Red Tent Temple ~ TN

Monday, September 28, 2009

October Red Tent Temple

Let's get an early start on October's Red Tent. Who would like to hostess and who would like to priestess? Give me your ideas and suggestions. It's just around the corner and if you are like me, autumn quickly becomes very busy.

Thanks and belly blessings,

Yarrow

Inside the Red Tent......you will enter Sacred Space to heal and be heard. To be your whole self. To eat delicious soup and drink herbal tea. To tap into your divine creative source. There will be space to rest, journal, cry, connect with sisters, do yoga, meditate and reconnect with what ties us all together, being woman. Womb or not, bleeding or not, all women are welcome. As well as girls of menarche age and nursing babies. Donations are accepted, but entrance is free. Wear a little red if you can.

*There will be a storyteller's chair for women to speak or to ask for speaking to. There will be a special tears bowl to welcome your sadness and letting go.

*An area will be provided for networking, please bring any materials that you would like to offer the women to take, ie; business cards, pamphlets, etc. There will be a place for pertinent information to be announced regarding women centered special events, books, resources, natural products, etc.

* Please bring your own dishware and mugs.

* Please RSVP ~ so we can have a good idea of how many are coming and how much soup we will need.

* While we have some of the basic needs covered, there is welcome room for more women to step forward and volunteer to help. below is a list of the main needs and responsibilities as well as who is helping with them. Note that some tasks need more than one woman.

* If you cannot participate in the tasks-please do not let that hold you back from coming and taking full advantage of an open opportunity for you to arrive and be nourished! We need participants just as much in order to manifest this empowering vision.

For the day of the Temple~

Set up—
Break down—
Bread--
Providing Soup—
Providing Belly teas—
Priestess for circle—
Greeter--
Drumming,music---
Pillow,backjack,mat bringer—
Altar objects--every woman is encouraged to bring something for the altar, to be charged up with energy while she attends. To be taken home after. (collective, all)
Candle provider---
Talking bowl --We will create this together as a group during circle. Please bring any embellishments you think might be added.
Healers; energy workers, body workers, oracles, willing to serve for free or at a reduced fee.
Collective journal--
Flowers—

Red Tent

Come home to...
the one person who can make a profound difference in your life...YOU. What might it look like there? Soft music, cozy space, floor pillows, relaxation, homemade soup, herbal tea, hugs, reposing, listening to women's wisdom, getting your back rubbed, stretching, meditation, napping, dancing, reading, candlelight, safe respectful nurturing...and participation is always optional.We are embarking on a movement whose time has undeniably come. The feminine is rising up to meet the masculine in our society in a way that is new, while breaking away from previous limitations of defined roles and constructs. What I am talking about here is not feminist in the unfortunately negative sense of the word, but a coming to terms with balance and what that means to a world that is globally challenged... to heal the way we relate to each other and the way we relate to our environment.

The way to heal the way we relate to each other is to heal the way we relate to ourselves. As women, we have an opportunity to heal our relationships with ourselves and with other women by coming together in the diverse and colorful ways we show up, and being radically inclusive. What is the Red Tent? It is an opportunity to take time out of your harried and speeding life and connect with your inner wisdom. It's time for regenerating, recharging, renewing, and finding balance in an insane world. It is a place for that crying grieving heart to let loose and wash itself free and clear again. Time to sing, nap, rest, laugh, cry, be hugged, hug, and pay attention to what you want. Historically women are taught to put others first and to give until we have nothing left. The Red Tent was a place where women went to bleed, to have their moontime together and a place to rest and listen to their dreams each month. We are bringing back our birthright to have time each month, no matter what, to recharge. Women are intuitive, creative, and flowing...and we live in a society that is often rigid, constricted, and leaves no time for our humanity to be present. The Red Tent is a sacred space where all women are welcome, simply because we are all women. We will nurture each other, and be nurtured. There will be soup and herbal tea, pillows, music, time for resting and time for sharing. Bring your ragged self, your scared self, your loving self, your not so sure you belong self, your happy self, your wanting to give self, and your wanting to rest self. It matters not. What matters is that you show up...and we will create from there...together.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Beautiful Red Tent Temple

