What Are AURA Circles?
Circles for education, discussion, reflection, integration, and celebration
It all started back in 2020. The idea came to me one day when I was doing my hair. So often our relationship with our hair is secluded, so secluded that even those closest to us might not have any idea what our routine entails. What people see is only the finished product of what can be hours upon hours of time and effort. And here I got to thinking how nice it would be to share in this hair ritual with others. My intentions were to create a sharing circle between women dedicated to the love and celebration of our Black hair. Inspired by Indigenous sharing circles, through our voices we would could speak our truth and release burdens in support of our own healing, in support of the healing of our past generations, and in support of future generations. In this safe space, we could curiously witness, learn, and embrace each other’s unique Black hair and to help cultivate a healthier relationship with our own individual hair and identity.
For the imagery, I was inspired by photographs I had taken of my dear friend Vanessa back in 2013 as she went through the various phases of her wash day one time I was visiting her. The photos taken that fateful day later became a part of a photo series I created for a Conceptual Photography course I took at OCADU the following year and the official photos for the upcoming workshops. I saw beauty in the shape and levity of her plaids (a colloquial term for braids). I saw the reflection of a Black woman embracing her identity through her decision to embrace her natural. Images I have had printed and continue to sell on Etsy.
It was important for me to host my first circle with women in my family, then a second round with close friends, and last year I finally shared this circle publicly as the AURA Circle: For the Love of Black Hair workshop each Saturday during the month of February in 2021. To love and celebrate our hair, I guided individuals through an ancestral meditation to acknowledge our heritage, a mindfulness activity to connect with our hair (feel, touch, observe), and lead discussion to share and listen to stories about our hair from childhood to adulthood while some worked through a chosen phase of their Wash Day. Once the workshops ended, I knew I wanted to continue holding space for this offering.
Monthly Saturday Circles
Continuing from what was started in the AURA Circle: For the Love of Black Hair workshop, these monthly virtual circles have now evolved into a space for education, discussion, and integration of a select topic beyond Black hair. An invitation is open for anyone to join, with the exception of select circles dedicated to racialized individuals or communities. Each circle gives you the opportunity to feel supported and to participate by sharing your voice or listening to hold space. After discussions, we move into a supportive practice such as a mindfulness activity, journal reflection, or guided meditation to integrate what has come up in the circle in our mind, body, and heart. Monthly Saturday AURA Circle sessions are donation-based.
Pop Up Celebratory Circles
Additional circles are also be offered on occasion as an event or ceremony to celebrate natural phenomena (moon, sun, and earth) such as the event of a New Moon, Full Moon, Spring/Fall Equinox, Summer/Winter Solstice, or a shared affinity of some sort. These sessions usually include reflection, journalling, guided meditations, card readings, or other practices related to the theme. These circles appear “once in a blue moon” at a Pay What You Want rate.
