Just Like Jennifer Aniston, I Do A Goddess Circle Once A Month – Here’s Why You Should Too

I am not a 'woo' person.

I don't drink Kombucha for my gut health, I've never bought anything from Goop and the only crystal I own are wine glasses. But, just like Jennifer Aniston, once a month I gather with my friends for a Goddess Circle.

Jen-An hit the news this morning when she opened up about her Goddess Circle in the New York Times, who described it as Jen and her friends: '...seated on cushions, cross-legged on the living room floor, they passed around a beechwood talking stick decorated with feathers and charms, much as they had done for every major event of their lives.'

If you're rolling your eyes, I get it. Really, I do. How could sitting on the floor passing around a feathered stick have any tangible affect on your life?

But trust me. This shit works.

Once a month, me and my friends meet for what we call a Moon Party - our version of a Goddess Circle.

As close to the full moon as possible, we gather at one of our houses. Then we write down the things that are hurting us, the things that we want to move away from and our major concerns. We go around in a circle talking about them, and then we put them in a fire pit (okay, it's usually a saucepan). At the end we burn them all and watch all of our negativity disappear.

After burning the negative we then 'ask' the moon to help us with one big goal and one immediate short term smaller thing.

The idea came from one of the group whose hairdresser did it with her friends. When it was first mooted I was tempted to say no. The idea of being honest and vulnerable about my feelings like that was terrifying. But in the end, mostly because of the peer pressure, I did it.

Afterwards I felt lighter, happier and more centered within myself. I felt closer to the women I'd talked with and more optimistic within myself.

Whether you believe the moon, the feathered stick or any of the mysticism in these routines are important or not, there is no doubt that talking about your fears and your hopes is helpful.

For some of us it's really about the moon. For others is just about sharing our feelings. Either way, it's enormously cathartic.

When I go for drinks with my girlfriends we talk about everything from the Kardashians to Brexit. But very rarely do we carve out time to talk to each other about what is really going on in our lives, about what is hurting us and what we hope for.

In normal social interactions we debate, get side tracked and interrupt each other. At the Moon party we listen in silence while the person speaks, letting them get out every drop of their worry before we talk over them. We ask if they want advice, or whether they just want to rant. We offer love and support but most importantly we allow our feelings to have air time.

I love a boozy night out with my mates as much as the next girl (probably more), and there is a place for that kind of evening. But this is something different. It's therapy, it's self-care, it's bonding and it's really bloody beautiful.

So before you write off Jennifer Aniston's super LA behaviour, ask yourself when the last time was that you sat in honesty and emotional support with the people who you love.

If you'd like to try having your own Goddess Circle/Moon Party, all you need to do is gather your friends, have some pens and some paper, write down what you want to leave in the previous lunar cycle and what you would like to bring to the next one, and listen to each other.

There's no right or wrong way to create your own ritual, as long as everyone has a chance to listen and be heard.