*Here is what was said about last night's beautiful Red Tent Temple.*

Blue Dawn and Amber out did themselves and we all have just had a Beautiful and Wonderful bonding tonight. The house was draped in a beautiful silk and gold embroidered fabric draped down the middle of the living room ceiling filled with tons of rose petals. The window was accented in a red strip with a red and black Dream catcher and the doorways were a beautiful display of red material and gold intertwining and greenery with lights and lots of lace. The sofas were all covered in red fabric and there were tons of beautiful satin and silk pillows around.There was a room super filled with candles and lights of all kinds, lanterns, torches, and lots and lots and lots of candles. The altar had a beautiful gold, oval ,picture frame with the Maiden, Mother ,Crone statues and a bowl filled with potpourri and cinnamon and rose petals were placed everywhere and incense sticks were lit in the potpourri and there was a beautiful glass bowl with a candle lit for each person here and for Yarrow and for Sheba she actually spoke up when we were counting who was here she wanted a candle lit for her as well as she naturally took possession of the velvet antique storytellers chair which she so regally adorned. The kitchen table had a gold tablecloth with a red scarf and a beautiful Mediterranean lantern of Amber's and lots of rose petals and cinnamon sticks strewn down the table. It ,also, had a beautiful sparkling wreath at it's base. The house smelled of Blue Dawn and her beautiful incenses and oils and candles and potpourri and it was an aromatic aphrodisiac. The Temple was started in Love and Trust with our heart to hand ceremony and then a candle was lit to send Yarrow a birthday astral kiss. then we lit a red community candle with the community blessing ball and sent Love and Healing to all in our community who wanted to receive it and for peaceful co-existence and unity. Sophia played the guitar and sang to us and Eileen did some beautiful belly dancing. Sophia really surprised us with her talent and then later Amber and Blue Dawn took turns playing and singing the guitar as well. Blue Dawn graced us with original songs as did Sophia and we all sang the One Spirit in the Dark song for Community. Amber and Blue Dawn led us into a beautiful womb blessing meditation and we all enjoyed our time there and being re birthed in such a beautiful and loving way.Then Amber and Blue Dawn had a spa night for us and we had a mask on our face of oatmeal and honey and cucumbers for our eyes and then a scrub to exfoliate of lemon juice and honey and brown sugar, and they used evaporated milk to pour over our face and hands after the mask dried and we exfoliated and then the ultimate pleasure foot and hand massages. I have experienced a replacement for sex. Rebbecca C gave me a foot rub that made me soar into bliss it was amazing and my first, ever foot massage. I was ecstatic I do believe she has found the means to Peace on earth we call all the arbitrators together and make sure under the table are men and women giving foot ,massages while they negotiate. They'll find a way to negotiate in peace because they would be in such bliss...ahhh. ..what a site..what a visual... We had Belly Blessings with a huge feast, we had 2 soups, and cheesy bread sticks and steak strips and homemade donuts and cheese and fruit tray and a veggie tray and cookies,and a salad and yogurt for the fruit dip. the fruit was cherries and strawberries and farmer's cheese. the table was full. We had peach tea as iced tea and we had 3 hot teas ready for anyone that wanted the,. We feasted all night. It was a lovely evening and everyone left the candlelit walkway with glowing, soft skin and a smile on their faces and in a state of bliss. the evening was finished with everyone getting gifts of perfume, oils and soaps gifted by Amber and Blue Dawn and everyone getting a splash of Come To Me Oil for that last alluring and exotic touch. All wished each other Belly Blessings and Love and Hugs were given out all around and as we dispersed into the night you could hear the Goddess whisper, " Beautiful children, well done."I want to Thank the Mother of our Red Tent -Yarrow for introducing it to us and for carrying it for the last year. I want to Thank Amber and Blue Dawn for so very much the night was a wonderful success, Thanks for the transformation to the house and for the planning of the evening and the meditation and the spa night and the gifts and the dinner and everything. I want to thank Rebbecca C for a great foot rub and I want to thank Sophia for her guitar and Eileen for her dancing and I want to Thank Purple Eagle for bringing Roxanne and I want to thank Roxanne and Nikki for attending. All in all it was a Beautiful Blessing and a memory I will cherish!Belly Blessings everyone.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

July Red Tent change of day

This month's Red Tent Temple will be held this Thursday, a week early, since so many of use will be attending the women's retreat the following weekend. It will be held at Astarte's home again, thanks Astarte. Please email her for directions. ladyastarte584@yahoo.com

If you can help with any of the supplies listed below please let me know asap.

