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Online registration is up! Click here.
If you prefer, you can call us at 978-371-0469, leave a message,
and we will get back to you. Or you can print out the registration
form,
fill it in by hand, and mail it with a check to:
The Women’s Well Registrar
Box 1410
Concord, MA 01742
Always call a day or two ahead to confirm the
status of a class. Information about snow cancellations,
etc., is included in our recorded message at 978-371-0469. Circles
with low enrollment may be cancelled unless you let us know you
want to come!
GIRLZ DRUM CIRCLE - AGES 5-8
Bring your girlz ages 5-8 to a drum circle led by Laney Goodman.
Laney will teach the rhythms of the drum and other rhythm instruments
as the girlz learn to listen to their own voice of the drum, hear
the heartbeat (or the "one"), and join their unique "voices"
with the other girlz in harmony.
All kinds of rhythm instruments will be used and each girl will
learn on each instrument, as well as singing and using body movements/games
to learn more about rhythm. With each circle the girlz will grow
and learn to hear how ensemble playing is fun and exciting. Laney
will also use chants and songs from the Mother Earth and the Divine
Feminine to help the girlz learn about all our relations and the
Divine Mother or Goddess in all of us. This drum circle will empower
our girlz and give them the self-confidence and courage to stand
up for what they believe in this world.
Bring your daughters, granddaughters, nieces, sisters, or young
friends ages 5-8 to this fun and empowering drum circle. Each girl
will be accompanied by an adult at all times. The women will be
invited to join the drumming circle at the end of each class; we
will begin by letting the girlz learn to listen to their circle
of girlz, while their guardians look on.
NOTE: If you have a girl younger than 5 who would like to participate,
please contact Laney at 617-852-7401 to discuss whether this circle
is right for her.
Pre-registration required or contact Laney before attending.
Register online.
Maximum enrollment 10 girlz. Sign up early - this class fills up
fast!
Laney Goodman
Sundays, 2:00-3:30 p.m., February 5, April 15
$25 early / $30 regular, per circle
(fee is for one girl with accompanying adult)
WOMEN'S
DRUM LODGE: "Elemental" Rhythms Healing Circle
Join your sisters as we call in each direction of the Medicine Wheel
with "elemental" rhythms that invoke Air-Fire-Water-Earth.
We will use drumming, chants, sounding, and toning. Please bring
singing bowls, chimes, shakers, rain sticks, wooden flutes, and/or
any variety of drum. If weather permits we will be bringing the
Mother Drum to aid us going deeper into the Mother Earth with the
heartbeat.
Our drum lodge is a teaching gathering for us all to share our wisdom
as we navigate these times. These circles will teach us the power
of deep listening and help take us deeper into our journey together
in this ceremonial healing drum lodge ... as we heal ourselves and
the Mother Earth. A-HO! Beginners welcome!
NOTE: Please contact Laney if you want her to save your space
or if you need her to bring you a drum or rhythm instrument. There
is a limited supply, so this is on a first come, first served basis.
Laney can be reached at 617-852-7401 or email womenonair@aol.com.
Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. Register
online.
Laney Goodman
Sunday evenings, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
January 8, February 5, March 11, April 15, May 6
$15 early / $20 regular, per circle
MOON CIRCLES
The Moon affects us all the time whether or not we are conscious
of her influence. As mother of the water element here on Earth,
the Moon governs all that flows, from tides to emotions to monthly
cycles. She is a great teacher offering us wisdom about our bodies,
feelings, instincts and intuition. Consciously engaging with the
changing phases of the Moon helps us live in alignment and connection
with nature. In these Moon Circles we will energetically and creatively
connect with the moon through sound, vibration, astrology, astronomy,
myth and meditation.
New Moon Circle: The dark phase of
the Moon is a time for going inwards, returning to our core, resting
in our deepest selves and preparing for another cycle. From the
darkness we emerge renewed, ready for the next phase of growth.
