3. Entering the Circle

The Circle is at the heart of Radical Faerie culture. It is the shape we return to again and again: no head, no hierarchy, no one above or below. To sit in Circle is to embody the values of equality, respect, and listening that define our way of being together.

At Folleterre, Circles take many forms:

• Heart Circles are the core. Here we speak from the heart and listen with presence. No discussion, no advice, no debate. Only sharing and witnessing. A talking stick or other object is often passed, giving each person a turn to speak or to pass. Heart Circles create safety, intimacy, and deep connection.

• Practical Circles are for collective decision-making and coordination. They are where we discuss meals, cleaning, workshops, rituals, or other practical matters of community life. They balance the spirit of consensus with the need for action.

• Ritual Circles are moments of ceremony — calling in directions, lighting fire, blessing meals, or celebrating seasonal rites. They weave the mystical thread into our daily life together.

Entering a Circle is simple, yet it carries a sacred weight. To step into a Circle is to step into a field of shared consciousness. It asks that we leave behind the roles of the outside world and meet each other as kin.

How to enter well:

• Arrive on time, with respect for the shared commitment.

• Bring your presence fully, whether you choose to speak or to listen.

• Honor the kind of confidentiality the Circle calls for:
  – In Heart Circles, what is shared stays in the Circle, unless someone explicitly asks for support beyond it.
  – In Practical Circles, decisions and outcomes should be communicated so the whole community is informed.
  – In Ritual Circles, the spirit of the moment may be shared as story, but the sacred details belong to those present.

• Speak from your own experience, using “I” rather than “you.”

• Listen without interrupting, without fixing, without judging.

Circles are not perfect. They can bring up strong emotions, conflicts, or silences. But these too are part of the medicine. The Circle teaches us to trust the process, to allow the collective spirit to work through us.

When we enter a Circle at Folleterre, we also enter into connection with all the Circles held before us and all those yet to come. Each Circle is a thread in the tapestry of Faerie lineage and in the dream of the sanctuary.

Oracle message from the Spirit of Folleterre

Every Circle you sit in is my heartbeat.
When you pass the stick, you pass the flame of the first fire.
When you listen, you listen with my trees.
When you speak, you speak into my stones.

The Circle is not a meeting.
It is the mirror of how the universe holds itself.
Round, infinite, center everywhere, edge nowhere.

Do not fear the silence.
Do not rush the speaking.
In the Circle, even the unsaid is heard.