By Tobey Crockett PhD
Photos by Lori Steed

The nineteenth annual Long Dance will take place in the third week of September.  A spiritual and community event sponsored by the Church Of Empowerment, the ceremony itself, as well as the days leading up to it, are full of excitement, sharing, joyful celebration and tears, wonder and above all, transformation.  This is my fourth year attending, and now I know that I will always go, no matter if I continue to live in this county or not.  It’s just an amazing occasion, full of unexpected poetry, authentic connection and a sweet spiritual intimacy which I deeply value as a cornerstone of our human journey.

Approximately 100-150 women gather for a Medicine Way ceremony in which they dance, drum, sing, pray and share teachings all night from sunset to sunrise near Lopez Lake. Men do participate as well, playing a key role in creating and holding the sacred space in safety, but the ceremony itself is strictly women.  And it’s beautiful!  Some things are just beyond words and the Long Dance experience is one of them.  Nonetheless, I wanted to ask other women why they want to go if it is their first time, and why they keep coming back for more.

For more information on the Long Dance and registration forms, please see http://www.churchofempowerment.org.  For more info more on Hua Anwa, the woman who leads the event and about whom I wrote in Women’s Press a few months ago, please see www.huaanwa.com

Tobey Crockett: What are you most looking forward to about your first Long Dance this year?  What are your hopes for what you will experience?

Shantel Beckers (first timer): For me Long Dance is about bringing forth the Divine Feminine in a supportive community. I have spent most of my life fully engaged in the masculine (I’m a tough tom-boy raised on a farm) and it’s only been in the last six years or so that I’ve come to appreciate the beauty and power of the feminine. Although this is my first dance, I have met several of the women involved and it is very apparent this is a group who wants to support you on your journey. Everyone has made me feel completely at ease and welcomed any questions I may have. I am looking forward to honoring Mother Earth and learning from the wonderful women in this community.
Indi McCarthy (first timer):

I have experienced only a little time with the Church in the Full Moon Circle, so my expectations are pretty broad in some ways. What makes it so exciting, though, is that it might very well be a real opportunity to let go of my Ego for a time, surrounded by very capable and loving people. Rumi writes,

“May the dissolver of sugar dissolve me just in time.”

I am curious to see what will arise from that dissolved state.

Karin Leonard (ten plus years): I was talking with an old friend who said that to her, Long Dance was about “Bring wood, bring water, bring your life’s questions. Take home what you need for the year.”  I’ve gone for over a decade, because it reminds me of the dreams I still long to live out in my life.   Each person makes an impact

in the circle of women speaking in clear intention.  Women grow into themselves in the flow of Long Dance week.  Men step into a protective and spirit-filled existence as they stand sentry for us.  I find the event is the turning point from the past year to the coming one.

Stephanie Olivia (two years): Because I heard the call of the Diva of the Dance: At first she softly whispered in my ear, and as the time grew nearer and I took no action to to participate, she became insistent, her voice was stronger it until I had no choice but to respond to her call.

Hua Anwa (nineteen years): I go because I said I would.  That’s it. Showing up to a ceremony that is dedicated to the Earth Mother and the western gate, my home. Because I said I would.

Christine Troples (eleven years): My personal experience of Long Dance is that it is Magical.  Your life is gradually transformed as the day and the evening moves forward.  When the Sun comes up and your heart and soul have been moved to a new level of ‘feeling’ and your emotions are softer and more easily expressed, there is still the morning of Long Dance in which there is more magic to experience.  This will be my eleventh   year and I must say, I am blessed to be within such a wonderful community of women, growing themselves, as am I.

Lori Steed (two years): I remember going on a nature hike at nature camp in 6th grade and stopping in the shade of the oak trees, finding special rocks and grinding them into powder and making a paint that we then used to paint our faces like the Chumash had done.  Over the years since then I have noticed the rituals and traditions of many cultures and am always grateful when a particular culture opens its arms and allows me to participate in one of their events.  The experience allows for a taste of what is tradition and sacred for them.  It broadens my awareness and increases my capacity to understand their perspective in some small way.  More importantly, I have the opportunity to grow as an individual.  This is why I value the Long Dance.