Our July red tent was again held at SomaSpace. We honored and celebrated the Greek goddesses Persephone and Hecate. One of our regulars told us about a wild synchronicity:  she came with her pregnant daughter for our April red tent. The very same day as our June red tent, her daughter gave birth AND she named her new baby Persephone, not knowing we were going to honor and celebrate that same Goddess during our July red tent!  For our August red tent we will honor the goddess Demeter – representing the archetype of the mother. I’m hoping the new mom and baby Persephone will come so we can honor them! 

Amber Lewis made some yummy food for us again. Check out this awesome menu: apeli pasta with toasted cherry tomato sauce, mixed green salad with garbanzo beans and pomegranate vinaigrette, cucumber rounds with gorgonzola crème fraiche, sweet potato cakes with mango salsa, and madeleines with chocolate filling. She is spoiling us, but that’s how we should be treated at red tents, right?! We are so lucky to have Amber cook for us! Plus a lot of the food comes straight out of her garden, so it’s local, organic and vegetarian!

Because Persephone and Hecate were so connected to the metaphysical realms, our activity was drawing cards from different goddess and oracle card decks. For our sharing, we spoke about what the cards told us or how we related to Persephone and Hecate.

After the circle, we had a lovely time lounging and connecting even more with each other. We also got some pampering from a massage therapist, Lindsay Bodo, and there was a Love Attraction Coach, Alexandra Loves on hand to help those in need of her services. Everyone was enjoying themselves so much, they hung out until it was time to end the evening. Most of the women even stayed to help me clean up and that was so greatly appreciated!

For our  June Red Tent we started by changing it up with the food. Instead of doing it potluck style, Amber catered a wonderful vegan dinner including vegies from her garden! The food was amazing and I think the women liked not having to cook or think of something to bring. At only $5 more per ticket, it was a bargain! I am so grateful for Amber and her contribution!

We played a mixer game of guess-who-the-famous-woman-from-history-is on the post-it note on your back. It was a little disturbing how difficult it was -- probably a reflection of how little women’s history is studied in school. There’s a great interview on upworthy of the first woman who brought the study of women’s history to academia, Gerda Lerner. Sadly, it wasn’t that long ago that this became a legitimate area of academic study.

We started the circle with a metta meditation where we poured loving kindness unto ourselves. Then we sang Air I Am. I love that song’s simplicity, with the lyrics being only the four elements and Spirit. Even with the song being so simple, it’s still hard to remember which element to sing next, so I printed copies of the lyrics for everyone. Much better!

The theme for June was Artemis. For one of our activities, we stepped into the circle to the degree we felt we embodied or connected to each of Artemis’ traits. Our sharing session focused more reflection on our connections to Artemis.

Before the close of the circle, I talked a little about alternative feminine products. Tracy Puhl was there and spoke about her company Glad Rags, which makes wonderful reusable cloth pads and menstrual cups.

After the circle, we played with a slingshot to mirror Artemis the hunter. Prizes for making the basket with the slingshot were gemstone animal fetish beads to mirror Artemis’ connection to nature and animals.

Everyone hung out afterwards for a long while -- past the end! It seems the room divider worked! (Thanks Victoria who suggested it for Feng Sui after an earlier exit last time). An aside:  I just read an article about Coco Channel and how she would collect, display and use Chinese coromandel screens to hide doors so her guests would stay longer! 

I am so grateful for my daughter’s and niece’s help for this Red Tent. They did so much before, during, and after the event. I love that they’re growing up with this at age 13. It is a big part of my “why” not only for my daughter and family, but for all daughters everywhere. Check out the short video my daughter, Jule helped put together for us! https://youtu.be/hXAhJqXGEHw