Breaking Waves - Moon Circles
Excerpt from Chapter 9: Reflections
As I sit here early on a Sunday morning, drinking tea before going for a swim in the lake, I realise it is now a month since I started writing on Substack, and reflect on the wonderful connections and conversations that have arisen. On quiet rebellion, self-acceptance, belief and so much more. Thank you for sharing this space with me, it’s quite wonderful. 🙏
This morning I am excited to share my first excerpt from Breaking Waves, which brings an insight into the Ladies’ Moon Circles I go to, and all the joy, connection, hilarity and self-love that they embody. Gathering round a fire, naked swimming, sharing stories, overcoming self-doubt, communing. This content has only previously been read by my beta-readers, my agent and prospective publishers.
Excerpts from my book will be my only paywalled content, something extra for my gorgeous paid subscribers - although everyone can enjoy the preview piece for a wee taster of the book! I’m also offering a free 7-day trial where you can upgrade your subscription with no commitment if you’d like to read the whole piece. 💛
I hope you enjoy it 🙏
Breaking Waves Chapter 9 ‘Reflections’ excerpt
I find my sacred space at the Ladies’ Moon Circles I attend. They are unique and special celebrations of feminine empowerment and sharing, as we gather under a full moon, whether we can actually see the moon or not. I have attended several of these over the last few years, and each one is so different from every other. My first moon circle was a profound experience under a ‘Hunter’s Moon’ in October 2021. As we emerged from the global pandemic, twenty total strangers gathered in a circle around a firepit on the small beach beside the lake. The park is closed to the public at these times, there are no walkers or picnickers, no families or forest camps; just us, the birds, and the fish.
There is a special silence as we are enclosed by the cliffs, in a cocoon that dulls the sound of cars and planes so as to make them seem a world away. We come together with no judgments and no expectations, and share our reasons for wanting to be there – some to connect with nature, others to find their tribe, some to find peace and shed stress, others for the experience or to start a new chapter, some out of pure curiosity. As we set our intentions, we then lay back for a deeper meditation under the stars.
Occasionally in the silence I hear the ‘plop’ of a fish breaking in and out of the water, tampering with my carefully constructed illusion that there are NO fish in the lake at all. As I stare intently at the sky, seeing some stars twinkling brighter than others, feeling my fingers in the cool sand, and hearing the gentle lapping of the water (and the occasional aqueous interloper), I feel Brian and Dad watching over me, and I know that we will forever remain connected.
Rising from our reverie, we are invited into the water, with our bodies as free as we wish.