- We Ask For Help: I was so glad to have my friend Erika help set up, take down and check people in for the March Red Tent. My daughter Jule is my usual helper, but was out of town for Spring Break. Erika lives an hour away in Salem and this was her first Red Tent.
- Size Doesn’t Matter: We had a smaller crowd this time, probably due to Spring Break and the night before Easter. In a way, I actually like it being small because we all get to share a little more. Sharing is always one of the juiciest parts of the evening, and I sometimes feel frustrated when we don’t have longer to share. We do get to share again after the ceremony during our lounge time, but it’s different. There’s something about doing it in a group, being witnessed and witnessing others that makes it more powerful. The only thing about a smaller group that is not favorable is sometimes barely breaking even -- I have to be mindful of not going into the red (ha!) financially.
- We Nourish Ourselves: I know I say this every time, but I’m going to say it yet again: the food was amazing and the food table looked awesome with that huge candelabra. That helps me visualize and sensualize (meaning using the sense of taste besides sight) in our manifestation of the brick and mortar Moondays. It’s exciting and fun to imagine and fantasize about what will be on the menu.
- ‘Rich’ual: Theme: Our theme this time was ‘ritual.’ What rituals do you have/perform in your life that are specifically female in nature, geared towards the feminine, cultural, spiritual, mundane, part of self-care, etc. Some of us touched on the Red Tent ritual itself. One woman commented how she loves the way they are always the same, bringing a sense of stability and comfort. But she also likes the way they’re different at the same time making it engaging and fun. We brought the beautiful ritual of Tilak to our tent, a ritual of greeting in India that we performed after our sharing. For a great article about why we need rituals in our lives, read this Huffington Post article.
- Special Guests: We had a couple of special guests attend our March Red Tent: the two founders of PDX Red Party (which we will be attending and vending at): Tiffany and Cheyenne Prescott. PDX Red Party is a fair-style event featuring dozens of vendors and influencers related to menstruation and health. They will have food, fun activities, samples of products and services, and a huge silent-auction style raffle. You won't want to miss it! The event is the same day as our May Red Tent, but earlier in the day, so you can attend both! PDX Red Party is in honor of International Menstrual Hygiene Day and is a fundraiser for Camions of Care, an organization that focuses of advocacy and education in addition to distributing feminine hygiene care packages.
- We Make Friends: We had a few women who had just moved to Portland. One of them met another woman who lives super close to her in the suburbs and felt so grateful they were able to form a new friendship in their new city.
- We Nurture Each Other: We had a massage therapist who volunteered to rub feet! That was truly awesome.
- Next Red Tent: April’s Red Tent is going to be fabulous. We will be focusing on renewal in honor of Spring and we’re going to honor a very special young woman’s mernarche!
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