In many ancient cultures, women would gather every new moon to rest, nourish, share truth and support each other. The Red Tent was considered the most sacred space of the tribe…

The moon affects the water, hormones and emotions within us, just as it does with the ocean.

Once upon a time when humans were living in harmony with the rhythms and cycles of nature, in traditional tribal cultures, women's menstrual cycles were synchronised with the moon cycle and each new moon the women of the tribe would menstruate together. 

It was understood that this was when their life force energy was depleted and they were most in need of rest, support and reflection, so outward activity was ceased in order to focus on their inner needs. Women would gather at The Red Tent each month to meditate, consult oracles, share experiences and channel wisdom for themselves, each other and the wider community. 

The Red Tent was considered to be the most sacred space of the tribe and it was for this reason that in native american villages it was understood that the fastest way to destroy a tribe was to desecrate The Red Tent, as this was the inner sanctum; the seat of true power where the wisdom keepers would gather and vision the best direction for the tribe. 

The Importance of a Red Tent Sisterhood

For thousands of years women of all indigenous societies gathered together at his time to reflect upon their lives, and offer emotional support and healing to one another rather than expecting their partner to intuit and fulfil all their emotional needs.

The Red Tent served as a regular forum for empowering one’s feminine sense of selfhood. Girls would start attending when their bodies started to cycle with the moon and it was here they would be gifted with an understanding of their womanhood, also known as women’s mysteries. 

They would learn about fertility cycles, the affects of the lunar and seasonal cycles on women’s emotions, energy levels and psychological well-being, as well as how to balance those cycles for greater harmony. This secret knowledge engendered empowerment as women learnt the value of their bodies as physical temples, and learn to set personal boundaries accordingly. 

It was in this safe environment that young girls learnt about sacred sexuality, their responsibilities as a woman, motherhood, and the different milestones they would encounter in their life by watching other women, they would come to understand the importance of their role as women in society. 

This was also the space where women conducted rite of passage ceremonies to assist each other with the emotional and psychological ramifications of each major life transition they experienced, such as menarche (puberty), henna nights (the origin of our modern day hen’s night or bridal shower), belly blessings (pregnancy showers) & wise woman ceremonies (to acknowledge moonpause, the traditional term for menopause).

The Red Tent was where women learnt the sacred arts of healing, channelling, dream analysis & divination, as our mystical feminine gifts such as clairvoyance (clear seeing), clairsentience (clear sensing), clairaudience (clear hearing) and intuition (inner guidance) are amplified during our moontime (menstruation). It would also be where their skills and talents could be noticed and then mentored by other women.

Another huge component of Red Tent New Moon circles is having a safe space to reflect upon your own journey each month. In turn, each woman shares what she has experienced in the last month which enables us to see our strengths, vulnerabilities and life lessons mirrored in each other, which creates deeper understanding and compassion for self and others. This also means we witness our high's and low's and can give and receive emotional support and counsel as needed. This enables us to shift personal pain easily and gently. 

The sacral energy centre which resides in the abdomen is also governed by the moon, so by getting additional support during the dark moon, it can increase our emotional well-being by balancing our emotions and therefore means that we’re less prone to emotional eating and other addictive behaviours such as shopping or other things that we might subconsciously do to lift our spirits when we’re feeling at our lowest ebb emotionally or psychically. 

As a healing sanctuary, the Red Tent includes the instruction of sacred physical health practices such as Yoga, Qi Gong and Tai Chi which unify spirit (energy) and earth (body) through a series of movements, breathe work and mantras (chants) to create balance and harmony within, enhancing health and vitality, and supporting women’s emotional equilibrium and in turn their intimate relationships. Specific poses and nutrition can be taught for each stage of life to strengthen the chi (life force) of various organs and the endocrine system (which governs hormonal health). In addition, women can learn techniques to enhance lovemaking ranging from pelvic floor exercises and tips to increase libido, intimacy and pleasure.

It also helps to balance our endocrine system which rules our hormonal health. So when we look at the huge rates of infertility amongst modern women, we see the omission of this tradition of women meeting and getting that support and tuning to the lunar cycles. 

Transition from Adolescence to Womanhood

This custom also acknowledged that when a girl begins to cycle it is natural that she will feel the need to individuate from her mother by doing exactly the opposite of everything her mother says in order to find her own feminine identity. Initiating teenage girls into a circle of trusted women who they can turn to when they feel unable to share with their mother, ensures they are guided and protected by a circle of wise and loving mentors rather than being blindly led by their peers or seeking guidance from magazines sponsored by a corporate agenda.

By welcoming girls to their womanhood we collectively affirm that being a woman is worth celebrating and that it is safe for us to gather and speak our truth. Marking this rite of passage also helps both mother and daughter to acknowledge that the childhood phase has passed so new responsibilities must be accepted if new freedoms are to be granted.

Imagine your life had been different...

Finally, the day arrives and you receive your initiation into womanhood, your lunar blood and your Mother excitedly shares the news with the women who prepare for your menarche ceremony, your first visit to the Red Tent. You pack your overnight bag and walk with your mother through the folds of heavy fabric that have long been forbidden. Inside their are carpets and cushions, reclining lounges, peacock feathers, platters of food, incense and candles. And all the women who know and love you and have helped to rear you are smiling, clapping, crying as they embrace you and welcome you to the Red Tent. The ceremonial High Priestess anoints you on the forehead with sacred oil and blesses you and bids you take your place on the throne they have prepared for you. The ceremony will last three days, a day for the maiden, a day for the mother & a day for the crone. This marks the beginning of your sacred study, learning to use your feminine gifts for the good of the clan, learning what it is to be woman...

