Manchester Gathering

Manchester, England Gathering

Submitted by: Gilda Montenegro-Fix

Dear Sisters,

It was a wonderful day we shared in Manchester with friends, family and some new acquaintances. Our gathering was small, we had 16 participants, and it was special for all of us. We are grateful to the Manchester City Council who gave us a grant from their International Women's Day Budget which allowed us to offer our event free of charge.

We sat in a circle and started with an opening song by Carole Isis. Everyone had been invited to place their sacred items in the altar we shared at the center of our circle and this was very beautiful and meant that everybody was represented and honored and welcome. Together, we created sacred space.

Carole Isis Leading Opening Song

Our Altar

We continued the opening with the GTW vision statement and placing our gathering in it's global context which made it feel even more important.

Some of the activities we engaged in throughout the day were:
-sharing about yourself
-what it means to you to be a woman
-showing photos of important women in your life

Photo Sharing

-a guided visualization
-some silent moments
-a very interesting discussion on what issues in the world,
we felt needed our attention and action

Our Drumming Circle

A Call to Action

-a fantastic feast with all that everyone provided for lunch
-singing and drumming, listening to Carole's beautiful songs
-communication and connecting

Tea Time

Meal Sharing

We closed our gathering with comments on the day's experience and planting seeds for the future, and then each woman helped herself to a glorious white rose as a symbol of our Divine Feminine.
Meal sharing	Nicole with White Rose
And finished with Carole Isis' song: Only Love Prevails.
It is our wish that this event helped bring us closer and foster a web of support for each other and from us unto everyone we meet in our paths. ~Gilda Montenergo-Fix