CELEBRATING THE FEMININE

Recently we re-ignited the Kufunda girls circle. We have been doing much work for young women in the past years, but not as much for girls on the threshold of becoming young women. So this circle is to turn more fully towards them.

We hosted it before our group of Yippies went back to Sweden after 5 weeks at Kufunda, so that our Zimbabwean girls could be in a process with sisters from afar.

It was a wonderful morning. The beginning of many more to come.

We kicked off the morning with a collective process of movement medicine: Awakening their inner dancer, finding their self-expression, gradually connecting with each other, and culminating with a dance of celebrating each other. It was strong and potent; young women in strong movement of saying yes to themselves and to each other; dancing with and for each other: I see you! I celebrate you!

Out of this affirming dance, we invited them to paint and draw their expression of what they wish to celebrate about being a girl and becoming a woman. They were invited to represent their celebration with a flower. Many of these girls have never had the opportunity to paint. Emma and Anna from YIP offered a few tips of how to work with the colours, and then everyone plunged in.

The process of creating art alongside each other is a precious one. I have a sense that we turn inward and connect with our soul when we engage with art, imagination and self-expression. Being in the Dare (our space of meeting) with the great granite boulders holding us, and each human being involved in their process of expressing what they find inside is deeply nourishing. And what they created was exquisite. Full of life force and vitality and grace.

Two girls arrived after the dance, but just in time for the art making. It was striking to me that both who had missed the collective dance painted potted plants. Everyone else created wild and free flowers.

It shows me the power of connecting in a supportive community, and the power of movement and embodiment to free ourselves and to enter into deeper connection out of which our fuller expression can flow.

In small groups the girls shared reflections inspired by their creations and a circle where each was able to share their picture with a word summarising their celebration: Power, Freedom, Pride, Beauty were some of the words that captured what was rising among them.

The morning ended with the yippies speaking about their experience of menstruation - This is something we dont speak much of in this culture, and never in the affirmative. We wanted to let them connect with the topic from two young women from another part of the world who are finding a way to embrace this aspect as a powerful gift, but who are also able to share some of their own confusion in the early stages of this journey.

My daughter has just reached the age where she could also join this circle. In the days that followed, our conversations about this important theme deepened remarkably. From having been quite unwilling to speak about it, she sought me out with questions and reflections of her own. What a gift!

This week for my birthday (50!) she made me a card thanking me for being a powerful and inspiring woman. It is I who thank her, and all the young women around here for being who you are and for inspiring me to deepen my offering to the feminine.