Pandemic lockdown in America started three years ago this week.
We all sorta remember what we were doing around then, right? Like the JFK assassination or 9/11, there are moments that cause a visceral before and after memory of ourselves and our world. And though it affected all of us differently, the truth is that this period in time has changed everyone in some way.
How did the last three years change you?
What broke your heart? What kept you afloat?
What do you want to hold onto, and what are you ready to leave behind?
Grab a journal and reflect on these questions.
Leave a comment below and let me know what your answers are.
And if you identify as a woman+, come talk about your answers with us: we'll be centering these questions at this Sunday's virtual women's circle. Read more about it below.
Wherever the last three years has left you, I'm glad you're still here.
I hope you remember that there was no other version of your life except for the one you're living right now.
And what a gift to all of us your unique, sensitive, sometimes "extra", emotional, and tender-hearted life is.
xo
Melissa
About the virtual women's circle on March 19th...
We'll do a short grounding meditation, hold space for each other's stories, and then I'll guide some breathwork to release the stuff that lives beneath our words. Though you can always share whatever is on your heart that day, these inquiries will give us a foothold on what might need to be witnessed from this period in time. Whether it's lingering pandemic-related stress or simply the pain of being a sensitive human in a fraught world, breathwork can untangle the "issues in our tissues" and release the stuff you're ready to be free of.
I've seen how the exact group of women that gathers in each circle contains the healing for one another...how there is an alchemy and synchronicity to those present.
There are a few spots left; your story and unique experience would be nourishing to us all.
Come join us.
More about the virtual women's circle
If you're longing for more community...
A gently facilitated space where you can laugh, cry, and connect with a group of supportive women...
Some grounding tools and rituals that you can take back with you into your every day life...
Come to the virtual women's circle
This circle will include:
Compassionate witnessing: Sharing your truth in a supportive group of women without judgement, anyone trying to fix you, or being given advice: we are simply holding sacred space for each other’s experiences
Support given and received through active listening: It’s amazing how hearing someone else's truth can be a salve for our own pain, and also remind us that we’re not alone
Simple breathwork practices to take back to regular life: I’ll lead some grounding visualizations, a closing breathwork ceremony, and incorporate some small rituals that create a sacred container for our circle
A template for starting a circle of your own: If you’ve ever wanted to start a circle or group of your own, this is a chance to experience one version (and take what you want, leave what you don’t)
THIS CIRCLE IS FOR YOU IF:
You identify as a woman+: This is a group aimed at the experience of women+. Please know that if you identify as a woman or femme in any way you are welcome in this inclusive space
You long for more community, connection, and support
You’re willing to practice being vulnerable by witnessing and sharing with other open-hearted women
THIS CIRCLE MIGHT NOT BE FOR YOU IF:
You are not fully available during this time. In order to cultivate intimacy and trust in a virtual setting, it’s important that you are fully present on screen and willing to participate. (Basically, this is not a place to simply observe or keep your camera off the entire time. In order to create a container of safety we want you with us, even if you’ve got unwashed hair and peanut butter on your shirt! Wait, is that just me?)
You are in the midst of crisis (the circle can compliment therapy but is not a substitute for it)
If all of that sounds like you, I’d love to have you join us at the virtual women’s circle.
Date: Sunday March 19th 2023
Time: 11-12:30pm PST
$25
Sign up here
This amount supports the technical costs associated with this circle, as well as the bandwidth I use to facilitate it. If it presents a financial hardship, please just reach out to me - I don’t want that to be a barrier.
I am so looking forward to sharing space with you.