The Creators of Peace Circle is a trust-building experience for the group of women who take part. Even if they learn nothing else from the material we go through together, everyone comes away having discovered that together we can create the conditions to truly ‘meet’ with very different people. We carry this awareness back into our daily lives, and although there are many areas of life where it is hard to recreate the same level of trust, our awareness that it is possible increases the chances.
There are on average 8 – 10 participants in a Peace Circle, which is normally a series of six or seven meetings. Once complete, past groups don’t know one another. To remedy that, on 28 June 2012 previous participants from Peace Circles held over the past four years in Oxford were invited to meet for a meal, the opportunity to connect and harness energy for creating more Peace Circles. Ten previous participants were able to attend.
Despite the fact that many had not met before, a hum of conversation filled the room. When you consider that we represent quite a mix of interests, activities and background, this is remarkable. On that particular evening, apart from a range of ages and origins, we had a care-worker, local magistrate, businesswoman, radiographer, and a student.
One thing that helps enormously in oiling any social situation is cake – luckily we had a birthday to celebrate in our group, and Mary obliged with a magnificent (and vegan) carrot cake!
Whether fuelled by cake, or enthusiasm for the Peace Circle, we came away having refreshed our determination to be peace-makers, and with plans under way for activities in the autumn.
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