Circles
What is a Circle?
Circle is a highly relational indigenous practice found throughout the world and used to bring a community together. Circles can be used for anything from celebration to addressing conflict and harm. Using circle to respond to conflict and heal from harm is a powerful way to create balance and equity of voice in a system that has broken down. A Circle Keeper is the convener of the space, and uses the structure to offer prompts to the group so that insight and collective wisdom can be brought out into the open. In this way, Circle builds connections, teaches, supports healing, resolves conflict, and ultimately creates new bonds in relationship.
Elizabeth as a Circle Keeper
Elizabeth has convened hundreds of circles in the last decade. She specializes in healing from harm and conflict circles, and is the founder of Hidden Water, a restorative justice response to child sexual abuse. Hidden Water is built on the practice of circle and uses this ancient technique to both heal and resolve conflict in family systems. Elizabeth also uses circle to address sexual harassment in the workplace, racial and other types of harm in schools and organizations, uses circle to address issues of co- dependency and teaches circle practice to a wide variety of practitioners.
What to expect?
Elizabeth runs various circles on several topics — co dependency, shamanic healing and learning, healing from abuse, and even teaches mediation in circle. When you come to a circle, it will include other people who are interested in the same topic.
The structure of circle is always the same:
you speak only when you have the talking piece
the talking piece moves in one direction
you have a right to pass
you speak only from your own lived experience.
Circle is a very powerful way to both heal and learn from the group’s collective wisdom. Elizabeth’s circles are normally 12 weeks, meeting once a week for 1 hour and 15 to 30 minutes. Each circle is complimented by a curriculum to address the topic or theme of the circle.