circle in

one of my (isn't it nice how we can use "no caps" as a way to express a mood?) things on my 103 Things list is to form a circle, one of sisterhood. the grrrls.

i think i'm ready to get serious about it.
my intentions and bends of mind fluctuate with the times. as does all of life, i suppose.
sometimes i put particular things away for months at a time. and then a friend asks something like "have you done anything of a magical nature, lately?" and i reply "no... but this time of year is always when i get serious about it again." how can a girl start to gather herbs and watch pumpkins grow, and not have visions of herb craft? (even if she somehow forgot to plant pumpkins this year?)
i think that we have such a natural communion with nature in the summer - we spend much of our time outdoors, we come inside smelling of tomato leaves and earth, and scents of summer and sun are constantly wafting as the children dash by.
we live it so fully that making a formal commitment to Be with nature just seems... unnecessary.

so it's now starting to be That Time again.
seed gathering. cutting for drying. the nights are starting to get a bit cooler. the sun disappears much earlier. and now the next moons will bear the names of "Harvest Moon" and "Blood Moon". as surprising as it is, even in the neighborhood the very first signs of autumn have begun. the fruit is falling to the ground. in the middle of the night i hear the rustle as pears fall, sweeping the lower leaves with a long swoosh, and hear the inevitable thump as they hit the ground. we even have a couple of branches in the neighborhood that have begun to fade into yellow.

it has begun.

remembering my friend's question, i start to ruminate over the way of things.

yes. a circle.

what is it that i need or desire?
what, exactly, do i envision?

Magic, i think. or Magick, if you please.
a solid Circle of empowered and empowering Energy.
a solid Circle of Girls creating, materializing, envisioning, intending, manifesting, purifying, rejoicing, embracing, and internalizing.
following no formal laws that don't suit us. (except for Harm None, of course.)
sometimes quiet and contemplative when the Sisterhood needs it.
sometimes loud, cackling, and drunken :) when we need that.
sometimes a blessing of a child, sometimes blessings poured on the head and heart of a Mama. Sometimes a prayer, sometimes a Universal Request. sometimes demanding, sometimes reverent.
i have visions of being empowered by a Release when celebrating just before a New Moon, and Culmination right before a Full one.
I envision BlessingWays, and love spells.
I envision sending an antagonist Love, Respect, and Peace when one is feeling particularly threatened by him or her.
I envision honoring the God and Goddess Within, and knowing that we are never Without.

I don't expect this Circle to be formed by the people in my life today, necessarily. though it may be, of course.
but i envision it to be formed by women who Need it. women who understand what it can be, who are willing to let others serve them, and offer their aid to a Sister in need.

it doesn't take much, of course.
all it requires is to know that though the world would have us believe (so it appears, most times) that alone we can do nothing; we will always reiterate, rejuvenate, and remind that together, the Circle of Together is Power, and we can... and do.