The New Moon is a time for new beginnings, an opportunity each month
to set the tone for the coming cycle and listen deeply for the themes
being presented to us. It is an optimal time to set intentions,
make wishes and ignite growth. From the New Moon we enter into the
waxing phase where the energy that was initiated expands and grows.
Full Moon Circle: The Moon and Sun are in intimate relationship.
Throughout her cycle the Moon reflects varying amounts of the Sun's
light, outwardly revealing and expressing more or less of herself
at different phases. The time of the Full Moon is when she is fully
illuminated by the light of the Sun. It is a time for celebrating
this sacred union and all relationships that teach us about ourselves.
The Full Moon is the time of greatest visibility. It is a time
to shine, be seen, stand proud in who we are and express our most
radiant selves. Themes that are initiated at the New Moon reach
their peak at the Full Moon. From the Full Moon we enter into the
waning phase, where we integrate and assimilate all that we have
learned before beginning the next cycle.
Pre-registration required. Register
online.
Melinda Franceschini and Janet Kessenich
New Moon Circle, Wednesday, February 22, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
$20 Early / $25 Regular
Full Moon Circle, Wednesday, March 7, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
$20 Early / $25 Regular
WOMEN'S SACRED DANCE JOURNEY
with Live Drumming by Laney Goodman
Let the Intuition of Our Bodies be our Guides.
Let our Bones, Muscles, and Breath be our Release.
Our bodies hold our deepest wisdom. Yet as women that wisdom can
be silenced, stilled, or compromised. We hold in our stomachs, cross
our legs, and "get smaller." We learn to put our needs
and intuition on hold, and so separate ourselves from our most vital
knowing.
During this dance journey, we will invite the voices of our bodies
to re-emerge. Using dance as our medium, we will "re-member"
our Selves, and re-connect to the deep inner wisdom that flows through
each of us. Whether it is the impulse to move a finger, or the drive
to shake our bones, each woman's movement is honored as her own
best guide for connecting to her most authentic and sacred Self.
Come drive out shame, self-doubt and guilt. Fall in love with the
magic of your movement. Fall in love with the mystery of your next
gesture. Fall in love with the divine inspiration of your body.
Fall in love with you.
No dance experience necessary. Every body shape, size, and level
of fitness welcome.
Pre-registration is appreciated but not required. This circle
is offered as a gift. Those who are able to pass the gift along
are invited to make a donation to the Women's well. Register
online.
Janet
Farnsworth
Sundays, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
February 26, March 25, April 29, May 13, June 3
Suggested donation: $10-20 per session
HEALING OASIS FOR HEALERS
Do you do healing work, therapy, massage, acupuncture, or any other
holistic practice? Do you mindfully tend children, elders, others?
Are you simply a really good friend to your friends in need? Spend
a lunch hour in sacred space, meeting and sharing with others who
tend bodies, minds, and souls. We cordially invite you to experience
the deeply nourishing support of this monthly circle. Bring a bag
lunch if you wish -- we'll supply tea. As a group, we will co-create
the healing oasis that our wants and needs call forth.
This
is an open circle - attend whenever you can. Pre-registration is
appreciated, but not required. This circle is offered as a gift.
A suggested donation is requested each session to help cover Women's
Well costs. Register online.
Barbara Adler and Edith Griffin
Mondays, noon to 2:00 p.m.
February 27, March 26, April 23, May 21
Suggested donation: $10 per circle
GIRLZ CEREMONIAL DRUMMING - AGES 9-12
Bring your girlz ages 9-12 to a drum circle led by Laney Goodman.
Laney will teach the rhythms of the drum and other rhythm instruments
as the girlz learn to listen to their own voice of the drum, hear
the heartbeat (or the "one"), and join their unique "voices"
with the other girlz in harmony. She will also teach the Native
American use of the sacred four directions and how we are all connected
to the Circle of Life.
