What is worth sitting outside for hours upon hours, 2 days in a row?
The first time I went to Women of the 14th Moon four years ago, the friend who invited me didn’t tell me what to expect. If she would have said I’d be sitting outside under a canopy all weekend for hours upon hours listening to women speak, testing my patience, I might not have come. But the experience of hearing women of all ages bravely share their stories and being vulnerable in front of a circle of 100 women is transformative. For the most part, women have been afraid and have been taught never to speak up, that our voices are worthless, that we were never worthy. Hearing these women's stories I am astounded and outraged -- not only about the amount of abuse they have experienced, but that it’s still happening! Even the youngest maidens describe their formative years as having included suffering all forms of abuse and neglect.

How women heal.
There is so much healing in being truly seen and heard in a non-judgmental, loving environment. Plus we don't feel so alone when we hear others have experienced similar lives. Women walk away elevated, more confident, buoyant and at peace. During the weekend campout women make new connections and foster existing friendships, giving us a strong sense of sisterhood and support from a larger family. We experience the sense that we are all “familiars.”

How Women of the 14th Moon came to be.
The W14M event also consists of honoring the 3 different phases of women’s lives: maiden, matron, and most importantly, elder. “The ceremony was created in 1987 in California when three women -- a Cherokee, a Celt, and a Jew -- came together because they wanted to do something to heal the great fear of aging among women today, particularly in this society. Drawn together by synchronicity, or “luck” as some people call it, they shared their visions. What emerged that first year, 1987, was a ceremony created by women of three different nations and meant to empower and honor women of all nations. It was a ceremony not only for the elder women but also for mothers and daughters, for grandmothers and granddaughters, for matrons and maidens.” --from the W14M website.
The founders borrowed from their ancient culture's traditions -- connecting us to Spirit, the earth and our ancestors, which creates a sweet, powerful experience that is far different than our normal modern experience of being connected mainly to our electronic devices.

Why we need more women's circles.
This ceremony and these types of ceremonies, rituals and women’s circles not only help heal women, they help heal the planet. Every time we come together in circle, it amplifies the divine feminine. When the divine feminine amplifies, it rights the imbalance of male/feminine energies on the planet. If you haven’t been to a women’s circle, please find one or create one. It could simply be a group of friends or complete strangers you meet online. And of course, we’d love for you to come to our Moondays Red Tent circles! (Our next Red Tent circle is Sept. 22th btw!) And come to the Women of the 14th Moon next year! It’s always Labor Day weekend. Let me know if you would like to be invited as it is a private event.

Recognizing our weak spots
Owning a small business for 29 years, I’ve learned that the best way to manage employees is to capitalize on their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. It’s a good idea to do this for ourselves as well. In getting Moondays off the ground, I’ve recognized that one of my weaknesses is not having the experience of attracting investors. For my small businesses, I’ve always just taken out loans and used credit cards. It’s so fantastic that crowd sourcing is an option, and one way to get around my limitation. If I don’t know how to attract individual investors one-on-one, I can attract them through a group offering online.  Another option is corporate sponsorship.
Corporate sponsorship
There are many businesses that would be in alignment with Moondays’ mission and vision. It’s possible that some of them may believe in the concept and people behind it so much (aw, shucks – thanks!) that they would be willing to pay for sponsorship. One of the first examples that comes to mind is McMenamins. Their décor, their business model and their demographic are right in line with Moondays. Another one of course would be a large alternative feminine products company, or a brand like Oprah.
Compensating for my weak spot
Corporate sponsorship is a possibility, but my weakness rears its head again. I don’t have a clue how to effectively approach big companies. I’ve been praying for a female mentor who could help me with this sort of thing. I am thrilled to announce: she has manifested! I met her at my weekly Weight Watchers meeting and she happens to live only four houses down from me! She’s been living there for years and we’ve only just connected now. Timing is interesting. Her name happens to be Susan, too. She was the vice-president of a big institution in Portland for 15 years and raised millions of dollars in corporate sponsorship for them! She is a wonderful, radical woman and I am beyond grateful she wants to help.
This is where I can use your help
Susan gave me step-by-step instructions on how to go about getting corporate sponsorship. The first thing is ‘who do you know?’ Who do you know who works at one of these companies or has a connection to someone? I have a couple of people up my sleeve, but the more connections I have, the better chance of success! Please let me know if you know of anyone in an executive position (or close to an executive position) in a company that might have an interest. Here are some examples:
1.  Thinx
2.  Conde Nast (Major Magazine corporation. One of their mags is Teen Vogue and it’s very feminist!)
3.  Ms. Magazine
4.  A natural makeup brand
5.  Providence Health
6.  A Natural Clothing Line
7.  Yoga Journal
8.  A tea company
9.  LuLu Lemon
10.  Full Frontal- Samantha Bee
11.  Spas
12.  An herb company
13.  A resort/destination spa – partner on Moondays’ getaways, McMenamins!!!!
14.  A lotions & potions company
15.  Oprah
16.  Martha Stewart
17.  PSU
18.  My Lola
19.  Diva Cup
20.  The Red School (small biz, but right in alignment with Moondays!) There are many others out there this size that might be interested in partnering in some way or another. I’m looking for other kinds of alliances, too.)

