WomenÂÂ's Empowerment Group - The Talking Circle

WomenÂÂ's Empowerment Group - The Talking Circle Women's Empowerment Group - The Talking Circle Women have their own voice; some have never been heard or listened to. Women have full lives and have a lot to share ranging from joy, grief, sorrow, guilt and rage and want to feel connected to other women. The talking circle is a process that helps to heal and recover from the conditions that have created shadows in our lives. The talking circle is a time-honored technique for Native American people to solve problems. It is a process oriented approach and the practice is an effective way to remove barriers and to allow people to express themselves with complete freedom. The traditional ÂÂ"talking circleÂÂ" is an ancient way of bringing people of all ages together in a quiet, respectful manner for the purpose of teaching, listening, learning, and sharing. When approached in this manner, the circle can be a very powerful means of bringing a measure of healing to the mind, heart, body, and spirit. The circle symbolizes no beginning and no ending. No one is in a position of prominence and it serves to encourage people to speak freely and honestly about things that are on their minds. Within the sacred circle we are encouraged to speak not only from the mind, but also from the heart; we are free to share our innermost feelings if we choose. Regardless of what one brings to the circle all persons are valued, respected, and listened to. There is an Indian belief of: right time/right place/right people/hearing right things; we rely on that belief within the circle. The most common types of circles are the healing circle, sharing circle or mediation circles. All are great processes to allow everyone to problem solve or simply get things off their chest in a supportive, structured and safe environment. In addition, sharing amongst a group allows everyone to take a piece of the burden from the person with the problem, who then leaves the circle with a lighter load. However, since the problem does not belong to the other participants, they are able to leave that piece of the burden they accepted and walk away without having increased their own loads. For this reason, the talking circle is becoming more and more popular in mainstream society. The talking circle is making its appearance in schools, corporate board rooms, and businesses in team building and communication facilitation, court rooms and the legal system in offender-mediation around the world, for the simple reason that the technique works very well. Talking Circle will be facilitated by Wilika Asimont, writer, actress, dancer, traditional ceremonial dancer ÂÂ- Odawa from First Nations Canada -BS Sociology, BS American Indian Studies, MBA, PhD candidate and Janet Kira Lessin, P.T.S. World Tantra Association, author, personal growth and relationship counselor, tantra educator Bring a brown bag lunch and snacks to share. Bring your own water bottle (preferably a bottle with a lid to prevent spills). Any questions please call [masked]. For directions go to this map on google: http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=20.911787&lon=-156.515276&zoom=16&q1=1371%20Malaihi%20Road%2C%20Wailuku%2C%20HI Call when you get to mailbox 1371 Malaihi Road, Wailuki, HI 96793 at [masked] and we'll direct you the rest of the way down the dirt road. Arrive at least 15 minutes early if you've never been to our house before. Women's Empowerment Group - The Talking Circle