All kinds of rhythm instruments will be used and each girl will
learn on each instrument, as well as singing so they may find their
voice. With each circle the girlz will grow and learn to hear how
ensemble playing is fun and exciting. Laney will use chants and
songs from the Mother Earth and the Divine Feminine to help the
girlz learn about all our relations and the Divine Mother or Goddess
in all of us. This drum circle will empower our girlz and give them
the self-confidence and courage to stand up for what they believe
in this world.
Bring your daughters, granddaughters, nieces, sisters, or young
friends ages 9-12 to this fun and empowering drum circle. Each girl
will be accompanied by an adult at all times. The women will be
invited to join the drumming circle at the end of each class; we
will begin by letting the girlz learn to listen to their circle
of girlz, while their guardians look on.
Pre-registration required, or contact Laney before attending:
617-852-7401 or by email womenonair@aol.com. Please, no walk-ins.
Maximum enrollment 10 girlz. Sign up early - this class fills up
fast! Register online.
Laney Goodman
Fridays, 7:00-8:30 p.m., March 2, April 13
$25 early / $30 regular, per circle (fee is for one girl with accompanying
adult)
THINK
YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM?
YOUR INNER WISDOM CAN TRANSFORM IT!
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking
we used when we created them." Albert Einstein 
The heart of this workshop is learning a new way to be in life,
beyond our familiar conditioning. For many of us, our conditioning
has taught us to look at and treat the challenges in our lives as
"problems" and therefore bad and unwanted - something
to be fought with and gotten rid of. This separation of subject
(my self) and object (problem) depletes our energy and causes pain
and unnecessary suffering.
One of the hallmarks of the feminine is
relationship wisdom. This natural wisdom offers us a powerful way
to work with whatever holds us back in life. In this workshop you
will learn how to expand your capacity to be in relationship with
your problems - beyond subject and object. You will notice the familiar
feeling of struggle begin to lighten, as your creative energy and
inner resources arise, allowing you to live your life with greater
ease. This is a skill you can apply in any area of your life! So
bring in your most puzzling problem, and learn how to embrace it
and shift the energy around it, to experience less suffering and
more precious life force.
Pre-registration required. Register
online.
Diana Griffith
Sunday, March 4, OR Saturday, May 12
2:00-4:30 p.m.
$35 early / $45 regular
MONTHLY OPEN CIRCLE AT THE WELL
All women are welcome at our monthly Open Circle. This circle, which
meets on the second Wednesday of each month, offers an opportunity
to sit in sacred space together and gently attune to the time of
year and to our inner selves. In circle, we share stories, inviting
our true voices to speak and be heard. We make connections with
each other, with our inmost thoughts and feelings, and with the
seasonal cycles of the Earth.
This
circle is offered as a gift, and no payment is required to participate.
Those who would like to pass the gift along are invited to make
a donation to the Women's Well. Pre-registration is appreciated
but not required. Register online.
Women's Well faculty
Wednesdays, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
March 14, April 11, May 9, June 13
Donations welcome
SPRING EQUINOX CELEBRATION
The equinoxes and solstices, marking the Earth's annual journey
around the sun, have been celebrated throughout the millennia. They
offer opportunities to attune our energy to the natural rhythms
of light and dark, expansion and contraction. In this seasonal celebration,
we explore our connections to the flowing energy of the Earth. All
women and girls are welcome.
This circle is offered as a gift, and no payment is required
to participate. Those who are able to pass the gift along are invited
to make a donation to the Women's Well. Pre-registration is appreciated,
but not required. Register online.
Women's Well community
Tuesday, March 20, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Suggested donation: $10
SPECIAL EVENT: MOVIE NIGHT AT THE WOMEN'S
WELL!
Documentary film dealing with the medicalization of female desire,
followed by opportunity for comments and group discussion.
