Recently my friend Joanne (love you JoJo) lent me the iconic novel “The Red Tent” by Anita Diamant. I had never read it, despite wanting to for years. It’s a fictional novel, a story about Dinah of Genesis 34, but it’s a depiction of what life might have been like for women living in the time of the Bible Old Testament. It insinuates that all women menstruated at the same time each month, with the new moon, due to the village culture of all people living, working and sleeping in close quarters with exposure to the moon phases. During the time of menstruation, the women retreated into the “red tent”. In the book, this is a way of separating the men and women during the time of their bleeding, but the women use the time to rest together, talk, sing, and journey. Even two sisters who have a long-lasting feud come together into the tent peacefully. I love the description of women taking time for their rest at this point of their cycle and having that connection to the moon and eachother. While the story depicts quite a lot of violence and sexual ownership of women and other issues that I don’t vibe with so well, the concept of the Red Tent I find beautiful and honouring of womanhood and sisterhood.
Whether the Red Tent culture truly existed or if it is something that has been dreamed up of the past, Red Tent circles very much exist now, all over the world. Women menstruate at different times each month, with very different patterns, some women don’t bleed at all, and some have a lot of issues with their cycle, but all women are welcome in a Red Tent circle.
So after reading the book, then, in perfect divine timing, I ended up joining the team of women who organise and hold monthly Moonlodges on the full moon, in Glastonbury at the Goddess house.
So…… What actually is a “Red Tent” or a “Moonlodge”?
At the heart, it’s a sharing circle, in this case for women of a menstruating age. “Sharing” is a concept completely missing from our normal culture. Sharing is where you just get to express how you feel in words, for a short while, and be witnessed and listened to by one or several other people, and *just heard*. No shitty unwanted advice given, no sympathetic face pulling, no one trying to fix your life for you, no one disparaging your joy, no judgement. Within the sharing circle the job of the other people in the room is to listen to each other sharing without judging. For me, the first time I sat in a sharing circle with other young women, the prospect of “my turn” and saying how I was feeling inside, was terrifying. It felt like a performance; I had no idea how to be authentic. I was so used to putting on a persona for the world to gain validation or acceptance. Now, being a part of women’s circles is normal for my life with my Rhiannon training, I have learned how to open up in a safe space, share my honesty and vulnerability. It's healing to speak your truth because it allows you to feel how you feel without trying to justify it, or explain it, or hide it. You can just be how you are, whether that is joyful, content, sad, angry, furious, confused, tired, energised or many of the other ways in which we can be, with no judgement or intervention.
Because it is a Women’s Moonlodge, there will often be sharing focused around the blood mysteries, menarche, bleeding, sex, birth, menopause. From these, branches come out such as the themes of childhood, romance, mothering, death. All women have a story to tell whether they are experiencing many difficulties with their cycle, none at all. Or perhaps a woman who has never experienced menstruation such as a trans woman or someone with a medical condition. Everyone has something to share and these mysteries are part of the magic, beauty and power of being a woman. Hearing each other's stories and telling our own stories helps us to learn the wisdom of collective womanhood, to feel connected to one another, to feel not so alone. Feeling a part of something bigger and something more meaningful has helped me to respect and love the planet and all of the people, animals, and life here. I actually feel that sharing circles for women, men, and children are an important part of healing the planet, because surely people who feel loved, seen, held and safe wouldn’t be acting out in such a damaging way?
Within the Red Tent Moonlodge that I am a part of here in Avalon, we bring a flavour of the Goddess Rhiannon, great Celtic Goddess of Love and Sexuality, by calling her energy into the space. Having the loving, feminine, Goddess energy in the circle makes it feel more sacred and special!
Aside from calling Goddess into the space, and holding a confidential sharing circle, there are many things that can happen in a Red Tent. “Traditionally” the Red Tent would have happened for several days while the collective bleeding was happening, but now with our busy lives, unless there is significant planning we cant hold a red tent for more then a day or a few hours. Whatever feels yummy and delicious and healing is the answer for what to do! Massage, dance, meditation, singing, drumming, making prayers, crafting. Women crafting together in circle embodies the ancestors and brings a really authentic primal feeling to the body, because weaving and crafting together has been the practice of women for millennia. I think many women expect it all to be a bit "weird" but actually the Moonlodges can be very simple and grounding and really just about connecting into ourselves, eachother, our cycles and our expression and creativity.
One of the questions I have been asked was “but why is it just for women?” There are lots of reasons but one of those is that the Moonlodge is a safe place to share about one’s personal experience of the Blood Mysteries which only women experience. The Moonlodge is about the healing and deep power of sisterhood. So many women have huge wounding around other women. Bitchiness in school or work, that feeling of competition, feeling inferior to other women. Being part of healthy sisterhood circles is one of the ways that these woundings can be healed. So whilst the Moonlodge is women only, I think it’s incredibly important for men to also have sharing circles for men only, and then vital also for men and women to come together to share and have ceremony together.
Another question is “do you have to be on your period to come”? And the answer is no! Maybe in times long ago before the busy modern culture changed our cycles and patterns, women would all have bled at the same time, similar to how now we sync up our cycles with women we live with or work closely with. However that’s not the reality we have now, so we sync up our Moonlodge with the moon phase we feel drawn to and all come together no matter what point in our cycle we are in or whether we are even bleeding at all in our lives! All women have wisdom and story to share and ALL are welcome.
I feel incredibly passionate and excited about the power of the Moonlodge and so happy to be serving and also growing and learning myself by holding women’s circles here in Avalon. If you are from Glastonbury or the surrounding area, or are visiting, our Moonlodges are once a month on the full moon at the Goddess House, for two hours from 7-9, all dates for 2019 below!
With so much love, and Blessed Be, Sophie Jenna <3
