Womon Gathering is ONLY 26 days away! I’ve already started planning what to pack and will shop this weekend for some basic items that I’ll need for a four day stay in a cabin in the woods.

I find myself daydreaming about the event throughout the day and smiling a lot. I went once before about 15 years ago and I have fond memories of it. Also I know a woman at work who goes every year, so she has told me some details about what to expect and sends me emails when there is news on the event’s message board. The workshops and other activites that are on the schedule all look wonderful and it will be hard to decide which one’s to pick. Three vegatarian meals are provided each day, so the body is nourished as well as the mind and the soul. I’ll be staying in one of the cabins that are equipped with a bathroom and showers, so I won’t have to deal with a tent.

The event takes place at a private camp grounds way up in the mountains far away from civilization. From the moment you enter through the “gateway” you are on sacred ground. It is like being in a safe, blessed sacred circle for the entire four days. Every effort is made to set aside the mundane every day world of stress and rushing about, (i.e. cell phones are kept off). Many of the women attending have gone almost every year, and of course there are others coming for the first time also.

The “gateway” is a tent structure that you pass through after you have unloaded your belongings, parked your car, and settled in. The “gateway” is the symbolic place between the worlds, a sacred space to release what you wish to leave behind, to ground and center yourself before entering the community of the festival. Each year the “gateway” is different and embellished with the element theme for the year. For example, one Air year a woman stood in front with two huge bird wings (real) and fanned each woman as they entered.

This year the theme is Water. We have been asked to bring a vial of “local” water from home to carry through the “gateway” and to be used in some of the rituals also.

There is a large sacred bonfire lit at a ceremony the first night and it is kept lit throughout the entire event. It is a quiet space for meditation. I have fond memories of sitting by the bonfire, enjoying the peacefulness and just breathing in the fresh air at various times throughout the four days. I am looking forward to doing so again.

Many of the women decorate their area of the cabin with magical and spiritual items. I’m not sure what I’m bringing yet, but probably a large shell (since the theme is water), and perhaps some crystals. No candles are allowed in the cabins, of course. I’ll also be bringing my drum and tarot cards for two of the classes.

I can already feel my heart and spirit beginning to soar as I daydream of the four days on sacred ground, immersed in learning at workshops, drumming, meditation, and best of all sharing it with my best friend and heart-sister, Mama Kelly, (her birthday is early June, I paid her registration fee as her gift this year).

I am looking forward to Womon Gathering more then I can express in words. It has been over a decade since I attended an event that is nurturing for my soul. Previously I used to go once a year to an event that was held at a hotel in New York, but life circumstances and finances were such that I was unable to do so any more.

Attending Womon Gathering this year is my gift to myself, an affirmation that I am focused on my health, healing my soul, and that I am committed to putting my spiritual path as a top priority.

Wishing every one a joyous weekend and bright blessings, Lady Rose

(cross posted on 2 Witches Blog)

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