Recovering & Reclaiming

My Reflection

I heard her voice in springtime's breeze
Near quiet ponds in wooded trees
She beckoned me, "come look to see,
reflections of my soul in thee!"

I gazed in the water & saw her daughter
a flowered maiden of beauty rare
and she was me when young & free
& sunbeams danced upon my hair...

In waters maze, I watched her change
to a Mother filled with Life & Power
Her arms embraced a lovers face
and children born of wild desire...

Then shifting like a sunset sky
came a silver witch with laughing eyes
a Crone of vision, steeped in wisdom,
speaking truths of endless time...

With joy I wept as musings came
and ancient echoes spoke my name
for I was blessed in sacred space
awakening to Love's embrace...

In Nature's glass 'twas plain to see
a changing woman I would be
that grace and beauty did reside
to weave my life of shifting tides...

At last I felt my Spirit rise
to dance beneath the moonlit skies
for as the mountain and the sea
She is the Goddess, mirrored as Me!

Lady J - 1986
Women's Spirituality
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To Thee I Sing...

When fragrant colored flowers bloom
with beauty from your sacred womb
I'll paint some rainbows in the sky
As fairies trail your sweet perfume...

When rivers flow in rhythmic rhyme
'round leaves of green & twisted vines
I'll fill my cup of blessings be
As children play and lovers twine...

When grains come forth in summer glee
and milk & honey spring from thee,
I'll fill my bowl with juicy fruits
And bounty from your swaying trees...

When starlight glows in blackened skies
and drops of moonbeam kiss my eyes
I'll howl to the beat of trancing drums
while swirling sparks from fires rise...

When sunlight warms my sacred space
or moonlight glows upon my face
I'll make a shrine of crystal stones
reflecting all your radiant grace...

Oh Goddess... it's to you I sing
I give you thanks for every thing
for sensual magic wild and free
and joyful pleasures that you bring...

In gratitude for all I've known,
For lessons learned, for places roamed,
for freedom's song in heart and soul
I dance the Earth, my sacred home...

Silverwitch
Sisters in the Sacred Circle welcome
all Recovering & Reclaiming Women!

RECOVERY is returning to the authentic self
through a transformational journey that alters
our consciousness and perception of reality.
It is a deep healing process that restores us to a
genuine state of health on every level of being....
Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual.

RECLAIMING is restoring our oneness with
Spirit & Nature, while embracing a way of life
that honors our unique mysteries as women,
made in the image & likeness of the Goddess.
It is a path that celebrates our power, wisdom,
& oneness with all things in the great web of life!

Many dis-eases, whatever the symptoms, are caused by
inner or outer disharmony rooted in delusions of the mind.
These mindsets are created by our conditioning in
Patriarchy and by living in dysfunctional systems that
sever our ability to flow with natural forces & cycles of life.

To RECOVER, we must go through a process of reclaiming
mind, body & soul by uncovering, discovering & discarding
everything that stands in the way of being whole,  for only
through a process self-examination, amendment, change &
transformation, of recovering & reclaiming, can we truly be
empowered enough to live authentically and harmoniously
in the world.

In The Sacred Circle, we utilize the Steps of Recovery while
embracing a spiritual path that honors Nature and Spirit to
restore the fragmented pieces of our soul lost to us in Patriarchy.
Many of us developed mind-sets & grave emotional patterns
leading to deterioration of the soul and dysfunctional living,
but we are clear that deep healing, change and transformation
is possible when we seek a way of living that reconnects us
with the divine, with the Earth & with our unique mysteries.

Blessed Be





CALLING ALL WOMEN!
The Healing Has Begun!

The Sacred Circle has welcomed hundreds of women from all walks of life
for 25 years now because reclaiming our unique mysteries as women
is vital to our complete recovery, healing, happiness and fulfillment.

Every women in the world needs recovery from Patriarchy, on one level or another,
because we've all been subjected to the effects of a male-dominated world and
need to find our own sense of worth, importance and value in order to heal.

Most women struggle all their lives with underlying discomfort, pain or abuses
resulting from the underlying beliefs and actions of a patriarchal culture, and this
alone produces numerous forms of stress, depression, dis-ease & dysfunctional living.