I was living hand to mouth, on the road for 4 ½ years in my 20’s. I wanted to transition to live in a home in Portland and make a decent living, but had no idea how that was going to happen when I didn’t even know where my next meal was coming from. My ‘rocket of desire’ (as Abe-Hicks would say) brought me the book, Creative Visualization, by Shakti Gawain. I read it and practiced the exercises. Within 2 months, I had purchased a house and started a business that produced a comfortable lifestyle. The money for the house came in the form of a $2,000 inheritance from my mom and a private contract with a friend’s mom. The money for the business came from a friend of my first husband. I know the Law of Attraction works. Of course, it’s not full proof. There can be blocks within ourselves or from the Universe, or from our angels. ‘This or something better’ is what I’ve learned is the best way to approach manifesting. 
I hold a big vision for a chain of permanent brick and mortar Moonday’s Red Tents. It’s going to take a considerable amount of money to get it going. It can feel very daunting. That’s when I look back at that time in my life when it felt like magic happened- when I manifested something out of nothing buy my first house and open The Fossil Cartel. If that was possible, this is too. Even more so with all of the support I’ve received throughout the years hosting Red Tents and sharing my vision. Women want it as much as I do!
I am turning to the community to attract the funding needed in the form of ownership through a special crowd sourcing platform.  I like the idea of Oregonians having a vested interest, of having a huge support system cheering for me and cheering for the change and social impact this kind of business will bring. Stay tuned to learn how you can invest and be a part of this amazing opportunity! Sign up for our email list and connect with us on social media. Learn more about my vision by reading the About page and following this blog.

Leading circles can be hard. It makes you hyper-aware of your ego, since it’s usually all riding on you. Doubts race through my mind:  Am I doing this right?  Am I doing enough?  Am I doing too much?’ Will I attract enough women to attend?  I believe this is the hardest part of leading circles and why there aren’t more women doing them. As with public speaking -- one of our biggest fears, -- we are afraid what people will think of us!

A certain amount of fear, or healthy stress, is a good thing. It motivates you to always try better. The challenge is to not obsess about our ego and let it block us from moving forward. Sisters, it’s time to get out of our comfort zones. We need each other to step up and have more women lead circles. Coming together in circle is so healing and empowering. Jean Shinoda Bolen, a writer, analyst, and teacher who has long been a leader in the women's empowerment movement, believes there will be a planetary shift in psycho-spiritual consciousness when we have a million circles happening around the globe. She shares this view in her book, The Millionth Circle: How to Change Ourselves and The World.

One thing that can help us with the ego dilemma is remembering to connect to our bigger, or higher selves, and with the intention behind leading circles. We know we are coming into this experience with the intention of healing and empowering women. We understand it’s for the greater good. This is the most important thing. The rest is a lot more inconsequential.

Another way to look at it is through the lens of the chakra system. Ego operates out of the third chakra. When we refocus our intentions of getting a group of women together to deeply connect and grow, it brings us back up into our fourth or heart chakra. This is where we mainly want to operate from.  Love resides in the heart chakra. Coming from love is the best way to help heal ourselves and the planet.
If you are interested in leading circles, I can help. I can also direct you to other resources that can assist you. In the permanent brick-and-mortar Red Tent, we’re going to need more women leading circles! May we all be strong enough and aware enough to recognize interference by the ego and refocus our energy into our heart chakras.

