Last night, I facilitated my first red tent circle via zoom. Because of the pandemic going on right now, and the fact that the circle I’m building consists of people all over the country, it makes the most sense to hold it online.
I wanted to share some of the things that I am hoping to build this space, circle, off of. These are the things that I believe are important for the health of this space as well as are inclusionary of those who will be a part of the circle.
Here’s more about the red tent circle this space will be holding once a month on the new moon. You can ask to join the new facebook group here!
I want to start by talking a little bit about what a red tent circle is, and then what the path i want to follow looks like. The red tent is traditionally a very female centered space, created to be a sacred meeting between those who identify as female-bodied and a place to reclaim sisterhood together as well as breaking taboos and shame. It is my hope as this group’s leader to allow for a more inclusionary approach and break down the binary while still embodying the magic that comes from the womb and those who have them, regardless of their identifiers.
This red tent circle will hopefully blossom into a place where we as womb holders come together with intention to restore and support our own individual sovereignty as well as allow the ripples of our own work to flow out into the womb grid. We, those of us with wombs and cycles, are all connected through not only the red thread of our blood but also through the womb grid that flows across and through time. This circle is about breaking down the taboos surrounding menstrual, or moon, blood, but also breaking down taboos around our shadows and traumas. Those with wombs are the only people on this earth who shed non-violent blood. I’ve heard of a very binary prophecy, supposedly one of the Hopi tribe, which states that when every womxn returns their blood to the earth, men would come from war, and the earth shall find peace. I’m not sure if this is a legitimate prophecy but the idea of it has stuck with me. This prophecy, or idea, is connected to the question of “why are there so many wars and so much violence?” It is said that Mother Earth requires blood and until we restore the giving of our sacred blood, wars and violence will continue.
Though I do not fully embrace the “give your blood back to the earth and wars and violence will cease,” I do believe in and value the power of the womb. I also know that our fight against patriarchal ideologies and the continued shaming and silencing of those who are not men is a lot more complex and nuanced than just one thing. There have been stories of womb-bearers who were held in deep respect and honor specifically because of their ability to give and take life through their moon blood, which points to the intimacy and potency of magic available to us when we bleed. One of my favorite stories is of the Goddess Maeve, who I am named after. She was a fierce goddess/giver and holder of sovereignty. Maeve was the one who could make or break a ruler, and it was only through her blessing that a ruler and their kingdom flourished. The story goes that she was in the middle of leading the charge in a battle against an opposing kingdom and her moon time came upon her. She stopped the battle so she could bleed upon the earth and every person there honored her power.
The red tent, for me, isn’t so much about specifically re-balancing the sacred feminine and divine masculine, it’s more about reclaiming balance and sovereignty for our individual selves and for those who do not have a voice as we shift and evolve with our current world state.
We with cycles align with the moon’s cycles. The new moon is symbolic of our bleeding time; it’s a time of shedding and releasing, and then reclaiming and rebuilding, getting ready. The full moon is symbolic of ovulation, the potential for new life, bursts of creativity. The red tents of old were when women gathered together and rested and shared community with each other and continued on traditions and knowledge that were passed down from their mother’s mother and so on and so forth. I want this space to be similar; I will hold open the circle to allow for vulnerability and support for each of you. Whatever is said in circle, remains in circle. We are here to support and care for each other and to do so without judgement. I want to break down the taboos about periods, our bodies, our trauma, and share this space in fervent support and care for each other.
I am excited to see how this circle grows and expands. My dream and hope for this circle is to help those who want to also lead circles of their own to do so. We will be talking about shadow work, healing trauma, and holding space for our own individuality and needs, supporting each other unconditionally.
Shadow Rose Botanica 