By the time folx had started to arrive for our very first Full Moon Circle back in July of 2015, I thought I’d made a terrible mistake. I’d been so busy organizing and promoting our Blue Moon Party that I never stopped to think about how my inner introvert would deal with hosting a bunch of strangers coming into the shop for an event. My social anxiety had really started to kick in as I nervously scooped ice and blueberries into our water dispenser I thought, “what have I done?”
But forced extroversion has become something I’m somewhat of an expert at, between the many moves and new schools that I endured as a child, and my career in customer service I figured I could definitely just fake it til I made it. And that’s just what I did. Thank goddexx my sister witch and co-host Jess Lavoie was on hand to split the mingling duties. The event had sold out, which meant that we were poised to make 30 new friends that night. And we did.
Jess led an absolutely beautiful circle where we introduced ourselves and set an intention. Several people mentioned that attending something like a Moon Circle was out of character for them and they were nervous that they would feel awkward around the other attendees but that so far everything felt nice. We all found a spot to settle into on the shop’s magic carpets and Jess guided us through a meditation for clearing and gratitude.
I met some of my closest friends that night. People that I still see and talk to on a regular basis, 6 years later. People that helped me shape HausWitch into what it is today. People who helped me shape my life into what it is today.
After the meditation I made it a point to talk to everyone who came. I will never forget chatting with my friends Christine and Micky about how they really don’t do stuff like this because of social anxiety. I joked about how much I could relate! How I panicked when I saw everyone coming in, realizing I was going to have to play host and make small talk and just generally hold space for a room full of strangers and how daunting that felt. But also how wonderful it felt to be on the other side of that, sitting on the floor with a bunch of like-minded new friends. Unexpectedly I cried the entire drive home that night. It was a good cry, a cry of feeling seen. A cry of feeling aligned with something bigger than myself. But there was also a little grief in that cry because in some crucial way that I couldn’t really define, I knew my life would never be the same again. I was right.
Many of you may already know that I met my wife Melissa a few months later at our New Moon in Libra Circle that same year. (If you don’t, she came to the circle on a whim, was only visiting Salem for a short time and yet we fell in love at first sight and have been together ever since!) So that was obviously a life altering experience, but I’ve had many of those at our moon circles over the years! For example, a year or so later Grace Harrington Murdoch was hosting a full moon circle to a PACKED haus of 40 people. It was a fire full moon and there was an electric buzz in the air. Despite the size of the crowd and the charge in the room, everyone was completely silent in meditation when the fire alarm went off. Can you think of a worse time for a loud, screeching, flashing alarm to sound than right in the middle of a calming meditation while you’re laying down with your eyes closed? Neither can I!! HausWitch was so new back then and we hadn’t yet quite built up the reputation we have now. I was so frantic and frazzled dealing with the firefighters to figure out what might be tripping the alarm and promising refunds to everyone who attended while they were waiting outside. It was a terrible feeling. I felt like I’d disappointed everyone and HausWitch was ruined. (Thanks to Jess this golden moment was captured on film. Well, not film but you know what I mean.)
Well, the good news is there was no fire. The AC was leaking onto the alarm wiring in the wall and it made it go off. Plus, no one asked for a refund or was even upset. By the time I crawled into bed that night I realized that shit really happens when you own a business! Really crazy shit that you can’t predict happens all the time so you better learn how to roll with those punches. To “be like water” as Bruce Lee would say. Either way, as I drifted off to sleep I felt grateful that the situation wasn’t much worse and for the lesson in surrender that I’d learned.
Some of my other favorite stories include our first anniversary circle when we took a field trip to Winter Island. The weather actually cooperated and the moon rose right over us while we laid in the grass and soaked up the summer night air.
Ryn Laurel's Full Moon in Scorpio meditation cleared away some of my Trump-era depression and got me back into my yoga practice after taking almost 3 years off. And pretty much all of Madeline Mooney's soothing meditations, which felt like being wrapped in softness and magic, left me feeling more calm and grounded that I thought I could be!
Every time I have attended one of our moon circles since then I am amazed by how many old friends still drop in from time to time. Familiar faces peppered in with new ones, in need of a little coven connection. I’m so proud of the fact that in 6 years we have never missed a New or Full Moon, even in 2020 when Covid was upending life in so many ways. We knew it would be important to stay consistent and still provide the service that the moon circles provide. Creating a space for people to be vulnerable and share what’s on their mind with people who may not know them, but somehow still understand them felt more important than ever. Just a week after we went into quarantine, right on schedule we hosted our first Zoom circle. 9 people came, which honestly impressed me considering that the entire world was turning upside down. But people still needed that connection and spiritual experience. So Erica Lee led the circle from the empty shop and our virtual circles were born. Now our moon circle coven includes folx from all over the world! In October of 2020 we had 100 witches at each of the three moon circles the Zhana Levitsky and Erica Lee led that month. It was really freaking cool.