Image credit goes to Sara Maude. Read more about the ego and how to best deal with it in her blog post, Let Go of The Ego to Find Happiness.
 
 
 
 

As women, we often wrestle with a lot of self-doubt. How can I possibly manage building a start-up while I still run and operate a business and have a family?  My first response is, ‘But men do it all the time. If they can do it, so can I!’ But how can I do it in a balanced, healthy way? Men often neglect their health and families for work.
I have to accept the fact that Moondays will continue to consume my time and my psyche. It’s a juggling act between that, my family and my business of 28 years, The Fossil Cartel. My teenagers are getting older very quickly it seems. I want to be as present as I can and cherish our time together before they fly the coop. How do I stay balanced among the competing loves of my life? They each require my time and attention. This is one of the reasons I chose the word FLOW for 2018.
I know from my metaphysical studies that in order to maximize the law of attraction, one must “let go,” “be open to receive” and at the same time take steps towards the desired outcome. But in our masculinized society, we are expected to push ultra-hard and sacrifice enormously to achieve, skewing an ideal balanced lifestyle. “You’re not doing enough, and you are not enough,” is the insipid self-talk of this paradigm. Excessive toiling and sacrificing often leads to illness, depression and regret. Luckily, we are learning that feminine principles such as allowing, being, receiving, stillness and mindfulness are necessary to create maximum flow and a more fulfilling life. We are learning to embrace these principles and incorporate them into our lives. Take for example the mushrooming popularity of yoga and meditation in the past 20 years.
I learned the lesson of contraction (pushing) and expansion (allowing) years ago. In my 20’s, I had been living on the road with my psychic boyfriend, Mark. We did beadwork for a living and sold it in stores and at fairs and flea markets. We lived hand-to-mouth and never knew where our next dollar was coming from. One particularly meager time, Mark and I noticed how contracted we felt as fear and worry took over. We decided to try and let that all go and enjoy our time at this particular flea market, to trust that “the Universe provides,” Mark’s favorite mantra. We began to relax and accept our situation. Sure enough, within a few minutes, people began buying our jewelry! We wound up doing very well that day and noticed the correlation between how we were originally feeling and our altered perspective. This principle of expansion (letting go) and contraction (pushing,) is eloquently discussed in the book The Attraction Distraction by Sonia Miller. It is also expanded upon in The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist, who teaches us that money is in a constant state of flow, coming in and going out. She advises us to relax into being aware of this, to be constantly reminded that it always comes back in. This principle is the same magnetic dynamic of the moon to the oceans, the ebb and flow. The earth is in constant flux between the two. As we become more in tune with our womanhood being inherently aligned with the moon, it will be easier to be mindful of this occurrence and how it plays out in our lives.  
As a woman who wants to honor and celebrate her womanhood and encourage others to do the same, I am embracing my life and my businesses mindful of this dynamic. It’s not easy. Reading Kaya Singer’s book, Wiser and Wilder, A Soulful Path for Visionary Women Entrepreneur was helpful. In it she discusses how women are often held back from taking action in their businesses because of cultural conditioning. Not taking action is indicative of too much yin or the pull side of the ‘push/pull’.  And on the flip side of that is women who push too hard because we were taught growing up that if we want to be equal to men (at least in business), we need to dress and act like them and work even harder! Luckily, we are finally learning to embrace and use our feminine strengths to our benefit in balancing out the ‘push/pull’ seesaw.  It is a constant challenge of taking steps versus letting go and allowing.
Initially, sitting down to write this post, I got sidetracked putting interior design pics onto my Moondays’ Pinterest boards. Dreaming and visualizing the brick and mortar Red Tent is so fun. Any work I do is not worth it to me unless it is: (a) fun, and (b) beneficial to humankind, myself and my family. I believe the key to successfully balancing the ‘push/pull’ experienced daily is to operate from the foundation that my primary intention is that of service and fun. It’s a matter of coming from the higher self as opposed to the ego.
Speaking of ego… next blog post will be about the experience of leading a circle.

