circling with women :: a giveaway
Circle of Women . print available here
As I continue to reintegrate into daily life after the Feast Retreat and sift through the stories I want to share, I'm delighted to share this gorgeous print filled with the words of wisdom from Jeanette LeBlanc.
These words capture reasons why I created the Be Present Retreats, why I feel called to circle with women, and why I feel called to circle even more this year, and why I hope you will create your own circles in your corner of the world.
wisdom lit up by twinkle lights and candles at Feast . photo by Jessica DeFeo
During our closing ceremony, one of the ladies at Feast shared that she hoped we would open our hearts to the women in our communities who aren't able to circle like we did.
As she was talking, I kept thinking, "Yes, this."
A Giveaway
The "Circle of Women" print shown above was hanging near our circle during Feast, and I am so excited to share that Jeanette is giving one away today.
To enter the giveaway :: Please leave a comment sharing a piece of your story today. This giveaway has ended. The winner (Leah) has been notified. Thank you!
Feel free to share anything from how the weather is to a secret dream. You might even want to share how you already circle with women or how you long to. And yes, this giveaway is open to men! I imagine the men out there have women in their lives who they would love to see supported by other women in the beautiful ways this print invites. The giveaway will remain open through Sunday evening at 8PM PST.
One More Good Thing
AND I am also happy to share that Jeanette is having a sale in her shop. Both the Circle of Women print + Go Now and Live (shown below) are both on sale for the next few days.
Go Now and Live print . available here
Go Now and Live was also hanging in our cabin in the woods. The story behind this print is so beautiful. An excerpt from Jeanette's story about this print, "I thought about what I would tell my 21 year old self if I had a chance to go back in time and whisper in her ear as she slept. What knowledge would I want to impart to that idealistic young woman with the whole world at her feet? As I thought, these words flowed from me and something inside me was healed."
Yes, this.
Read the rest of the story and buy the print (on sale!) here.
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Jeanette LeBlanc is a writer, photographer poet and dreamer. She regularly consumes ridiculous amounts of dark chocolate, craves the sound of crashing waves and wishes people would stop putting olives on pizza. She has a love affair with words (all of them, especially the bad ones) and is inspired by the intersection of shadows and light. Hopelessly idealistic and impossibly pragmatic, Jeanette fully believes that she will one day earn a very good living with her camera and her writing. In the event that Plan A doesn’t work out, she is willing to settle for a huge lottery win, or the generosity of a very rich benefactor. Either way, she has no intention of being a starving artist. Jeanette lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her delightfully unruly children. Jeanette writes about life, love and beauty and creates inspired design at Peace.Love.Free. Her fine art prints are available for purchase here.
giveaway
Reader Comments (36)
So thankful for the many circles of women in my life. They have inspired and challenged me. Comforted and uplifted me. They have taught me and allowed me to share with them. They have shown me their imperfections and that life is pretty awesome in spite of hardships. I treasure them and try to be mindful of the treasure that they are.
Thanks for the chance to win!
Four geatest mentors in my lfe; all women. I strive everyday to pay foward the gifts these women continue to foster in my life through thier influence on my actions. Step up, share, you may never know how many lives your actions will influence . What you will be guaranteed of is that every time you share, you reach out and be someone else's support your life will be richer for your efforts.
All the events that should have broken me , didn't. It was the circle of women who held me up and pushed me on. Even when one link strayed they closed the gap.
I first circled with women over 10 years ago when I did my first women's initiation gig called Sister Moon Circle. It was a 9 month committment (Sara our facilitator made us sign a contract to illustrate just how important this was.....no calling in sick ect...) and we spent three months on the maiden, mother and crone each. We learned ritual , ceremony, native american traditions, casting a circle, pagen, wiccan etc. We learned about ourselves. I thought I had healed my "sister" issue's in this lovely setting. Just last month I gathered again at Matrilumina and realizied I was not quite done as I gathered again with women in a circle. I think I read this poem by Jeanette right after I returned and immidiately fell in love with her. This poem really says it all and oh so exsquisitively. Did I spell that right? In awe and gratitude for the women that show up in my life and make my circle! I am moving forward with creating a place and space to start my own Sister Moon Circle here in Tucson, Az. There is nothing more powerful than a women with an open heart and these sorts of gatherings and circles allow us, as women, to open our hearts.
This would be an amazing gift for my best friend. She is getting married next month and I would love to give it to her at her 'bachelorette' party. I do not think she has always valued the company of women and would love to give this to her as a reminder that we lift one another up! Thank you for your inspiring and beautiful art!
I know Jeanette from photography circles and am amazed by her brilliance and inner beauty that shines through. I would love this print as a reminder as I can't formally circle right now, and my circle of friends has held me up through these rough years.
I feel that as a mother my circle of friends has shrunk . Sometimes all I have in common with the women I meet is motherhood and once that topic is exhausted,there can be little left to say. I miss the times in my life when I felt supported by a group of women who loved me for myself,not a role I have taken on.
So lucky to have been raised by a strong circle of women. Then as a women now to have found such a strong group of women to connect with in life, art, and spirit. I am truly blessed.
I'm getting ready to re-launch my website and start following my own creative dreams with more intent. Along with the site I'm on the hunt for an office space where I can do all the things I do without the trappings of being at home and letting life at home distract me. This print would look lovely in my office-to-be!
what a lovely reminder this would be. A reminder of all the circles of women and how fiercely we should cling to them.
I just shared this quote with my Book Club in an email asking them to be my honourary bridesmaids. I didn't know how much I needed a circle of women until I was part of one.