Thanks and belly blessings,

Yarrow

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Spiritual Healing from Sexual Abuse

Healing from sexual abuse trauma with spirituality by Blanche Landry

Sexual abuse is a scourge of our society.
We all know someone who has been sexually abused and we are all affected, directly or indirectly, by this social catastrophe.
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the therapeutic approaches used by mental health professionals rarely allow sexual abuse survivors (particularly victims of incest) to heal. Most professionals harbour the belief that they can improve victims' lives to a certain extent, but a complete cure is impossible.
Upon learning this, women who have managed to survive by the skin of their teeth, find their sufferings increased. They want to live and not just to survive. They want to be fully alive rather than merely survivors.
As a psychotherapist, how can I truly help people if, from the very beginning, I do not believe in their potential for healing?
How can a human being who puts all her trust in me believe in her healing if the message I convey to her (consciously or unconsciously) is negative or fatalistic? What are the limits of traditional psychotherapy? How can I make up for these shortcomings? What is the importance of spirituality in the healing process?
These are the many questions I have faced in the past and tried to answer to the best of my knowledge and experience. I, too, was the victim of sexual abuse, including incest, and .
Transcending psychological theories, statistics and what the professionals told me, I was able to free myself completely from the chains that bound me to my past abuse.
After trying traditional psychotherapeutic techniques, I turned to a more holistic conception of psychotherapy where you work not only with your brain, but with all the other dimensions of your self (brain, heart, body and soul). I believe that an ignorance of spiritual life is at the basis of our refusal to believe in human potential.
Today, we have proof that traditional psychology has limits. What are they?
Traditional psychology emphasizes rational intelligence (the brain), to the detriment of the three other types of intelligence, which I will discuss later. Traditional psychology strives to understand, analyze and make associations. But this is not enough! To attain liberation, we must engage in exploration not only at a surface, rational level, but at a deeper level.
The university training of mental health professionals is based mainly on Freudian concepts. Although Freud has contributed greatly to our understanding of what it is to be human, he has severely wronged sexual abuse victims. In his time, he did not believe patients who dared to reveal that they had been abused by their fathers. Instead, he told them that they were confabulating or fantasizing and were hysterical. Trying to protect their fathers' reputations, he waited until 1924 to finally admit that these patients were telling the truth. Although this happened a hundred years ago, this destructive mentality still persists today, and prevents abusers from taking responsibility for their actions.
Freud may have even abused his own daughter. It is obvious that many of his studies are biased.
In traditional psychology, spirituality is a taboo subject (Freud was an atheist and did not believe in a divine power). In traditional psychology, you do not work with your body, despite the fact that it is the door to all wounds and traumas.
As you can see, there is a lot of work to be done to remedy things.
To make up for these shortcomings, it would be beneficial for both patients and psychotherapists to work in synchronization with the four types of intelligence. The therapeutic approach that I propose does not aim to eliminate current techniques, but rather to complement them.
As a psychotherapist, I favour a blended psychological, physical and spiritual approach. This is an integrated approach in which we work with our four types of intelligence simultaneously.
