I returned from this morning’s Campfire Community feeling light, nourished and inspired. I felt a deeper connection to myself to the world and to others. It felt like all equilibrium had been restored. There is something so powerful about conversation that is honest, deep and meaningful.
In the daily life, we are often so busy, we don’t even pause to take a breath, let alone process all the emotions, thoughts and feelings within us. Having a space where we can put down all that we carry, where we can breathe allows us to rekindle that sense of self that we can so easily lose. In circle we can step out of the ‘should’ and the comparisons and we can start to touch a softer, more content part of ourselves.
Every day we take in so many impressions and so much information, we run from one task to another, trying to get everything done. We see the ‘perfect’ life on social media and compare ourselves. We strive and strive to be enough, but what is enough anyway? What is perfect for that matter? We are always running, chasing something, but what are we really running toward? If we stop for a moment, we can ask ourselves. When was the last time I really appreciated what I have, where I am standing right now? When did I last consider where I have come from and that I am just doing my best in a challenging world?
Years of societal breakdown, cultures and communities disbanding, the loss of values, service to self-governments, social media and most importantly, a disconnection to the Earth and the Divine have created this sense of separation, this feeling that we must cope alone and be as good as we perceive everyone else to be. We feel we just need to get on with it, keep pushing to prove ourselves and show that we are strong, capable and enough. We get caught up in our heads, creating stories and beliefs that separate us and make us feel alone.
The amazing thing about Campfire and women’s circles is these stories are broken down, we start to realise that others have the same or similar stories, the same moments of self-doubt, loss, loneliness, sadness and heaviness. In the circle we can cry in one moment and then laugh the next. We feel all of life, how it touches us, how it shapes us making us who we are. We feel part of the whole, accepted, listened to and loved for all our individual quirks, as well as the most ugly and challenging parts of ourselves. We see ourselves in each other and this is something so deeply connecting that it breaks down the division we feel in the outside world and reminds us we are not alone, we can be found in each other’s words, stories, laughter and tears.
Sometimes people ask me if deep conversation is heavy. I love this question, but I love the answer even more. On the surface you may say yes, airing our stories, verbalising our struggles may sound like it would be heavy. But my answer is this – we only find light through facing the darkness. When we share deeply, when we are honest, it is like a burden is lifted. We feel free because we have shined a light on areas where we feel shame and then something amazing happens, we experience joy, we laugh, and we feel an openness that was not there when we arrived in the circle. This is so important; this lightness and joy is such a vital energy in today’s world. It is an antidote to the news, to the fear that we can fall into, it has a positive vibration for the healing needed in ourselves and our world.
Recognising that we are not lost, we are all on this journey together, just trying to find our way, is healing and transformational. Through the years of circles, I have attended and facilitated, I can see the transformation that happens when you see yourself in another. I have seen how this allows a deeper sense of self; it is validating. It ripples out into the wider world, improves confidence and self – esteem. We are nothing without each other, we are all deeply connected, we do not need to compete, feel less or more than. We are all on our own unique and special journey, but that journey becomes so much easier to navigate when shared and held with others.