Women need other women in our lives. I have seen the connection between women transform women’s lives. The rhythm of community, the rhythm of the seasons, the rhythm of our bodies- finding rhythm with other women is the connection so many women in this modern world are missing. I believe that connection with women in women's space is what many of us long for, whether we know it or not. The Red Tent is a way to find this community, this rhythm.
The Red Tent is a multi-generational, woman-only space where women honor the cycles of our lives and of nature. It is a place for women to speak the unspeakable, to name our experiences, our fears and joys of womanhood, and to connect deeply with other women. A Red Tent Ritual is a sacred space for singing, speaking our truth, and immersion in the cycles. All women are welcome in the Red Tent, whether you are bleeding, past bleeding, or yet to bleed; if you have a womb, or have had a hysterectomy. All women have the cycles of life spiraling in our bodies.
There is no one way to hold a Red Tent. Many women do it in many different ways. What Red Tents all have in common is that it is a space for women to connect with each other, to share with each other, to support each other and to find a rhythm together.
I have found the rhythm of the Red Tent foundational to my own life and practice. Going into the Red Tent every month, no matter what else is happening in my life, reminds me to slow down, at least for a moment. Life often goes so fast. The tasks of life keep moving. The Red Tent reminds me to slow down and take life in, to slow down and be in my body. It is a time out of time, a time to remember myself. It is a place to speak my truth and be witnessed. We all need that in our lives- a place to speak and be witnessed- not to be fixed or told how we’re wrong, just a space to give words to what’s inside and be heard.
I have learned so much in the Red Tent- about other women and about myself. Hearing the experiences of other women helps me to know myself more deeply, lets me know what might be in my future, and helps me to know that I am not alone. The Red Tent is also an opportunity to share my experience of womanhood with others, and hopefully others can learn from me. Every woman has a different experience, and we have so much to learn from each other.