Candlelight flickers from a dozen glass-encased votives scattered atop an earthy rug, while the intense aroma of burning sage permeates the sweltering heat inside the red tent. Women sit cross-legged, knees grazing neighbors’ knees, in a circle around the altar, a stretch of fabric littered with spiritually-significant objects brought by each woman. The ceremony begins with the passing of the “womb stick,” a rustic branch curved into that most feminine of shapes, a circle. Like everything here, it symbolizes and celebrates feminine power and ability. The Red Tent gathering has begun.
For the uninitiated, the Red Tent is a celebration of womanhood and female togetherness through the honoring of the menstrual cycle, or, as it’s referred to in this crowd, “moon cycle.” This particular Red Tent was planned through the Goddess Gathering Women’s Empowerment AZ, a “spiritual community and network” for women, according to the organization’s Facebook page.
The Red Tent movement’s origin is murky, although most women in the community acknowledge that it can be traced to the tribe of Abraham in the Bible and that Anita Diamant’s 1997 bestselling historical novel “The Red Tent” popularized the concept in the United States.
“It’s something that, during the new moon, women would come together to nurture each other, to honor their blood and to see it as something beautiful,” says Aurora Kozinn, facilitator for the Goddess Gathering. “I think that all women have been taught things about their bodies, their menstrual cycles and their blood that are not healthy. There’s a strong feeling of comfort when women get together in a sacred space. Insecurities go away and they realize that they don’t have to be as critical of themselves and their bodies.”
Every Red Tent gathering is different, with the attendees, activities and discussions changing as organizers’ and participants’ schedules and spiritual callings change. This Red Tent, which is being held at dusk on Aug. 28, is centered on energy. Co-organizer Jess Lynn is hosting the tent in the backyard of her Scottsdale home. Lynn says she has been attuned to “energy work” – energy and its healing potential – since a childhood encounter with a malevolent spirit in her home. She talks to the women about protecting themselves spiritually through energy work. After the ceremony begins, the 10 assembled women discuss their experiences with energy before Lynn guides them through a meditational sequence to balance their chakras.
Later, Kozinn leads a session of “goddess yoga,” a blend of traditional yoga asanas, interpretive movement, dancing and “toning,” the verbal expression of the yogic movements. For some women, toning comes out as the archetypal “om” heard in yoga classes around the world. For others, it emerges as a fluttery sigh, a powerful grunt or even as melodic singing. Kozinn urges the women to listen to their bodies and move how their bodies urge them, regardless of the “proper” ways to do the poses.
Julie Andersen, a first-time Red Tent participant, appreciates the balance of discussion and activity and the emphasis on individual needs.
“I liked that there were times for us to move and times for us to be still,” Andersen says. “Sometimes I need to move in order to come to a place of stillness. I also liked that Aurora told us to let your body do what it needs to do and listen to that.”
Kozinn describes the gathering as more cultural than religious, but there is an element of spirituality that cannot be denied. The ceremony mixes pagan, earth-based elements – the womb stick, the moon candle that symbolizes menstruation, the altar objects and the outside setting – with elements of Eastern religious tradition – yoga and chakra-balancing. The product is an eclectic mix of female-positive dialogue and empowerment.
To some, the ceremony and its components may be overwhelming, too New Age-y or outside the mainstream of how women are expected to relate to each other. This is not a bridal shower or a baby shower celebrating a life choice. It is not a shopping spree, a ladies’ night at a club, a “Sex and the City”-style brunch or any other clichéd stereotype of female bonding.
“It’s a different way to get together,” Kozinn says, an evening full of “nurturance and acceptance.”
The Red Tent is open to women of all ages and faiths. Kozinn says that women are drawn to it for various reasons, from a desire to meet new people to a desire to belong to a community.
“I just like the different energy and meeting different people,” says Jill Nordberg, who has been to two previous Red Tent gatherings. “I’ve seen that everyone’s pretty open to it. It’s about being a woman, you know? You just have to go in there with an open mind and go in with soul.”
Andersen understands how some women outside the communities that usually hold events like the Red Tent could feel uneasy or uncertain about coming to a gathering. She feels like the openness and acceptance of the people involved, however, mitigate such fears.
“People don’t need to be intimidated by it, it’s actually a very fun and lighthearted event,” Andersen says. “You can look at it on a deep level and look at your soul and all that, and that’s not a scary thing. You’re supported in a safe place where people aren’t going to be gossiping about you.”
The Red Tent satisfies a deep need in Andersen’s life for a strong female community.
“When I heard about it, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I totally need something like this in my life.’ The more Red Tents that pop up all over the state, the country, the world, it’s just going to be a good thing,” Andersen says. “Women can come together and set aside our cattiness. We all want to create allies with one another and to be friends and sisters.”
Red Tent gatherings are held monthly according to the lunar cycle, as close to the new moon as possible. Women interested in attending the next Red Tent can learn more by visiting the Goddess Gathering for Women’s Empowerment Facebook page.
Contact the reporter at llemoine@asu.edu.
