Manual Home | Manual Title | Manual Contents | Section Contents

Prev :  Ritual Groups

Next :  Sample Plan for a Ritual Group Meeting

4. Calling the Circle

Guidelines for Women’s Ritual Circles

By Under Northern Skies Women’s Ritual Circle, sponsored by the Association of Universalist Women of the First Universalist Church in Minneapolis

Meetings have evolved over several years to include the following optional order of events:

1. Cast the Circle by calling the four directions, clockwise, beginning in the East (air), to South (fire), to West (water), to North (earth), and to Center (spirit or Mother Earth and Father Sky). The leader chooses words for the invocations and blessings or writes her own version.
2. Project own names into the Circle with the ritual cord (braid added to each week)
3. Body of ritual — whatever the leader creates including guided meditations, speaking to a question, working with a particular need, seasonal themes, art or craft projects, writing, cleansing, and joyous celebration.
4. Opening the Circle
5. Sharing food: there is no schedule for bringing snacks. Everyone brings some at one time or another. The leader is not expected to supply the treats for the evening.
6. Make plans for future meetings
7. Announcements
8. Socializing

• If you are planning to be the leader, BE CREATIVE! First draw from your inner resources. You may also want to explore some of the resources on the bibliography at the end of this section, especially Calling the Circle by Christina Baldwin. Take heart, ritual always flows, so relax. If you are a new leader, you may want to pair up with someone who has led before; or, just plunge right in! Remember that no one is grading you. Everyone is encouraged, but not required, to take a turn as the leader. Members simply let the group know when they are ready to lead.
   
• Plan ahead: Check with office staff about when the building is open and determine if there is a need to check out a key for the meeting.
   
• Make all photocopies ahead of time—especially if an activity is dependent upon handouts.
   
• If a leader spends money for candles or other ritual enhancements, she may want to ask the group to share the expenses. The group may need to discuss issues related to money from time to time. Some ritual groups have no budget and simply draw from their personal resources when they need candles or something to enhance their rituals.