Reclaiming the Moon: Ritual for Women's Retreats

Are you looking for a meaningful menopause ritual for a women's retreat? Reclaiming the Moon is spiritual ritual suitable for midlife women's retreats. The name comes from the Aboriginal tradition, and is suitable for all women women who are ending their menstruation.

Menopause is no longer the taboo subject whispered about behind closed doors. Women are increasingly honoring this important time in our lives - which makes this ritual a wonderful activity for a women's retreat.

As described in an article from the Aboriginal Nurse journal:

Physically and medically, menopause is defined as the time when our moon cycles end; we no longer menstruate or have our period ... In contrast, native culture as seen from the traditional teachings, views aging and menopause as a time of renewal and wisdom, sharing through the grace of grand parenting ... not just your own kin, but the youth of the nation. For women, it was seen as a state when our duties of birthing and mothering could be exchanged for a clearer focus on our own gifts including more intense spiritual work however this was done.

Reclaiming the Moon Ritual

A recognition of the earth cycles in relation to female cycles can also help each woman gets/makes a calendar showing moon cycles

Maria Campbell's (Metis author of Halfbreed) reclaiming of traditional understandings about the moon has helped her through menopause.

Aligning herself with nature has allowed her to understand more about her own body. As Campbell says in A Recognition of Being: Reconstructing Native Womanhood, this is an understanding she had to reclaim:

When I started my menstrual cycle, I didn't pay attention to those teachings, because who talked about the moon when they talked about menstruation in the 1950s? But as I grew older and I went back to the old ways, I started to pay attention to my body and how the moon affected me. Once I understood that, then I could work with her and it helped me go through my change and all of those women things. I never really had a bad time because I understood how the moon affected me, and I was able to teach that to my daughters. I think it made a difference for them. In Cree, the moon is Kookoomnow - Grandmother. How can she hurt us if we work for her?

Women's Retreat Idea: Natural Facials

For people with fragrance allergies you can try all natural facials. You simply mash fruit with honey to get a smooth paste, and put it onto your skin. The mixture is sticky, but smells great and is loaded with lots of natural anti-oxidants and other good stuff. Here are the fruits to use:

For dry skin: banana and honey

For normal skin: peaches and honey

For oily skin: strawberries and honey

You do have to be sure the fruit is very ripe so it will mash easily. You can even make the mixture in the blender to make sure it's super smooth. Do note, if women are allergic to eating these fruits or honey they shouldn't put them on their skin.

Women's Retreat Themes

Women's Retreat Themes are more than just something to fill in the open space on a poster. They are the critical component to attaining registrations. A women's retreat theme has got to consume the thoughts of prospective attendees from the time they hear or see it until the day they put their money down to register.

There is way too much competition for their attention for you to neglect selecting a captivating theme. It needs to be a stand-alone hit as well as one that can be incorporated into every aspect of the retreat.

STAND ALONE THEMES.

The name itself should generate curiosity while being self-explanatory. Themes like:

- Magic Show: Creativity Theme

- Prescription for a New You: Medical Theme

- Heart Notes: Music & Loving Relationships

- Trip Around the World: International Cuisine

- Shine Like Stars: Fundraiser Outreach or "Grammy" Awards

These themes provide instant interest while lending themselves to easy development.

THEME DEVELOPMENT.

Consider the theme Women Under Construction. You would decorate by placing ladders, saw horses, plastic drip sheets, and tool boxes everywhere. Your volunteers would dress in bib overalls and wear hard hats while carrying real walkie-talkies. You would offer break out sessions on topics like S.L.O.W. - Stress Reduction Strategies for Busy Moms and Duct Tape- Taming the Tongue. Food would include a "Build Your Own Sandwich" bar, featuring individual bags of chips, whole apples/oranges, Little Debbie's desserts and bottles of cold pop. Use lunch boxes as serving containers for the condiments. You could host a nail-driving contest or an entire construction site carnival.

The ideas are endless when you select the right theme.

THEME GENERATION.

Coming up with ideas is fun, but time consuming. Host a theme generation party with your volunteer staff at least six months, if not a year in advance. Spend time in the popcorn popper - popping up ideas, crazy and sane, all together until you have a long list. From this list, select a few favorites and narrow it down to the one you want.

Consider your speaker: Is the theme easy for a speaker to develop? Some groups go about it the other way: Finding the best speaker they can and going with her theme.

Many groups are tapping into ready-to-go themes like those available at www.PromoTemplates.com. These resource sets include the theme development ideas plus the publicity templates that help you instantly create posters, bulletin inserts, postcards, tickets and more.

Women's Retreat Themes are important. If you select an exciting theme that captures the imagination of your women, they will be much more likely to make the sacrifices required for them to attend. As a bonus, they will be highly motivated to invite their friends to come with them.

Marnie Swedberg is the author of Retreats Made Easy: A comprehensive guide providing step-by-step instructions so you can set and accomplish your goals, enjoy the process, and get rave reviews all in less time and with less stress than you would think possible.

Women's Retreat Ideas that Build Relationships

Busy women will invest time, money and home-based stress in order to attend a retreat where they can relax, recharge and build relationships. The types of relationship building activities to include in your retreat should

- generate laughter

- increase guest interaction and

- build relaxation by eliminating the fear of being embarrassed.

HOLD ENJOYABLE CONTESTS WHERE EVERYONE CAN WIN.

A "Tea Tasting Contest," for example, adds no stress and is just plain fun. Hold it during breakfast on the first morning of your retreat: Set up six tables featuring carafes of hot water, disposable Styrofoam cups, plastic spoons, sugar packets and numerous tea bags of one kind per table. Do not identify what kind of tea is being served at each table except by numbering the table itself.

During and after breakfast, invite each guest to make her way around the room sampling the teas and writing down her guesses on a personal sheet of paper with only the numbers 1-6 on it. At that morning's session, let the guests self-score their papers. Have volunteers pass out "free" tea bags to everyone. You could even create your own tea bag packet-jackets featuring the retreat's theme verse.

HOST A GAME SHOW WITH VOLUNTEERS.

True, a few people may get embarrassed, but they would have volunteered for the job instead of being forced to play.

- Tweak the Newlywed Game to make it appropriate for a mother-daughter event.

- Lead a friendly game of Family Feud at a MOPS retreat.

- Host "Name That Praise Song" at a worship planner's renewal weekend.

PLAY A BOXED GAME AS A GROUP.

Balderdash, Cranium, TaBoo and many other games are ideal for large group play with a few simple changes. Remember: Put no individual person on the spot, but rather let the "teams" do it - or, let someone from each team volunteer to be the spokesperson.

HOST A BEAUTY PAGEANT.

Again, recruit volunteers who LOVE the spotlight and are willing to prance around in their cute pajamas or even in something as basic as their winter coats, gloves and hats. Since only the flamboyant volunteer, it will be fun. If you enlist the most quick-witted-woman you can find as the impromptu pageant hostess, and another volunteer to hold up signs toward the audience that say things like, "Clap Now!" or "Gasp!" your pageant is sure to be blast.

There are so many things we can do at retreats that can't be done during regular meetings. Go for it! Your women will thank you.

Marnie Swedberg is the author of Retreats Made Easy, which is a comprehensive guide providing step-by-step instructions so you can set and accomplish your goals, enjoy the process, and get rave reviews all in less time and with less stress than you would think possible.