I’m extremely grateful for the healers and witches who have led the circles over the years. As a business witch I’m not super comfortable guiding people through spiritual experiences and so I have relied on an amazing team of folx over the years. Jess Lavoie, the co-creatrix of both the moon circles themselves and our business baby LightHaus Cleaning Products, Grace Harrington Murdoch, Madeline Mooney, Ryn Laurel, Zhana Levitsky, and Erica Lee have all brought their incredible compassion, care, expansive knowledge, skills and experience and of course, magic to every single one. To say that we couldn’t run these circles without them is no understatement. I am so honored that they have blessed HausWitch and have guided us on some truly incredible journeys.
I don’t know when we’ll start hosting the moon circles in the shop again. Zoom is working well and makes it possible for so many far away friends and witches to attend. But there’s something about the way the shop would feel the morning after a moon circle that tells me that when the time is right, we’ll all be laying on the floor traveling to mystical realms together again someday. The energy that those circles can move is really unparalleled. We can burn candles and incense and ring all the bells we want, but the shop will never feel the same as when a circle of witches has cackled in the moonlight together there the night before.
Thank you to every single body who has attended one of these circles. You may not know it, but you are a huge part of the magic that has helped HausWitch expand beyond my wildest dreams. You have created the Community that gives me life when I feel bogged down in the business of things. You are the best friends I never knew I needed and the comrades who keep us going. And for that I say THANK YOU.
I’ll leave you with a few more Moon Circle stories that our original Moon Goddexx's, Jess Lavoie and Grace Harrington Murdoch wrote. Next week I'll share some beautiful testimonials from attendees. We would love to make this a series so if you are someone who has a HausWitch Moon circle story, please send it to hello@hauswitch.com! You can absolutely remain anonymous if you want! Say as much or as little as you like!
-Erica Feldmann, HWIC HausWich.
"During the Spring of 2015, I was dreaming up a meditation circle. I remember one night in early June, lying in bed and I was really seeing it and feeling it in my mind’s eye. It felt light, fun and deeply sacred; free of any preconceived notions about meditation or spirituality in general. I was/am forever obsessed with the power of human consciousness and wanted to get people together and in their hearts. The sole/Soul intention coming through was for it to be a portal of healing energy that anyone could come and partake in. I saw how it pulsed with Love across time and space. I still do.
At the same time, a few miles away, Erica was opening the Hauswitch shop. And thanks to our magical co-conspiring universe and Erica’s beautiful blind faith in me – moon circles were born!
We hosted the first moon party! on July 31, 2015 under a full moon in Capricorn and to a room full of shiny new faces. It was a little bit “holy shit”, in the best way. This was the largest group I’d ever led and I really didn’t know what I was doing except experiencing a dream come true. Fool card all the way.
The truth is, Divine forces were always in control and that was obvious after the first circle. Some of us met our closest friends that night. Some went on to create businesses and political campaigns with each other’s help. Some became the faces I love to see walking down Washington or Essex. Some would end up meeting their wife! 😊
The ~4 years of leading moon circles was an honor. They hold some of my sweetest memories and connections. But it was the magic of showing up totally vulnerable for each other – friend or “stranger” the same – for me. How it always felt like the best kind of slumber party and that moment where’d stop laughing to drop in. That first deep breath. That quiet. That deep gratitude. To witness humans from all different backgrounds, share in each other’s victories, heartbreaks and the growth in between, was a gift.
When I would imagine this space, back in 2015, I could only see the hypothetical and feel the potential for the world “out there.” I never saw the real blessings these circles would bring to my 3D life.
I could never have imagined how much we would all laugh at people’s reactions when they’d pass by the shop and see us laying on the floor in the dark. And how much Love I would have for every single person who ever showed up and trusted the circle to hold them. And how much that would heal *me*.
Deepest heart felt thanks to every one who has ever attended a moon circle at Hauswitch, to the witches who are carrying the torch virtually, thank you my sis Erica, thank you to the space, thank you Salem and the moon and the Infinite Love that keeps all circles together."
-Jessica Jones Lavoie, Evolving Light Energy Co.
“I feel really grateful that I was able to attend the very first moon circle at Hauswitch 6 years ago.
That was truly a beginning of meeting so many amazing humans. It was also so special to come together in sacred space to honor & release all our hopes, fears and dreams to the Moon. I also got to lead some of the circles which was so special. It made me truly fall in love more with being in harmony with the Moon!
My favorite part was watching how much everyone opened up to each other before and after the meditations. And seeing everyone blossom from one moon cycle to the next.
One time as we led a group of about 40 people in a circle the fire alarm went off and we had to disband in the middle of the meditation , but the most amazing thing was - everyone was so understanding! Which to me always spoke to the awesome groups that always came to these.
The Moon circles are truly such special spiritual portals! I hope you get to experience one too someday!"
-Grace Harrington Murdoch , Astrologer
The Moon is in Capricorn and the Witches say "Honor Isis".