Many sisters come to the circle because they have a void inside they can't seem to fill,
even if they've been in therapy or recovery for a long time, have the best education, or
have all they need in the material world to keep them comfortable. We understand.

Many of us also discovered that a number of "issues" unique to women are overlooked
in Twelve Step Programs simply because the program was created by men for men
and doesn't focus on issues that relate to women. Even the language of the 12 Steps
can be challenging to both men and women at times, especially if they don't relate
to patriarchal thinking or systems of patriarchal religion.

Because 12 Step Programs unconsciously reinforce images of Patriarchal religion, this can
be a great stumbling block to women who struggle with codependency and low self esteem.
Also... many addictive women need deeper healing from the abuses of Patriarchy alone,
so trying to fit into another patriarchal system, even in recovery, can be one more way
to completely sabotage ourselves from the freedom from bondage we are seeking.

WE HAVE FOUND THAT NOTHING HAS DONE MORE DAMAGE
TO FEMALES THAN PATRIARCHAL RELIGION!  NOTHING!

A great majority of women don't understand this because they've been
enmeshed in Patriarchal systems for so long that it has become a normal
way of life to them and they are unable to discern the differences.

THERE IS HOPE FOR ALL WOMEN!

No matter what our symptoms are:  internalized oppression, codependency, obesity,
compulsive disorders, depression, chemical  imbalances, allergies or addictions to people,
work, money, sex, food, alcohol, pills, drugs or other substances, every woman in recovery
today must address this core issue and break away from patriarchal mindsets if she really
wants to heal her life and live authentically. This can also mean embracing a spiritual path
that celebrates who we are as women; one that makes sense, one that mirrors our sacredness;
one that helps us recognize our unique values and mysteries in the divine scheme of things.

Just like many women today, I too struggled innocently and ignorantly for many years,
giving my power away to people, places, things and the numerous beliefs of Patriarchy.
My life was filled with shame, confusion, rage, sadness, self-loathing and boredom
until I began reclaiming a spiritual tradition and way of life that honored women.
This is when everything changed for the better & today I'm the best I've ever been.

Recovery & Reclaiming brings the empowerment of an authentic life,
a life that mirrors our true values and abilities as women because we learn to
integrate our inner life with our outer life to bring authenticity and integrity,
and that's why we created 13 Steps in our Circle rather than 12.

13 relates to the Mother Earth, the Moon, and Feminine mysteries.
It is a magical number because it corresponds to the 13 lunar cycles
that regulate a woman's bleeding cycles and her cycles of fertility.
13 is not divisible and also refers to the right hemisphere of the brain
which is the doorway to the soul and connection with divine energies.
Since the Goddess is the Soul of Nature, Woman Magic is Earth Magic,
and because Nature deals with the powers and cycles of life, sustenance,
aging, dying and regeneration, like women, we must all reclaim our natural
wisdom and power if we truly want to reclaim our authenticity.

Many of us in the Circle have discovered the root cause of our discomfort and
dysfunction and that's a gift that frees us in ways never dreamed possible.

Some of us also discover that we haven't been seeing ourselves as we truly are,
even in our programs, that we've been brainwashed for centuries by the very
religions and cultural systems that say they have our best interest at heart.

Women have been living a "lying story" for a long time now,
enforced by religious myth and the sleeping humanity around them.
If we want to heal our lives,  we must look for safe places to reconnect and
embrace our feminine spirits, divinity, sacredness and ancient wisdom.

Many of us in the Circle still attend our recovery meetings on a regular basis
and are eternally grateful for the gifts we receive from 12 Step Programs.

The Sacred Circle is not a recovery program, nor is it a substitute for recovery.
It is merely an enhancement to our recovery because it allows us to step out
of male-dominated mind-sets long enough to look into a different mirror,
one that reveals our natural gifts, one that mirrors our true feminine
beauty, power, wisdom and magic; one that breaks the chains that bind us!

The Circle provides sharing circles, celebrations, studies, education, and
new ways of honoring life so we can release ourselves from the bondage of the
past and live authentically and freely with dignity and joy in the present.

So feel free to join us in our celebration
of recovery, reclaiming, and the joys of womanhood.

Remember: To Thine Own Self be True!

Mama J