The way of talking circles is innate in all of us. But to understand them, we must let go, or at least be open to letting go, of the systems that are in place. For a moment, we must forget what we think we know of justice and the law. Everything is open to interpretation. All I ask is you enter the concept of talking circles, and anything else on this website, with a curious mind and open heart.

The isolation many of us feel isn’t in our heads. It’s here, alive and well. And it is a product of the society we have built for ourselves. We have a choice, continue down this road, separating ourselves further from both each other and the natural world too. Competing for resources until they are all gone, hiding away when we feel pain, focusing on self sufficiency and never needing one another, instead of cooperation and relationship.

There is another way. It involves stepping into the light when we wish to hide in the dark. Leaning on others when we wish to retreat inward. Depending on others when society has told us to rely only on ourselves. Share, instead of hoard. Gift, instead of charge. Seek to understand, instead of harm because you harmed me. To accept, instead of other.

All someone needs,
is a crack in their walls,
in order to slip through.

Watch,
as it gives us permission,
to let our walls down too.

Talking circles are exactly how the two words sound: you get into a circle and you talk. Also referred to as Restorative Justice or RJ, Peace Circles, and so forth. I like talking circles because usually everyone knows what it means intuitively. This work is intuitive, it is engrained in us all.

Talking circles have come back around to society after being preserved for generations by indigenous cultures. Most of the popularity around it is in the space as an alternative to conflict and harm. Many people are harmed by someone, and they don’t feel the law is an appropriate path to rectify that harm. We want to understand why someone hurt us, and to know where they came from. We want real accountability, knowing that person can and will change. Existing legal systems rarely give us this. Even jail is not real accountability, as it sweeps people away under the societal rug so that we don’t have to look at them. Out of sight out of mind.

In the case of conflict, we can’t undue the past. And why would we? We can let harm keep hurting us, or we can allow it to be the teacher that it’s meant to be.

Talking circles offer a beautiful alternative to that, but they also do incredibly well with everything else. We can join circles to build community, welcome a member back into community, we can grieve together, we can celebrate together, we can share gifts, and celebrate life.

If you’re interested in me leading a circle for you, please let’s get in touch!