One of the things I am hearing from many people is how challenging it can be to find a community of like-minded people.
I’d like to reframe that desire from finding community to creating it.
Community can be one or two people gathering together.
Community can be sipping tea with a far-off friend on a video call and having a good chat.
Community can be inviting an acquaintance to lunch.
Community can be picking up the phone and calling an old friend you haven’t talked to in a long time.
Community can be created by taking a class, or teaching one, on a favorite topic.
Community can be created by finding a way to serve.
Don’t wait for the just-right community to come along.
Create it instead.
I’ve started a number of local circles over the years. My own preference is for a circle of people who want to support each other’s life path, rather than a focus on ritual or study. I’ve found that the following format for a monthly 3-hour circle works well for a group of 4-8 folks: a check-in (using the Circle Way methodology), a seasonal activity (usually a craft or tarot play), and a potluck meal. In the past, I’ve invited a few people I know well and a few people I’d like to know better, and I’ve asked them each to invite a friend. It’s an easy way to get a local circle started. A different person can host each month, and that works out well too.
If you still feel at a loss as to how to find anyone to invite to such a circle, start by putting out the call. Go to your altar (or to the moon or the woods or the sea), and ask. Put out the call and be alert in waiting for a response. Sniff out the synchronicities. Expect magic to happen!
And remember, you can start with a circle of two.
