Opening and Closing a Healing Circle
Each circle has its own way of entering and leaving what many call sacred space. To help set tone and intention, I often use the following when I facilitate the circle made up of Commonweal Cancer Help Program alumni who live in the East Bay. It helps set the tone and intention of the gathering.
The opening and closing came to be in this form after being shaped by many circles and is still evolving. I invite facilitators to use all or part of it as it feels right to each.
May we all find healing.
Opening
Members hold hands and stand in a circle as they are willing and able.
And so we find ourselves in a circle once again.
Brought together by our intention to find healing.
Healing for ourselves, for our beloveds, for all beings, and for this wounded world.
May we each continue to be agents of healing, spreading healing to all.
May we give each other the most precious of gifts:
To listen deeply and non-judgmentally to each other with a generosity of spirit.
We ask all benevolent forces, both seen and unseen, to aid us in our efforts.
And now, in Commonwealian fashion, we invite those not physically present in the circle to join us.
We do so by calling out their names, allowing them to overlap.
Members state the names of the people they want to invite into the circle.
Let us now turn to our time of meditation.
And as we do so, let us each deeply connect to the source of healing as we know it.
Closing
Again, members stand in circle as they are willing and able.
Once again, we find ourselves in a circle.
We have shared our true selves with each other, having given and received the greatest gift possible;
by being non-judgmental witnesses of each other’s authentic selves.
May our intention to bring healing ripple out across this world, wherever healing is needed.
May we all find healing.
May all beings find healing.
And now, as we drop our hands, we remember that, despite appearances, our circle always remains connected and unbroken.
Header Photo courtesy of Harmony Hill
