Recapitulation

Recapitulation is the act of review, the process of going over the main points again and retelling the story.

I have been working on a recapitulation ceremony offered to me by Hannah Graceful Dawn, suggested also by another teacher named Nigel. I reviewed all past loves and then platonic relationships in which I feel entangled energetically. I did some writing to organize my thoughts. I summarized this in another document. Then I placed the summary page inside of a paper envelope I fashioned from a brown paper bag. I added seeds, flowers and 3 bay leaves for various symobolic reasons and the end result was a beautiful bundle tied with twine and dried flowers. I burned the bundle in a small fire this morning as the full moon in Taurus set while the sun was rising in Scorpio. With the physical act of building the fire and observing the fruits of my labor burn, I did feel my energy return to me which set the tone for this month, reclaiming power in spite of the mistakes in communication between myself and the people I love, or did once love romantically.

As people with high amounts of estrogen, either now or in the past, we are designed to build consensus. This is important for raising children & living within a tribe. But it can come at great cost for our personal needs for independence, confidence and joy. In our fifties we review the past to decide what to cull & what to nurture. This ritual encapsulates many of the instincts of the woman who is letting go of intensive caretaking of others, in order to become more balanced with masculine & feminine power.