The Grandmothers' Circle: Sharing Wisdom from International Elders
A feature piece written by Elisabeth Dyrmose, founder of a Denmark chapter of the Grandmothers' Circle. "When the Grandmothers Speak, the world will heal."
Greetings, beloved Earth weavers!
I’m so thrilled to share with you the words of a respected elder - Elisabeth Dyrmose is the mother of my dear Danish friend Signe who I met while we were both travelling in Australia in 2012. In May when we were in Denmark, we got to spend some nourishing time with Signe, her husband, toddler, and three-week-old baby, and also got to spend some quality time with her parents. Her mum is a sound healer, and has a studio space that serves both her sound healing as well as a space for gathering her local chapter of “the Grandmothers Circle”. We absolutely loved listening to her stories of how the international circle emerged, and I invited her to share a piece of writing about the potency and power of the leadership of grandmothers and respected elders.
I believe with my whole being that we need to listen to the elders, those who continue to carry a legacy of living to honour past and future generations. The knowledge keepers, the storytellers, the ones who have spent their lives as wayfinders, and the ones who still walk the same paths as 1000s of years of ancestors before them.
With all the turmoil, grief, divisiveness, and fear surrounding current world events, I love to imagine how different our world could become if we were guided by the wisdom of a council of grandmothers instead, as suggested by this quote I’ve seen floating around in the last couple of weeks…
The remainder of this post will be from Elisabeth’s heart to yours! Please feel free to leave a comment or hit reply if you’d like me to pass along any reflections to her.
About The Grandmothers Circle
Anna visited us this spring 2024. I told her about the movement of Grandmothers in, .... well I don’t exactly know how many countries in the world.
But one thing I know: As the feminine rises in the world so do all the Grandmothers.
The story of Grandmothers Circle the Earth started way up north in Canada in the time of the Great grandmothers among the inuit people. The Great grandmother of Rita Pitka Blumenstein was the healer among inuit people living in Alaska at that time. The presence of the white people caused repression and violence of all kinds and all levels among her people.
She sat one day in 1942 by the sacred fire in despair, asking and praying for an answer: what could she possibly do??! The fire spoke to her: You must teach your Great-granddaughter to be a healer and pass on to her your wisdom and knowledge. You must give her 13 feathers and 13 stones, for one day she will be a member of a circle of 13 Grandmothers that will heal the world.
Rita was the great granddaughter and at that time 9 years old. She had already started to be a healer at the age of 4. She was born in 1933.
“Nineeleven” chocked the world many years later. In the streets of New York walked a woman in despair. She asked the universe what SHE could do. She heard that she should gather a group of indigenous grandmothers from all over the world. She took it to her heart and started the job. She worked hard. Found people that helped. Contacted elders all over the world. Raised money for their journey to a gathering in New York. She invited 16 indigenous grandmothers to the gathering in 2004. 13 came, from Nepal, Tibet, Africa, South America, Sweden, North America.
All hearts were touched in the circle of the 13 grandmothers and everyone else participating in the gathering, when Rita from Alaska, who of course was among them, passed on the thirteen feathers and thirteen stones her Great grandmother had given her to each one of the these powerfull and determined Grandmothers. Together they founded The international Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers.
They took the Hopi prophecy:
When the Grandmothers Speak, the world will heal. A call for power. For the next 7 generations.
They found out that the same prophecy actually exists in similar words around the world.
They traveled as a group to all their countries, met with the Pope and Dalai Lama among others ...
Then they spread out, and travelled to different places in the world to start up circles. And in 2011 2 of them visited Stockholm. A group of Danish elderly women who was there went back to Denmark and started a circle of Grandmothers in Denmark.
In Denmark we now have 15 circles spread all over our small country. We also have members that does not take part in a circle. But are in their hearts Grandmothers.
3 times a year we have gatherings where all are invited. One gathering where we meat to speak about what has happened in the organisation throughout the last year, make ordinary democratic voted decisions about economy, and people with different jobs in the organisation, and also just to meet and get to know each other across the country.
We have a summer gathering where we usually meet with foreign grandmothers from around the world that can inspire us. This year we have Grandmother Lone Beate Æbeltoft from the Sami culture of northern Norway to teach us about the Sami culture and spirituality.
