It all began in 1985. Foxfire was living alone in the woods of Maine recovering from nursing school, when she was given the vision.  It was the culmination of an idea that had been born on a previous night in Maine as several women sat on a hillside together.  They had decided to watch the traverse of a beautiful full moon all the way across the sky, staying up all night, singing songs and talking about their lives. “Why should we do this kind of thing for only one night?” someone asked.  The question rang like a bell in their hearts.  The seeds of the vision were formed and co-created, then, out of the heart-songs of a group of women together.

And so it was that the vision came into bloom and Fox put out the word: Were there 13 women who might want to spend one moon cycle together in the wilderness to ceremonially honor the ways of the earth? There would be no leader, no guide, but instead an acknowledgment that everyone has wisdom to offer. The group would guide itself. That is how the vision looked. It was one moon cycle, so that we could dance with the waxing and waning of that great orb that pulls at our inner waters. And the number 13, because it is a magical number, and a potent number in women’s gatherings of the past. She was curious, and wanted to see what that might be all about.

Thirteen women heard the call… and so the journey began. Several of the women had been on the moonlit hillside that night of songs. We ranged in age from 19-40, most of us in our 20’s and early 30’s. All of us Caucasian women, all of us unmarried without children.

We spent a year meeting monthly to vision, to decide where to go, how to get there, and what we would do once there together. In order to find a place to do this experiment, we played global roulette, spinning a small globe with our eyes closed. One after the other, each of our blind fingers landed on either Hawaii or New Mexico! Coming from New England, New Mexico was financially and practically much more sensible. Two women would drive a truck out with supplies. The others flew out.

The following was written after our return. We decided to make a booklet to share about our journey. Some women have added a current description of their life as well in 2012, some 27 years later! A few we have lost touch with, and even with advent of internet, we have been unable to locate them.

These are the 13. The group photo taken after our return, dazed, tired, and distraught returning to the societal world!