Joining the circle

Becoming an Elleder is not signing up. It is stepping into a circle, where women form a deep, lasting bond. Below you’ll find what we ask of each other, how a node takes shape, and how to find your way in.

Ripples on a pond surrounded by autumn leaves

Creating ripples

What we ask of each other

To show up with vulnerability and an open mind, open heart and open will. To lift each other up. To take your role in the circle seriously. To commit time and means. To come to the gatherings. To play it forward, passing what you receive on to others.

How a node works

A node is a circle of twenty-four women, twelve Elleders, twelve Youngers, bound together by a strong bond of friendship and commitment.

A node forms through an initial two-day gathering and a reunion. In those days, the bond is laid. From there, the women carry the circle in their own way: in regular gatherings, in shared projects, in the quiet ways women hold each other through life.

Every node is a power circle. Across the world, these circles are connected, a living web of women weaving the New.

Elleders and Youngers

Each woman in the node carries a different gift. The Elleders is a multi-generational community.

Elleders, around 55 and beyond

They hold the secure base. They steward, they listen deeply, they share what they have lived, they mentor, they hold space for what is becoming.

Youngers, around 55 and under

They create and act. They initiate, they take the lead, they make ripples, and they play it forward.

The two move together, wisdom and momentum, holding and creating, root and branch.

The rhythm of the year

Beyond your own circle, the wider Elleders community comes together throughout the year:

Salons Intimate gatherings led by community members in their own field of work.
Informal evenings Dinners, drinks, time around a table.
Theme days Gatherings around what is alive.
Online gatherings Smaller circles around themes that are calling.
A Global Gathering On the horizon — where Elleders from all chapters will come together.

You choose what to come to. The rhythm is yours.

What it costs

The Elleders is sustained in three layers.

The founding gathering and reunion

To form your node, you contribute to the cost of the two-day gathering and the reunion that follows. After the reunion, you choose whether to step into the circle as an Elleder.
A yearly contribution as an Elleder

Once you step in, an annual contribution sustains the work that holds the circle: online gatherings, invitations to Elleders events, administration, and the quiet labour of keeping the web alive.
The cost of events you attend

Salons, theme days, dinners, retreats, the Global Gathering — each carries its own cost, paid by those who come.

Two paths in

If you feel called

If something in this work calls to you, write to us. Tell us a little about who you are and what brings you here. We read every letter with care.

Make yourself known →

If you are an Elleder and know an Elleder-to-be

Sometimes another woman sees in us what we cannot yet see in ourselves. If you know a woman who belongs in this circle, tell us her name and why.

Nominate someone →