is $450.00, which includes all meals, a private room, and materials. For more information please contact Mary Welch at 763.566.6816 or email her at serendptycircles@aol.com.
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