The Witting™
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The spiral represents the ongoing process of innocence, discovery, community, and the essence that connects all of us with everything. Come, gather in the circle... |
| History of The Witting™ |
| For my fortieth birthday,
I burned a pair of high-heeled shoes. I'd grown interested
in the idea of marking an important life event with something
more than the standard party. Something personal.
Something meaningful, if only to me. My interior became more important, more interesting, more attractive than the discomfort that too often accompanied my misguided attempts to achieve someone else's standard of beautiful. The strappy black snake skin heels were a tangible symbol of too much emphasis on the exterior — on ego — and I released that part of me to the cleansing fire. This created a sacred emptiness I intended to fill with a more grounded focus. The story became "A Shoe Burning" published in the anthology, Sacred Fire. Those who heard it began to ask, "What will you do for your fiftieth?" Soon enough, I began asking myself that same question. (You can listen to this short story right now! A Shoe Burning <mp3>) I'd read and thought, read and thought and became fascinated by the wise woman of old, the venerated village crone, the esteemed healer, and knew at the same time that in our culture, this idea had all but disappeared. I envisioned a fire — oh yes, something would have to be burned — encircled by the crones of my clan who would usher me into a (hopefully) wiser phase of life, imparting their wit and wisdom to ease my journey. The idea became a plan, and soon, I felt inspired to include not only the crones, but also the young women — the maidens and mothers — so that they could witness and be part of a meaningful gathering that purposely honored the inherent wisdom in us all. We know there is always something else to learn, we know our children are often wiser than we, and we know we share our wisdom across generations every day without even thinking. But I also understood the ugly connotations associated with the crone. I would not call this event a croning. But what to name it? Being a great fan of alliteration, I was in the "W" section of the dictionary, and already using such words on my invitation as "willing," "witty," "whimsical," and "wily." That's where I stumbled upon witting: knowledge or awareness, information obtained and passed on. Perfect. The wisdom I received wouldn't stop with me. I intended to share it. The Witting was born. |