Physical intelligence (involving the body) allows us to be in touch with our feelings, our blocks and our traumas. Emotional intelligence (the heart) allows us to get in touch with how we feel about these sensations. Rational intelligence (involving the brain) allows us to observe what is inside us without judging, to make links between our past and present and to analyze and understand. Spiritual intelligence (involving the divine essence or soul) helps us to, with humility, re-experience our wounds and live through new states of awareness.
Through meditation, contemplation and internalization, we can access the root of life, our divine essence. In this sacred place that is impermeable to evil-a place of strength, light and love-our original harmony is constantly reborn. It gives us the strength we need to live through this difficult process. Bit by bit, we achieve serenity and find meaning in our lives.
We can spend our entire lives recounting and grieving over our past experiences and not be healed since we are disconnected from ourselves.
It is disconcerting to see so many people come to consult me who have already been in therapy for several years but have not yet become aware of what is going on in their bodies. They are dumfounded when they realize that they are not connected, but disassociated.
We can only become integrated, transcend our wounds and BE by connecting with our body, heart, brain and soul. This is why it is so important to work with all four types of intelligence.
By working with all the dimensions of a human being, psychotherapists will be better able to help people who have been deeply traumatized and guide them, step by step, to a complete cure.
In addition, the type of psychological-physical-spiritual psychotherapy that I favour can be used by any person who wants to experience deep personal growth, regardless of the type of trauma that is holding them back.
I hope that, one day, we will see this approach used in our universities, better equipping our future mental health professionals to help the community. Our society will be deeply enriched, more creative and healthier.
There is hope!
Little by little, professionals are becoming aware of the limits of traditional psychology. Some have even dared to integrate a physical and spiritual approach into their practices.
Blanche Landry is a psychotherapist and author of Le secret de Blanche (Blanche's Secret), Éd. de l'Homme, March 1999.
A few crucial points to take into account in the healing process:
Believe in your own healing, despite everything.
Learn how to trust yourself again, to take responsibility for and manage your well being (the psychotherapist is there to guide and support you but you are the only one who knows what is best for you).
Live in the here and now. We live in the present. We heal ourselves in the present. (Wounds from the past resurface in the present so that we can free ourselves from them.)
Take the time you need to assimilate each step or new stage of awareness. (Respect your own rhythm without getting trapped or trying to escape.)
It is important to free any suppressed anger that emerges in the present. This is the mainspring of healing. If I do not free myself from the anger inside, I cannot be liberated.
Do not force yourself to forgive. Forgiveness comes naturally after you have freed yourself from suppressed anger.
Develop a sense of humour since it helps us avoid overdramatizing our life and experience personal growth. This does not mean engaging in denial or self-abnegation but rather learning to accept our own vulnerability, to practice humility and to develop a more positive view of life.
It is important to understand that the time required for complete healing depends on several factors:
A person's experiences
The degree of his or her belief in healing
His or her determination to be healed
The type of therapy used
The time spent in interior work

