CIRCLES Clan Mother Hua Anwa
Circles of Empowerment is a non-denominational group led by Clan Mother Hua Anwa, a women who is a Metis Elder, a teacher of mixed Mayan and Cherokee descent and an adopted Chumash who has been leading ceremony on the Central Coast of California for nearly thirty years. She is the spiritual leader of the Church of Empowerment, the non-profit entity that provides a business structure for our ceremonial offerings, teachings and community building.
NEW! In March, Hua was interviewed by Earth Medicine Alliance, and they have made the interview available via YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Hua is a long time resident of the Central Coast, and has been leading an annual celebration of the traditional Long Dance for nearly two decades now. Falling on or about the autumnal equinox each year and lasting a few days, the Long Dance event gathers together some one hundred or more women into a great community circle of drumming, singing, sweat lodge and teaching that culminates in an all-night ceremony lasting from sunset to sunrise.
With the event held on remote private land near Lopez Lake, both men and women participate in the village building and the communal creation of sacred space that makes possible this highpoint of the spiritual calendar. It is a mighty undertaking, requiring weeks and months of advance planning, organization, and the gathering together of materials, resources and various community partners.
In addition to the Long Dance and Full Moon circle and other ceremonies which she leads in Arroyo Grande, Hua also offers classes, teachings, services and counseling to a wide variety of audiences, individuals and her extended community. Please see this recent article by Gayle Cuddy in the San Luis Obispo Tribune!
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