Simplicity Living Circle: Community & Leadership
Potluck feast and celebration to honor Mabon
The air was crisp, the light golden, and the Pavilion brimmed with the scent of earth, spice, and simmering chili. About thirty of us gathered for the final Simplicity Living Circle that Nikki and I would co-facilitate — though “final” feels too finite a word for something so alive. Mabon, the autumn equinox, greeted us with open arms — the season of harvest and balance, of light meeting dark in perfect equilibrium.
I began with these words:
“Mabon invites us to feast in reverence — not just on food, but on the fullness of life: our efforts, our growth, and the lessons gathered like ripened fruit. The Celts celebrated this season with communal feasting, music, and offerings to the gods and goddesses of the harvest — a recognition that we live in relationship with the land, with one another, and with the unseen forces that sustain us. As we share in our own circle tonight, we too honor that lineage — of generosity, gratitude, and balance.”
And oh, did we feast! The table overflowed with color and care — fresh vegetables, hearty snacks, sweets of every sort, and a massive bowl of vegan chili that vanished faster than you could say pass the ladle. Abundance was the unspoken theme — abundance of food, of laughter, of connection, and of gratitude for both the seen and unseen hands that made it all possible.
The Sassy Fire and the Aries Moon
Fire ritual
As twilight settled, a few of our members built a roaring (and delightfully sassy) fire that seemed to mirror the fiery spirit of Aries — bold, restless, and unwilling to play by anyone’s rules. The flames danced and cracked with the energy of new beginnings, aligning perfectly with the cosmic rhythm of this Full Moon in Aries.
Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, brings the spark of initiation. It asks: What are you ready to begin as the season of light wanes? Mabon calls for reflection and gratitude; Aries demands courage and authenticity. Together, they weave a wild dance — earth and fire, balance and boldness — reminding us that the harvest is not just an ending, but a beginning too.
Before the fire ceremony began, as people quietly wrote what they wished to release and invite in, I shared from my heart about this moment of turning — both for the seasons and for the Circle itself.
From the very beginning, Nikki and I never intended to hold the Simplicity Living Circle tightly. Our hope was always to create a container — a sacred space for connection, conversation, and collective remembering. A place where people could come home to themselves, and to one another.
Now, as autumn asks us all to release and trust in the cycles of change, the time has come for us to turn this circle over to new hands. My path is calling me toward a more nomadic way of living — to become a traveling writer and professional petsitter, transiting the globe from one pet to the next through TrustedHousesitters.com. I’ll begin in Oregon, then journey onward to Europe writing and weaving stories as I go. I’ve also started a new Instagram account, @simplicitynomad, where I’ll share reflections from this new chapter — from simplicity on the road to the magic of everyday sacred living. Please follow me there! And of course, I will continue my life coaching practice.
Nikki, too, is listening deeply to her next call — exploring how her gifts are being invited into new spaces of healing and service.
It is our deepest hope that the Simplicity Living Circle continues to thrive — not as our circle, but as yours. The magic has never belonged to one or two people; it has always lived in the shared breath, the shared laughter, and the shared courage of those who gather here. As we honor Mabon and the Full Moon in Aries, we also honor the living pulse of this community.
We invite each of you to look within and ask:
What role might I play in keeping this wheel turning?
How might I offer my gifts to sustain this circle of belonging, reflection, and renewal?
As the wheel turns, new leaders will rise, new ideas will sprout, and the circle will evolve — just as it is meant to. May the roots we’ve planted continue to nourish what comes next. And may this circle, like the seasons themselves, always return — full, vibrant, and alive.
The Fire That Would Not Behave
Then came the fire ceremony. Each member, one by one, cast into the flames a paper holding what they wished to release and invite. But this fire had opinions — and attitude. Like something straight out of Harry Potter’s Goblet of Fire, it spat many of the papers right back out, as if to say, “Not so fast, human. Try again when you mean it.”
We laughed and tried again. And again. It became clear that this fiery Aries moon was demanding conviction. Hesitation would not burn — only certainty, only truth. There’s a lesson in that: when we truly release, the universe knows it.
The Continuance of the Circle
As the night softened, I led our closing meditation, “The Continuance of the Circle.”
We felt our feet on the Earth — the same Earth that has carried every harvest, every gathering, every story before ours. We breathed in the scent of autumn, exhaled the old season, and imagined our roots intertwining with those who came before and those who will come after. We were reminded that this Circle, like life itself, is ever-turning. Each of us is both seed and soil, student and steward — called not to hold forever, but to carry for a time, then pass on with love.
Hands on hearts, we asked ourselves:
What gift am I ready to offer this Circle?
How might I help it grow and evolve?
And then, with that quiet knowing, we opened our eyes to one another — a constellation of souls glowing softly by the firelight.
The Light That Remained
Music and drumming carried us into dusk. Laughter mingled with the crackle of embers. The air was warm, the weather absolutely perfect. When night finally settled, the only light that remained was that of the fire’s dying glow — a steady reminder that endings are never really endings, only transformations.
As the circle concluded, several members gathered to discuss the next steps for carrying the torch forward. In November, Nikki and I will be supporting those who have stepped up to take on this sacred stewardship — the next generation of keepers, facilitators, and fire-tenders of the Simplicity Living Circle.
This is the wheel in motion.
This is community, evolving.
This is simplicity, alive.