It’s no secret that as women, we carry certain wounds, sometimes called the “mother wound” or “sister wound.” Whatever you want to call it, it’s there -- in ourselves, in our culture and on the planet. Sadly, it is universal and pervasive.
Happily, women and the divine feminine are rising up. The call for sisterhood is getting stronger. Together, we are more powerful. For the healing of the Earth (which in itself is the perfect metaphor for the “mother wound” as she is the Great Mother of us all) and for the healing of humanity, we are aware it starts with us. This includes coming together in sisterhood.
Coming together can take many forms. One potent form is coming together in circle: a Red Tent, a Sister Circle, a knitting circle, a political meetup, etc. Somewhere we can relate on a substantive level. On that note, I am looking forward to our next Red Tent, the last one for 2017, with our theme of sisterhood.
This will be a chance for us to take a look at the mother wounds and help heal them so we can increase the velocity of the shift that is occurring. Some of these wounds include hurt via other women that have been occurring for many, many years and to a degree, continue to happen today. These hurts can result from comparing, judging and competing with one another.
How can we really show up in our light and in our dark, fully claiming and celebrating the power of sisterhood? How can we embrace our sisters as allies, instead of as enemies or outsiders, and move towards healing, forgiveness and letting go of past hurts and wounds? And how can we honor ourselves, and our uniqueness that brings value to this world, including our sisters? How can we graciously receive connectedness and love from our sisters? The answer is with our selves: peace, healing and connection begin with each of us.
This means we must take full ownership of our journey; that things don’t happen to us, they happen for us. And if they did happen to us, we turn it around and use it as a force for change. Either way, it takes awareness that we are each in charge of our own ship -- and in partnership with Spirit. It takes a commitment to finding peace within ourselves, and trusting as the process unfolds.  This last Red Tent of 2017 will celebrate sisterhood as a force for the unfolding of change – come join the sisterhood!

It’s been three years since I kicked off my Red Tent journey by screening the movie, “Things We Don’t Talk About: Women's Stories from The Red Tent,” with filmmaker Isadora Leidenfrost at Tabor Space.  I’ve learned so much over the course of that time. The experience and information I’ve garnered will help me a great deal in moving forward with my brick and mortar plans. 2018 is the year I plan to crowd source for the capital.

• Because this will require a lot of my time and energy, I might not be able to hold as many gatherings.
• I will be holding some of the Red Tents at my house to save on rental expenses. I will be putting all financial resources into the crowd sourcing program.
• I will be asking some women to step up and help facilitate the circles. When the brick and mortar gets going, we will need to have facilitators. We’ll be offering regular Red Tent Circles as well as Mother-Daughter Red Tents, Blessingways and Crone Ceremonies and I can’t do it all myself!
• I will be publishing parts of my business plan and my journey on the website throughout the process so you can follow along.

 
I am so grateful for all of you who have been coming to the Red Tents and other events. I am also grateful for those who support me energetically and help spread the word! Manifesting this baby will be a group effort and I look forward to seeing all who will be joining us on the road to female empowerment!
Below is a pic of me and Isadora Leidenfrost at the Portland Nursery Apple Festival, the day after our Red Tent. She stayed at our house and we got to know each other. We had such a great time! It was the perfect kick off for my Red Tent journey.

Last Saturday was our 4th Mother-Daughter Red Tent. I learn and observe new things with each one. I am grateful to be building experience and making a positive impact on girls’ lives, even if they might not be aware of it. Here’s the crux of the challenge: how to make it cool enough for girls to not only want to experience these kinds of rituals and ceremonies, but to also promote it to their friends and other girls. From my experience, including my relationship with my 15-year-old daughter with her minimal level of buy-in, most of the girls are only coming to the event at their mothers’ requests. Because we moms didn’t have good experiences with our own first moons and/or coming into our womanhood, we all want it for our daughters.
Native Americans have this beautiful saying:
“When a girl first gets her moon, she meets her power.
During a woman’s menstruating years, she practices her power.
When a woman stops bleeding, she becomes her power.”
 
Thinking of this week’s headlines about sexual assault, if we hunger for change in our cultural norms, we have to realize it starts with us. We can only get so far trying to get a government made up of predominantly white men to change some laws. It starts with us redefining what a modern woman is and taking back our inherent powers. A great deal of our powers come from our blood mysteries. The patriarchal system has demonized and capitalized on menstruation for too long. They have turned a beautiful huge part of who we are into a disgusting thing to be ashamed of. It’s time we take it back and train our daughters to embrace our cycles for their own source of sovereignty. So, how do we make it cool? For one thing, it’s time we start dialoguing with our daughters and asking them for advice.