hollowing out - reflections from the waning hunter moon circle

on the evening of sunday 12th october, under the waning hunter moon, we gathered in circle — a constellation of seekers, artists, and healers — to sit with our shadow, with the intention of identifying, expressing and releasing what no longer served us.

we worked in low light, held by the night and the flame. the energy was irregular, unexpected, emotional, but safe.

I preceded the drum journey with an extract from christin lore weber’s mother wisdom speaks:

I am the cauldron of fire and the cup of milk.

I am the two edged knife.

I am the old woman: I am the queen.

if you seek me you will find me everywhere.

I am the womb of wise blood.

I am the world's crown. I am diamond. I am pearl.

I shine with the wisdom of god.

"I am the circle of being.

I am glory — splendor of infinite life.

I am the spiral, the fullness of being, fully becoming, forever, world without end.

~

some of you I will hollow out.

I will make you a cave.

I will carve you so deep the stars will shine in your darkness.

you will be a bowl.

you will be the cup in the rock collecting rain...

I will do this because the world needs the hollowness of you.

I will do this for the space that you will be.

I will do this because you must be large.

a passage.

people will find their way through you.

a bowl.

people will eat from you

and their hunger will not weaken them to death.

a cup to catch the sacred rain....

light will flow in your hollowing.

you will be filled with light.

your bones will shine.

the round open center of you will be radiant.

I will call you brilliant one.

I will call you daughter who is wide.

I will call you transformed.

this extract was a portal. it reminded us that transformation is not always gentle. that to be a vessel for change, we must first become the bowl. the cave. the hollowness the world needs. this circle was a practice in katabasis — the descent. shadow work is not a trend; it’s a necessity. it asks us to feed the whole, not just the parts we like. and in this lunar phase, as the light wanes and the moon turns inward, I invited those gathered to journey, to create, to reflect and then to cast into the flame.

the planetary alignments echoed this invitation:

mercury in scorpio: this means communication becomes more intense and focused. people are more likely to speak honestly, ask deep questions, and uncover hidden truths.

pluto stationing: pluto is about deep change. when it slows down (stations), its influence is stronger. this can bring powerful shifts, often beneath the surface, that take time to fully show.

venus opposite saturn: this creates tension between love and responsibility. it’s a time when we might question our relationships, set clearer boundaries, or think more seriously about what we value and deserve.

together, these energies created a crucible — a space where we could sit with discomfort, draw, cut, stick and form our truths, and begin the alchemy.

this was our sonic accompaniment.

after our ritual creation, we reflected on the meanings of our work - grief, anger, fortitude, self, blockages, the fear of the unknown. words and hearts were tender. we offered our efforts to the flame, to the universe, charging the ancestors to take that we had exorcised, trusting them to transmute it into positive energy for the universe. this wasn’t a circle of answers. it was a circle of becoming. of spiralling inward. of listening to the quiet wisdom that lives in our hollows.

to those who joined: thank you for your presence, your vulnerability, your brilliance. you are the cup in the rock collecting rain.