There are seasons in a woman’s life when she awakens to the quiet ache of having lost her creative spark — her wildness, her joy, her soul-life. Come with us as we explore the old tale of The Red Shoes, where our little heroine once held something vibrant and handmade, alive with her true essence… but along the way, she traded it for something glittering, easy, or acceptable. What followed was not freedom, but a slow slipping into bondage — dancing to a tune not her own.

This ritual is a journey of remembrance and reckoning. Through story, reflection, and circle conversation, we will explore six common traps that lure a woman away from her soul’s path. These traps often appear comfortable, familiar, or even “good,” but they subtly drain the life-force and silence the inner song.

Together, we will name and reflect on questions such as:

• Where have you taken a path that seemed “comfortable” but ended up binding your soul?

• Where have you heard the inner voice whisper “don’t make waves,” and obeyed it?

• Where have you tried to live from your creative self but stopped when encouragement was lacking?

• Where do you struggle to recognize your own needs?

• Where have you tried to sneak a secret life instead of living your truth openly?

• Where have you normalized the abnormal?

As each trap is named, we will pause to listen inwardly — not to judge, but to remember and reclaim. Through honest reflection, we begin to see the places where we have handed over our red shoes — our creative inheritance — to something outside ourselves.

This ritual is both a mirror and a doorway. After exploring the six traps, we will turn our attention toward the path of return: how to move toward a life we truly love — one rooted in soul, creativity, and joy. We will speak hope over one another, remembering that the wild self can be recovered, and that the red shoes can be made by hand again.