And then we have a Council gathering where we make decisions from listening to the heart and through the sacred circle. Decisions that concerns the whole organisation. Each circle sends one of their members to join and bring a theme. To me that is true democracy. We don’t stop until everyone full hearted can say yes to the theme or question that is treated in the circle. The ethics of the circle is amazing and powerfull. The center of the circle is sacred with an alter and we call in all directions and helpers. All hearts are connected in oneness with the center. Then the talking stick is cirkling from hand to hand and when it’s in your hand you can speak freely, knowing that no-one will judge you. On the contrary, everyone will listen.
The foundation in our work is to empower women and to care for Mother Earth. And how do we do that?
The sacred circle is the foundation of our work. We have ethics to guide us in the work and the being in the circle. We meet about every 6 week in the local circles. Each time 2 of us are co-leaders. Next time one goes out, one remains a leader and another one becomes a co leader.
Next time the last one stays and a new one becomes her partner. A woman may be insecure and think that she has nothing of interest to give to her circle of women. But she finds out that she has. There is space and ears for everyone. And in amazingly short time she maneges water ceremonies, calling in the Grandmothers, drumming a frame drum, and her spiritual skills and knowledge of rituals and ceremonies and her belief in her own intuition becomes clear. And she becomes more and more brave and powerfull. Also in her daily life.
When we start in Grandmothers we often have been taught in a certain spiritual tradition or none, so we learn to give space to each other and that we are the same and as long as we do our best to live from the heart we are just women on a journey, together on a mission. Women grow in the circle. Each one in her own way.
When the Grandmothers speak .. What does “speak” mean?
Lots of us in our own life make or take part in spiritual and creative work of all kinds. We acknowledge that as SPEAK. All the spiritual and energetic work we do is to SPEAK.
And when a woman fall into her power she will SPEAK in all corners of her life. Some are in gardening. Some are in herbal medicine. Some are healers of all kinds. Some are working in the psychiatric hospitals. Some are healing themselves. Some offer celtic sweatlodges. Some are in art. Some in music. Some are grandmothers in life. All kinds of activities and parts of life.
Within the Grandmothers we take part in national gatherings for nature and more in our national society. We offer gatherings and rituals at festivals and right now we have a shared circel that is preparing a day for PEACE (Grandmothers calling for peace) that will run 21 of June 2025 in the 5 biggest cities in Denmark. With the understanding that peace comes from within. It is also called The first Peace (Black Elk) IN the organisation we have a shared circle to experiment with ceremonies and rituals. They will be written down for inspiration.
And sometimes we invite each other for a ceremony, for example summer solstice. And whoever of us is interested can come.
We also have a shared circle of Grandmothers that helps starting up new circles. That is very important work.
And one taking care of our economy. We pay a small amount annually to be a member. These money are used for transportation, website and so on.
And we have an elected front woman, who is very enthusiastic. She has connections to other countries.
In my local circle there is a Grandmother who is taking part in a european Grandmother organisation. Next year they will meet in Poland.
The Grandmothers are growing all over the world. And all kinds of women circles are growing all over the world.
It is my hope that we can soon start or see Grandfathers make circles too. It is part of our goals to balance the male and the female energy within us and around us. And to support Grandfathers is a huge wish that is growing in me.
To make new ways of growing crops, new ways of agri culturing and gardening is a true and highly important Grandmother way of changing into a new paradigme. It carries in itself the spirit of caring and compassion, and the spirit of being a spiritually energetically part of Mother Natures web. To make nature your friend in stead of your enemy. To sense that you are an important though tiny little part of all there is. To find out that competition is your enemy, and togetherness and sharing your friend. To find out that our intellect has to be controlled by our heart is essentiel. That the feminine and the masculine have to be in harmony and balance.
I am, as is the Grandmothers, very in balance with the teachings of Mac Macartney which actually is the teachings of a north american tribe, in New Mexico I think. Mac Macartney speaks of The Children’s Fire. Decisions should be made in circles with equal amount of women and men to balance the female and male energy. And no decision, law, act or thought should be taken that will harm the children. There are longer videos with him, but you get the idea by watching his short talk here.
I hope my text is understandable (my english is not that fluent) And I hope it is useful for you.
Several of them are not with us in this world anymore.
From my heart
Elisabeth Dyrmose
"There are thirteen stones in honor of the thirteen grandmothers, thirteen planets in the universe and thirteen full moons throughout the year. We have gathered here, better late than never!"
-Grandmother Rita Pitka Blumenstein