Come see Liz Canner's thought-provoking
documentary on the pharmaceutical industry and how many feel it
capitalizes on women's insecurities about their sexual function
by "discovering" and defining new diseases and then manufacturing
the pills to fix them.
The medicalization of female sexuality and
the question of whether or not all the hype around so-called dysfunctions
is driven by marketing and the profit motive is a controversial
topic. Liz Canner takes it on and illustrates, through interviews
with patients, pharmaceutical executives, and doctors, how direct-to-consumer
advertising and marketing campaigns can impact the sexual lives
of women in America today. Not surprisingly, the title of this award-winning
film is "OrgasmInc" but there is nothing "inappropriate"
or X-rated about it. Rather, it is a technically polished and tightly
edited documentary film with delightful comedic touches and razor-sharp
insights. You may laugh, cry, and/or fume over this timely subject
- but you most certainly will not be bored.
The film lasts 100 minutes. As with all
Women's Well evenings, we will begin the evening by sitting in circle
before watching the film. Afterwards, there will be a discussion
group led by Dr. Anita Hoffer, a local sexuality educator and veteran
faculty member of Harvard Medical School as well as retired executive
of the pharmaceutical industry.
Light refreshments will be provided.
This circle is offered as a gift, and no payment is required
to participate. Those who would like to pass the gift along are
invited to make a donation to the Women's Well.
PLEASE NOTE: Seating is limited, so sign up early! Pre-registration
required. Register online.
Anita Hoffer
Sunday, March 25, 7:00 p.m.
Suggested donation: $10
TAKING
TIME IN A WORLD THAT DOESN'T:
BREATH, PRESENCE, AND SLOWING DOWN
Author Christian McEwen writes of the "hurry sickness."
Most of us are doing too much and doing it all too fast, and what
we are short of is "time." Let's look at this "hurry
disease" together. What draws us into it? What's gained? What's
lost? What changes can we make? What gifts might come to our lives
if we could slow down even a little and give our selves more time?
We will explore this topic through circle dialogue, guided imagery
and simple breathing practices. Each participant will have an opportunity
to find a meaningful next step, appropriate to her own particular
life.
Supportive Reading: World Enough & Time: On Creativity and
Slowing Down, by Christian McEwen.
Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. Register online.
This circle is offered as a gift, and no payment is required
to participate. Those who would like to pass the gift along are
invited to make a donation to the Women's Well.
Anne Yeomans
Monday, April 9, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Suggested donation: $15-20
INTUITION AND INNER SENSES
Intuition is a capacity we are born with but few of us work with
consciously. We are receiving information intuitively at every moment
but are mostly unaware of the process. Becoming conscious of this
information not only enriches our lives but also allows it to be
used when making important decisions. This circle is for women interested
in developing their inner senses and intuition, whether already
on this path or beginning the journey.
In this circle we will deepen presence and
awareness while connecting with internal sources of intuitive intelligence.
The sessions will include guided meditations for clearing, grounding,
and cultivating an ideal working state, as well as interactive exercises
for practicing the use of intuition. We will create a fun and pressure-free,
supportive environment where inner resistances and obstacles can
be gently released allowing for the free flow of intuition. Come
with a playful spirit to share in this circle of discovery and adventure.
The
sessions can be taken separately or as a series.
Pre-registration required. Register
online.
Melinda Franceschini
Tuesday, March 27; Wednesday, April 25
7:00-9:30 p.m.
$25 early / $35 regular per session
ELEMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS
The secret to the forces that created you may seem hidden in science
or masked by stardust, but this course opens the door to a practical
way of discovering who you really are. Wouldn't you like to know
the key to having more love and joy in your life? The idea is
profoundly simple: You can deepen your relationships by awakening
the basic wisdom and energy of the Chemical Elements and the inevitable
way they connect into pairs, families, and groups.
In this two-part experiential learning course, you'll make friends
with the Chemical Elements and the relationships between them, and
you'll discover how these relationships mirror the relationships
in your own human life. In fact, the way Elements like hydrogen
and oxygen come together to form water actually mirrors your own
potential for intimacy and love.
