Merry Meet my friends! I hope, like me you all are enjoying a fabulous Autumn Saturn day! The weather here is amazing…breezy, sunny, clear blue skies, and low 60’s. It smells fabulous too! People are burning leaves or have a fire going in their fireplaces. We are at about peak color too but grass is still green and still growing from all the great rains we’ve had. The nights have been clear and starry and the Moon bright! It is a truly magickal time right now.
Speaking of magickal, I had the most wonderful experience and I thought I’d write about it today. This past tuesday night, the night of the Full Blood Moon, I was invited to a “Full Moon gathering” by a new facebook friend who lives in the little village I love to go to…10 mins away. Now I had no idea what to expect at all but I knew that it was for women only and that she owned a yurt..and that is where the gathering would be. She sent me directions and times and I told her I’d be there.
Oh ..this is a yurt by the way…….
Well, I asked my daughter Kate to come with me but she couldn’t this time and I asked my sister, who Did come with me. So on tuesday night we found our way down a long gravel road til we saw an amazingly large, beautiful yurt standing in the yard of our friend’s house. Needless to say we were a little early and a little nervous 🙂 As we got out and were meeting our friend and introductions being made, another car pulled up and 3 women got out of the car…then they pulled out the djembe drums!! I looked at our new friend and said..Oh…is this a drumming circle??? LOL She looked at me like I should have known that..but a thrill went right thru me. I had always wanted to go to a drumming circle but did not know there was such a thing in our area!
We settled into the yurt on big cushions that sat in a circle on layers of area rugs. Goddess flags and twinkle lights were all around us, an altar was set up to one side and sage was burning. We watched as 40 or more women of all ages piled in and took their seats..some hugging and greeting each other and some maybe were new to this experience like us. The women were as young as 6 and as old as 70 or so. Many of them pulled up drums, some tamborines or maracas, and some had no instrument. My sister and I were handed a couple of extra drums. We were cleansed with the sage and a couple of women started drumming a slow steady beat..then more chimed in…then chanting and singing began.
I kid you not..for the first 20 mins I had goosebumps all over! It was so amazing to me that I was sitting there in that circle. Well, if you’ve ever been in one, then you KNOW what it’s like and what happened. The songs got louder and the beat got faster and more joyful. Women got up and danced with great joy and abandon. The pace would slow..then grow again..then slow again. The songs were so uplifting and wonderful. It was one of the most joyous spiritual experiences I ever had. and YES!! I want to do it again and again!!
As the night wound down, good byes and hugs were said and we piled out to see the Blood Moon sliding in and out of the clouds and I felt so joyful, emotional and Blessed by the Goddess. I was told we were welcome to come as much as we wanted to….told about New Moon gatherings as well..more meditative and quiet..no drumming, and that every Full Moon gathering was like this one 🙂 You can bet I will be there..and my daughter and sister as well!!
Oh yes, I’ve bought a djembe drum and so did my daughter 🙂 …and I plan on using it often..even when I’m alone. The energy that drumming helps to build up is like nothing I had experieced…you can feel it with your heartbeat..in your core. I’d like to suggest that if you get a chance to go…Go!! You won’t regret it! I feel so blessed to have met my new friend and the wonderful women I connected with that night. The Goddess was very much present for us on that Blood Moon night!
This is my new drum 🙂
Blessings and love,
Autumn
My Moonlit Path..... 