So why did we give that up?

Well, there were a number of factors ranging from the witch hunts which saw millions of women murdered as their midwifery and herbalism skills posed a growing financial threat to the medical establishment as the peasant class sought them out en masse. And logistically, the introduction of the Industrial Age meant that our agriculturally based communities dissolved and were replaced by a trend where we migrated to cities, living separate and autonomous lives.

After many generations without this custom of sisterhood many women tend to view each other competitively, comparing themselves to celebrities and silently enduring both professional and personal responsibilities with little or no support.

How The Red Tent Empowers Maidens (Women in their teens and twenties)

• Teaches them the benefits of their womanhood

• Instructs them on how to identify and strengthen their intuition to avoid danger

• Gives them access to various role models and adult viewpoints during their individuation from their mother

• Provides a safe space to learn about their fertility cycles to empower them with knowledge of their bodies and conscious contraception choices

• Gives them access to confidential information about sex, relationships and sexual health

• Provides a space to be heard and encouraged to follow their dreams and fulfil their potential

• Encourages them to honour themselves, their values, feelings & bodies

How The Red Tent Empowers Mothers

• Helps them to accept that nobody is perfect and laugh about their imperfections

• Gives them permission and encouragement to own their shadow behaviour so they can own it with their partners and children to build trust and intimacy

• Helps them to honour their emotions as indicators that identify their needs

• Enables them to increase their understanding of human nature so they can better support and mentor their children and/or those around them who they nurture

• Gives them emotional support once a month to sustain them as receptacles for everyone else’s emotions the rest of the month

• Increases their intuitive gifts

• Gives them a space and a place to focus on themselves instead of everyone else’s needs

How The Red Tent Empowers Elderwomen

• Acknowledges the experiential wisdom they have gained through life’s ups and downs

• Reframes ageing as a positive rather than a negative

• Encourages them to embrace their age and status as an elder of the tribe

• Supports them in becoming more visible as a mentor / teacher / wisdom keeper

• Affirms their legacy and how their life continues to make a difference

• Gives them regular contact with women of all ages to keep them connected & involved

• Provides them with a regular outlet to share their perceptions and insights

How The Red Tent Improves Relationships

The Red Tent helps to sustain healthy partnerships and marriages. Because just as our bodies are ruled by the moon, so too are our emotions. And just like the moon women are changeable and emotional beings. So when we experience the dark time of our emotional lunar cycle, it is best for the longevity of our relationships that we take sacred space from our partners and children so they don’t experience our destructive side when we are in the little death phase of our monthly mandala. If we take this time to focus on our inner needs at this time we can return to our loved ones full of self love and nurturing so we have it to give to them the rest of the month without burning out.

Without this cyclic acceptance of our need to give back to the self we end up with a Western epidemic of breast cancer in the ‘civilised world’ where women are culturally expected to nurture 24/7 without asking for anything in return. Just as we need to breathe in before breathing out, so too women need to take time and sustenance for themselves if we are to continue giving to others from a centred and full sense of self.

The practice of red tent enhances the quality of our intimate relationships. If we are committed to having a conscious relationship, a tantric relationship, where we look at the shadow as an opportunity to grow and form deeper and deeper intimacy then New Moon red tent circles really support this intent because they allow us the space to have true intimacy, intimacy with the self with this support of sisters, each month so that we are processing are own emotions rather than unconsciously projecting them on our partner. So for those of you who are in partnership or wanting to create conscious partnerships, this is a practice that will really, really support conscious partnerships.

So, too, for those of you that are so busy with responsibilities of work or parenthood or both, often we don’t have time to catch up with our female friends as often as we’d like and it might be a matter of meeting one for a coffee and then seeing another one and having to repeat the same stories, the same experiences over and over again. And unconsciously, this can actually anchor the stories of our victimhood.

The difference with red tent is that when we come together, you only have to share your story once, but it’s done from a position of seeking answers, seeking insight--not just seeking others as a soundboard or an unconscious mother figure to dump all of our woes on. So by consulting the oracle, every woman knows that she’s going to get equal time to be heard and be supported to look into what her personal lesson is that she’s currently dealing with and the lessons that are coming up for her in her life.

So, too, the practice of attending a red tent circle strengthens families because if a woman is not feeling that inner strength within herself. She cannot hold others emotionally the rest of the month. And this practice of her getting her needs met, her emotional self, psychological self supported as well as getting her cup filled spiritually with that soul nourishment of soul sisterhood. This means that then we can go home to our loved ones and we be a better support to them.

The New Moon: A Time of New Beginnings + Setting Intentions

The new moon is the optimal time to focus on endings and beginnings as it is the void time between the last lunar cycle ending and the new one beginning. This provides the perfect opportunity for reflection on the lessons of the previous month, attune to the astrological transits/ seasonal events approaching in the coming month and how best to make the most of those opportunities for growth and healing of past patterns. 

As well as receiving insight through meditation and oracles, the new moon is also the best time to use your subtle senses to focus your energy on that which you wish to bring into your life and make manifest. 

For more information about The Red Tent traditions, visit: themoonwoman.com

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