Monday, July 6, 2009

Births as a Right of Passage

BIRTHS AS RITE OF PASSAGE
First printed in BIRTHINGS Winter 2002 Newsletter No. 28 http://www.homebirthsydney.org.au/

Our pregnancies are times of gestating not only for our babies, but for ourselves
I'm writing this on the evening of Mother's Day Eve. We all spent the day together with about 250 other concerned residents of the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia (Bowral area). The local cement works wants to burn rubber tyres and other plastic rubbish (including old computers and car interiors) as alternative fuel (instead of coal) thereby increasing the dioxin emissions by 200%. You don't have to be a scientist to know the effects that could have on our health, our children's health and the health of future generations. Marching, singing, carrying our babies, our banners and signs, wearing gas masks, pushing prams, leading our little ones and following our teenagers, we walked our prayer, our song into the Earth..."Clean air, fresh water, for our sons and our daughters, caretakers of integrity, giving thanks for Mother Earth". It was such an example of what we'd got to on Thursday, two days ago, as we discussed the effects our births had had on us - our Births as Rite of Passage. Birth is a Rite of Passage whether you acknowledge it or not. The experience we have teaches us life changing lessons about who we are, what we're capable of and what we need to face in our lives to transform into the Mothers for NOW. What we learn influences how we feel about ourselves as Mothers and how we mother our children. A rite of passage is a culturally specific phenomenon, it serves as a mechanism to reinforce and carry forth the values of the culture. Rites of passage include graduations, weddings, bar mitzvah's, births and deaths. The purpose of a rite of passage is to teach the initiate that which she needs to know to be her new role. During the process the initiate is transformed into the new person, be it Graduate, Wife, Soldier, Adult or Mother. Many rites of passage actually inculcate or brainwash the initiates with the cultural values without them even knowing. Rites of passage enable a culture to continue. Birth as a rite of passage is not a new concept for us, we've talked about it a lot, 'work-shopped it'. During our pregnancy classes and ante natal care this concept featured as one of our tools we used to envision our births. During our pregnancy's "Our personal issues become more obvious, like if you've got a problem with your Mother or your partner, its louder, trying to get you attention" JC. As SJ put it, "when we're pregnant, we're on a different level (of self awareness)." "It becomes clearer and clearer that (what comes up for us) is about love or fear, and once you have that knowledge, you can't go back -going back means ignoring your wisdom." CaW. So our pregnancies are times of gestating not only our babies, but ourselves. Four of us started our Mothering careers in hospital, with typical interventionist births, and learned from those rites of passage "how to be a good girl, to do what the Doctor says and don't make any noise" SJ. "For my first two births (in hospital) I never questioned anything, I gave away my power. The birth was controlled, I just lay there and they did everything, they even took control of the baby." MG The transformative effect of that sort of rite of passage is to conform to the patriarchal vision and expectation of Women as "good girls" and to keep going back for more. Either for subsequent birth experiences and/or on the 'cult of the expert' trail, as Jeannine Parvati Baker puts it, with ongoing visits to the GP and Pediatrician continually needing to look outside ourselves for the wisdom required to raise our children. Our experience gives us/teaches us our wisdom, so if we have disempowering rites of passage into Motherhood, then we are not empowered Mothers.This teaches us - as rites of passage can - "I learned what not to do" CIW, and "(after my first hospital birth, I thought) how did this happen to me? (I learned) I have to pay attention and be involved in what's going on with/to me" SJ. "(After my first birth - induction, epidural, vacuum extraction) my expectations (of birth) changed. Rather than conforming to society's expectations, I created my own." CIW. So sometimes the attempts of the culture to create mindsets in the initiates that best suit the system, in this case the medicalisation of childbirth - backfires and results in women stepping outside the system, often angered by what happened to them. Why does this happen for some women and not others? Our births teach us what we need to know about ourselves, and what needs to change about ourselves so that we can transform to be the perfect mother for our baby. To be as Jeannine Parvati Baker says "the Mother's that the Earth needs NOW, for the children's sake and for the Earth's sake." "For my second birth (in hospital) I prepared myself by becoming informed, I had an empowering experience, (the hospital midwives) showed me respect and so I felt more self respect" GW. "Becoming a Mother the first time woke me up, I had more than myself to be responsible for, (this resulted in me) listening to wise people not just the standard crap. (From my first birth) I learned how fantastic my body is!" CIW. "My first birth (in hospital) taught me that its okay to say what you want, its always okay and never too late" CaW. "I learnt (in my first birth) that I didn't know what surrender meant, I had a homebirth transfer and caesarean section. I got what surrender means from my second birth (VBAC at home), and my attitude to myself, my sexual self and myself as a woman and mother transformed" JC. "Each time I conceived was a new awakening to every aspect of myself, my life - how I was living, how my relationship was and where I was living" KK. "(My first pregnancy) was about trust and having respect for myself. (I learned to be able to tell) other's fears from my own" KL. Once freed from the institutional approach to birth, women seem more able to experience the full range of possibility with their birth experiences, the rite