The Red Tent

Good morning,
Have you ever wanted to participate in a Red Tent activity? I mean the kind where a group of women of all ages live together for a few days. After reading the Red Tent by Anita Diamante, I have yearned to be connected with other women and share the best of who we can be. I know in biblical times, women would hang out in the tent when they were going through their menstrual cycle and were not allowed to be with the rest of the community. During that time of seclusion, stories were shared, nourishing food was eaten, dreams were told and daily duties of life were put on hold for awhile. This practice was probably resented because it was mandatory and probably odorous. But in view of our current busy lives, it seems that we have gone too far the other way.
So I was so pleased to participate in a spiritual retreat with 13 other wonderful women this past weekend. We spent three days sharing our lives in very intimate ways. The purpose of the retreat was to use native American and other healing traditions to facilitate the communication between our intuitive knowing and nature.We drew on the ancient traditions of: dream circles , space clearing and healing, animal spirits and shamanic journeying.
What I loved about the experience was:
That we are all connected and on a very special soul's journey right now. And it is really helpful to stop verbalizing sarcasm and negativity as a way to move into happiness and connection to others.

That we all have a special reason that we are alive right now and it is easier to remember this in safe and sacred group connections.

That the different generations of women need each other as we move through the life cycle. We need each other's wisdom.

That different religions, cultures, languages, and ways of life offer us opportunities for richer connections.

That rituals and interconnecting the religious and spiritual traditions are very powerful and healing.

I thank all of us for showing up, telling the truth, crying, laughing and celebrating the Red tent tradition even though we were housed on the grounds of a former Catholic Seminary.