PROFILE
12
TAKE TIME TO FIND YOUR
circle of life
One country girl who has come home to escape the grind of the city has brought with her a 21st interpretation of a women’s tradition that has transcended cultures for millennia but still has a place in the digital era. CASSANDRA POWER reports on Gunbower’s women’s circle up on a farm in Gunbower, she remembers sitting by willow trees for hours, fascinated by the dragon flies buzzing around her, and was curiously interested in the water rats of the wetlands. When she moved to Melbourne after high school to study biochemistry, she was struck by the loss of connection to the environment and her source of peace and went in search of a new connection in her new concrete jungle. She found it at an inner-city house in Clifton Hill in 1999, when she attended her first women’s circle. Women’s circles are a practice older than time, prominent across many ancient cultures and traditionally linked to the lunar cycle. Women who were shunned and isolated by their communities during menstruation would gather in circles to provide each other comfort, support and camaraderie. The ritual has continued to evolve throughout the ages and exists in many forms today. Although steeped in tradition, Hannah’s
HannaH maHleR GRew
MARCH 2020
Melbourne version was a little more modern and she made the circles a major part of her life throughout her time in Melbourne. On one occasion she even found herself at a gathering of more than 150 women. Hannah said these large circles were deeply rooted in pagan mythology and the women who took part expressed themselves largely through dancing. “It was slightly overwhelming, the women were running around, dancing and experiencing visibly intense emotional releases,” she said. “But I still felt a connection to them and was supported by them as I worked through some bad experiences in my life.” The 19 year-old had walked into a weird feminist world — and had found her home. In the 20 years since Hannah found her first women’s circle, they have grown in popularity across the world and can now be found in mainstream society. The trend coincides with the ever-increasing demands of work and family on individuals in
our fast-moving world. A 2018 survey from women’s health not for profit organisation Jean Hailes, found almost half of Australia’s women had been diagnosed with depression or anxiety and around a third of women reported not getting enough time to themselves on a weekly basis. In a post #METOO society women are increasingly voicing their dissatisfaction with their role in society. And the emergence of a booming self-care industry is an indication those women are looking for new and alternative ways to care for themselves and make changes in their lifestyles. Having felt the pull of home, Hannah and her two boys have been back in Gunbower for six years now and like many adults who return to their hometown after a significant period of time away, she is struggling with the social isolation that can come with country life. “I have no interest in a drinking culture so I didn’t know what to do or how to make friends,” she said.