of passage as Mother Nature intended ie the biological intention. "My second pregnancy (a planned homebirth after a first hospital birth) was a spiritual experience. I had reverence for this person inside me. Early on in my pregnancy I was given information, through my intuition and knowingness that this pregnancy would teach me about Goddess energy. I trusted my feelings rather than trying to rationalise them with what I should or shouldn't do. I was motivated by the desire for the best for my child." CaW. "During my second pregnancy I learned to take responsibility for myself and that it wasn't necessary to do what was expected of me."KK. "With my second pregnancy I had much more self direction which became for me self recognition. This lead me to wanting more choices and ultimately my choices, not anyone else's." KL. "In this my third pregnancy, I can see the opportunity for my personal growth and empowerment. I will be conscious at this birth (previous two births on pethidine) and aware of my intentions when I bring my baby into the world." MG "In my second pregnancy, starting with knowing what I didn't want, I learned to trust my body and to trust other women. I'd given up on women when my mother died, but now I could feel the strength of woman/women and the love from other women. All this resulted in an easier than expected first stage. I was expecting a much longer and more painful time. Now I am transformed, I have faith and confidence in myself as a natural mother. I've learned I don't have to fight for everything. I can accept how fantastic it all is being a mother, and that I am a fantastic Mother!" CIW "My second pregnancy taught me that I can follow my intuition and that I want to be around women in a deep way." SJ. "For my second pregnancy I was already coming from a place of power not fear. I knew what I didn't want and I was open to receiving information that I needed for the birth of this child. That birth (homebirth) transformed me into a powerful kick-arse Mama. I don't wait for things to happen to me anymore, I make them, I call them to me." CaW "During this my third pregnancy, I'm feeling less desire for outside assistance. I have more faith in myself, more harmony within, (planning a freebirth after two previous midwife attended homebirths) I am transformed into Mother, I feel that now my life has purpose. Every moment of every day is contributing to the future of my children and the world. I have never felt like that before, nor can I imagine anything I could do that will have such a profound influence." KL "Through each birth (Mother of five) I come to know myself more, to have more confidence in my ability and to know that my needs are not just valid, they are vital for my health. I've learned to be more informed and more precise in my decision making and to absolutely follow my intuition." SJ So when we look at ourselves now, after birth, we can tell we are different. From our experiences we have gained knowledge and wisdom and through birth as a rite of passage we have been, as the initiate is - transformed. Transformed into empowered Mothers, capable of anything and everything! Trusting in our ability to raise our children. Lucky, 'cos that's the job description! And we want this for every woman
Transformation is different to change.Transformation is metamorphosis,Transformation is a shift in root perspective,Restructuring of our internal consciousness,Our beliefs and attitudes - such that we can, Never respond to things the way we used to We know that after childbirth we are never the same again. There is no going back. This is the way of nature -just as the way the caterpillar creates it's cocoon, becomes a chrysalis and gestates itself in preparation for it's rebirth, it's transformation. The chrysalis will emerge as a butterfly. The struggle from the cocoon is essential for the transformation to occur. If the cocoon is cut open to make the emergence easier, faster, the butterfly will never be able to fly. The 'struggle' from the cocoon is the vital part in that process, the struggle or effort required to get out of the cocoon pumps fluid into the wings giving them sufficient strength to fly. Is this what happens to women robbed of the 'efforts' of natural birth? Are they unable to express their true potential? Evolution of our species occurs through birth as a rite of passage or devolution. What happens at birth is incredibly important for the life of the Mother and the child and either reinforces or creates new (from ancient) values about Women, Mothers, the feminine. Another way we will see this reflected is in how we as a culture care for the Earth - our Mother. Our prayer is that all women, through their births, find strength, courage, love and support; that we remember the women's wisdom that is in us all, that is our inheritance; and that we feel the connection that exists between us all

Blessed Be and Blessed Do

Friday, June 26, 2009

Wonderful Red Tent!

Last night was our Red Tent Temple, an due to personal issues, I was unable to attend. However, our very capable "priestess" Astarte carried the temple and I was told that there were 10 women present! Our largest temple yet. Here s what she had to say about the evening.

"We ate Miso soup with seaweed and wheat cakes, Miso soup with seaweed and tofu banana bread croissants chrysanthemum tea, chai tea , honey or splenda for tea wonderful strawberry peaches and cream dessert cobbler. We learned the medicinal properties of seaweed and chrysanthemum tea we shared things we needed to talk about in the tears bowl we empowered items everyone brought for the altar with Sisterly Love and then took them back with us we had a guided return to the womb meditation with an egg back to the womb and then back into this world and then we gave out wildflower seed mic and gourd seeds to plant with the egg.We sang We all come from the Goddess and Yabo attundewah. Someone shared some wonderful CD'S she had with some fabulous drumming and chants for women on them. I Loved them.We had a wonderful night of Sister sharing and w sent Love and Support to all our Sisters who were not there. Light and Love, Astarte"