Honouring the Journey

At the end of our first year together, I offered to mark the anniversary by organising a Wild Women Weekend. We had met fortnightly for 12 months. During this time, we had journeyed together, discovering the beauty and strength of each other's creative spirit, so it seemed fitting to mark this journey with a private gathering and celebration. I booked a large house on the shores of Ullswater and each member of the group covered part of the cost. The arrangement was that we would each bring food and drink to share, poems to read and that some of us would facilitate creative workshops over the three days.

I remember the Friday evening, as we each arrived, bringing with us our gifts and excitement. It felt deliciously indulgent to take those three days, just for ourselves, and over the weekend we shared much laughter and even more food. We also did yoga in the morning sunshine, wrote stories in the woods, danced our souls out, drummed, chanted and performed spells for our coming year. Ruth and Gill did readings with the Tarot and we talked and walked and sang in the moonlight. We wore party frocks with only ourselves to dress up for, and we slumped around in our PJ's eating late breakfasts. In those special moments, we not only got to know ourselves more deeply, but we also got to connect even more meaningfully with each other. At the end of the weekend, we each left feeling refreshed, exhausted, deepened, well fed, more aware and celebrated. As one woman wrote in our group diary "Ready to take on the world!"

Guilty? Never... our usual feasting on the Wild Women Weekend (2002)
L - R Gill, Sal, Yvonne, Ruth, Celia, Kim, Alison, Rosie

Despite pressures of family, work and other commitments (which so often make even the wildest woman postpone her time for another moment), the commitment to gather on our annual retreat has remained and each year, whatever is going on, we make the trek (sometimes through 3 foot snow!) to meet. It has become such an institution that partners, friends and children now know to expect us to be gone at a certain time, as the spring creeps in! I always meet with amused (and often envious) comments when I telephone to book whichever house we are staying in and say it is for our annual Wild Women Retreat. We have stayed in farmhouses, up mountains, on the lake shores, in luxury and most recently, in ancient dwellings, all within our local Cumbria. Why go anywhere else when we live somewhere so wonderful? And over the years, we have danced, cooked up spells and feasts, written stories, and poems, drummed, done yoga and reiki, had aromatherapy massages, built bonfires, sung songs, walked moonlight processions, cleared chakras, drawn pictures, baked breads and created magic.

As the years go by, I have come to understand some of what is so special and precious about this time. Even though we no longer meet regularly, we endeavour to gather for this special time and we honour each other's journeys, giving witness to the path we have travelled, giving time and space to share our experiences, our hearts and the blood, sweat, tears and joys they have brought with them. We celebrate the steps we have taken, and we hold each other as we walk through the hard times. Last spring, as I sat and listened to our conversation, I was so moved by the privilege of being part of these incredible stories, of being able to come together to give testimony to the spirit and courage and humanity of these women, me included. In a busy world, where so much becomes disjointed and transient, this is a unique gift and one to be treasured. I can't help thinking that this gathering is vital to the Wild Woman journey and would encourage everyone to do the same.

This year we shared our 7th retreat, and to celebrate this journey point, we have decided to treat ourselves to an extra retreat at Samhain (October). As the moon waxes full, the Wild Women will be gathering again, to share our stories and dance around the cookfire and howl in celebration of the wild spirit and love that joins our journeys together.