09/02/2026
Posted by Jane Hagness: Beginning Sunday evening, August 23rd, I spent the week at a Sacred Circle Dance retreat. We danced for several hours each day led by wise and wonderful teachers. One of our teachers is 93 years old, and as a Jewish child in Austria in the 1930s, she witnessed her father being taken away to a concentration camp. When Evi walks, she uses a walker, but when we dance, she relies on the strength of the person on either side of her. One of the dances that she taught was to a song by Lisa Lynne called, "Celtic Sea." This dance involves holding hands in a line, a waltz step starting with the right foot, a waltz step starting with the left foot, a sway to the right, sway to the left, drawing a circle with the hands in front of the body with palms facing forward, and closing each phrase with the hands coming to the heart. Our line of dancers was able to cross in front of the other dancers who were further down the line, and as we drew our perfect imperfect circles, we looked directly into the eyes of the person who was across from us. How often do we hold a gaze with a person around us? The Celtic tradition speaks of "thin spaces" -- those moments where the veil between heaven and earth is quite thin, where we experience a glimpse of all that is holy. I entered a "thin space" when I gazed into the eyes of Evi, this wise old woman who was not afraid to hold a gaze, and in that moment, I knew her. As my hands came to my heart, I held that child within her who suffered such trauma; I took in her wisdom and joy, and I experienced her radiating love. I knew the Divine Spirit who dwells in her and who dwells in me, and I knew that the Holy One was present. I am ever grateful to First Parish Church for supporting our continuing education where we can be fed so that we might help to foster these moments for one another. I host a Sacred Circle Dance the third Tuesday of each month, and if you think, "I can't do that", remember that just like Evi, you will have strength to your right and strength to your left, and we all keep each other afloat.