Between classes, there will be optional take-home exercises and
one Q&A conference call, to help integrate the material into
your life. The class format is fun, engaging, and easy-to-understand
for everyone. No need to remember the periodic table from your high
school science classes! No pop quizzes! Just amazing revelations
that can help you understand yourself better. Participants come
away with transformed elemental capacities for self-awareness, intimacy,
and joy.
Pre-registration required. Maximum enrollment 10. Register online.
Diana Griffith
Two Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
April 14 and 28, OR May 5 and 19
$55 early / $65 regular

AUTHENTIC ARTMAKING THROUGH CREATIVE PLAY
Have you always felt that you were "wired" to create but
have never found an outlet? We will get all five senses playing
in three dimensions using simple materials. Within a safe, nonjudgmental
atmosphere, we will engage and nourish our connection to art and
spirit through play, writing, and conversation. Basic artmaking
materials will be provided, along with a book that will inspire
creativity.
This workshop is for anyone, anywhere, in
their journey toward finding their authentic self. For finding again
the unfettered pleasure of time suspended, of total involvement
in the moment, of wanting to always be able to find this space.
So all are welcome, both "the practicing artist" and the
aspirant alike. Be amazed by your latent creativity.
Workshop to be held at the instructor's peaceful, light-filled
studio in Maynard, MA.
Pre-registration required. Register online.
Renu O'Connell
Three Sundays, April 15, 22, 29
12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m., in Maynard
$170 early / $190 regular for the series
CELEBRATING WOMEN'S SEXUALITY IN MID- & LATER LIFE:
A Workshop Series for Women
In this series, you will discover the secrets most women over 50
need to know to have a satisfying sex life; the surprising statistic
about the number of older women who enjoy sex; unique and little-understood
features of female anatomy and how this knowledge can enhance pleasure;
and much more
.
A
common misconception in our youth-obsessed culture is that as women
age, they lose interest in or cannot enjoy intimate physical relationships,
and are more or less sexually "dead." Women who have had
little or no sex education may be inclined to believe this fiction.
Cultural taboos on talking openly about sex, combined with lack
of sex education, may have left them ignorant of the sexual behaviors
of their peers as well as self-conscious and often even ashamed
of their own sexual needs and concerns. Not only were they taught
that "nice girls don't," they were also taught that "nice
girls don't even talk about it."
In these three evenings of informal conversation
and learning for women who are approaching menopause or older, in
a supportive and strictly confidential environment, we will explore
the themes of sexuality and new opportunities for celebrating it
as we age, as well as the many benefits of maintaining sexual health
in mid- and later life.
The first session will serve as a general
introduction and will focus on the rich opportunities at this time
in our lives for redefining what it means to be sexual as we age.
We will touch on a range of topics and decide together what we wish
to learn more about. We will then tailor the topics of the following
two sessions to our needs and interests.
In the second and third sessions, educational
materials will be provided and there will be time for Q&A. Each
session will include open-ended conversation, but no one is expected
to share personal information.
Possible topics to explore might include:
the importance of women's wisdom in reframing perceptions of sexuality
in midlife and beyond; women's spiritual as well as physical needs
for pleasure at this stage of life; menopause and related medical
concerns; self-pleasure as a form of meditation; health benefits
as well as risks of sexual activity for older women; and the anatomy
of pleasure. Other topic suggestions are welcome.
NOTE: The first session can be taken separately "to
test the waters."
Course may meet at an alternative location in Brookline,
depending on the group's preference and convenience.
Pre-registration is required. Maximum enrollment: 8. Register online.
Anita P. Hoffer
Three evenings, 7:00-9:15 p.m.
Thursday, May 3
Two Wednesdays, May 16 and 30
$25 for the first session only (May 3) or $60 for the series of
3 sessions
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