The Red Tent's topics - tribe.net

Calling for Red Tent Volunteers @ Shambhala

Jasmin_Starrchild — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:03:41 GMT

Hello Ladies ~
yes it's that time again>>> festival season has landed in a big way !!! YAHOO >>>

This year the RED TENT is even bigger and better. I am excited to say that I have purchased a Moroccan tent for us to relax in during our Moon Time... That's right, no more wondering around wondering where to go when you feel heavy. We now have our own personal traveling sanctuary !!!

BUT >>>

I can't do this alone. Last year Shambhala was overwhelming and quite taxing for me. I need assistance to really make this take off. So I am calling out for volunteers. If you feel drawn to being a part of this revolutionary medicine movement then please email me directly...

I am asking for commitments of 3 hours per volunteer. All you will be required to do is maintain a loving, calm, sacred space for women to enjoy. I will send you specific details as needed.

Also we are calling for donations of blankets, pillows, teas, mugs,oils, books, crystals, chocolate,herbs ARTWORK etc Anything that would make a stay in the tent more comfortable.

I am open to having workshops in this space as well so if you have any ideas related to women's health and wellness please contact me with your ideas. I am so grateful for your support, and look forward to watching this all unfold with you.

Many blessings to the rise of LOVE IN ALL HEARTS >>>

<<< Peace >>>
Jasmin Starrchild
warriorangel713@goldendove.net

posted in The Red Tent - 4 replies

Sea Sponge tampons

blissedandgone — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:45:19 GMT

Hey everyone! I was just curious if anyone else had experience using these - I bought a few, and started using them today - so far so good, but I was wondering if there were any guidelines I might want to abide by.

posted in The Red Tent - 7 replies

temporary painful cramping..

atcandela — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:34:11 GMT

I started my period today.. but with extremely painful cramping/nausea... this was very unusual for the first day.
felt a little like food poisoning (though it wasn't) .
I had been a about 10days late...this happened as my body regulates not being on ayurvedic herbs to manage hormonal imbalance.
I'm now taking whole food based vitamin support to help my body and balance hormones..

But today the pain was unbareable and ended up resting it off for about 2 hrs, then when I woke up.. I felt SOOO much better.
I thought I was going to die as it felt like my body was going through waves with the nausea/cramping.. blood was a bright red with quite a bit of clotting.
Was feeling very vata.airy ..

any thoughts on how I could feel so painfully crampy/nauseus then rest for a few hours and feel relief and no more symptoms???

~A~

posted in The Red Tent - 2 replies

PMS

Michelle Skye — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:21:39 GMT

Hello wonderful women....

I'm writing because I have horribly debilitating, evil (with a capital 'E') PMS. My moods are horrible. Everything is awful. I pretty much want to chuck my whole life. Everything. Run away. Be without people. Be with people. Stay at home. Go out. Okay... so I hope you're getting the chaotic, very distructive nature of this PMS. It is not just crying or screaming or wailing or freaking out. It is like a full-on psychotic break-down. Some months are better than others but I have yet to figure out what causes the differences. Could be just stress of life. After all life changes every day. Certainly month to month.

But... back to the point... I would like to lessen my PMS symptoms. (Dare I even hope to get rid of them entirely?!?! Goddess, I pray so!) I am looking for any and all advice that you have. I am ready to listen.

Thanks in advance!

Your sister, in blood ~ Michelle Skye

posted in The Red Tent - 10 replies

pain after miscarriage

mandai — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:27:13 GMT

i know the usual story: if there's something still in there, you'll get fever, chills, cramps, still bleeding or strange discharge, etc etc.
This feels different, though.
Energetic is the only way I know how to describe it. Slight cramps but nothing like you know when blood is trying to get out.
Has anyone else experienced this?
BTW I was about 3 weeks, did pass something fleshy, seemed to be all together, and then bled for about 5 days after that, so I'm really not feeling like this would have something to do with residual stuff.

posted in The Red Tent - 2 replies

birth petition

Grandma — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:23:01 GMT

The AMA strikes again, proposing legislation to mandate how and where we must give birth.

In response:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/birthathome/

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

Woman Heal Thyself - Jeanne Blum author

Red wuM00N — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:57:34 GMT

I just borrowed this book from a friend and there is great information using the 24 Forbidden Pregnancy Points of chinese medicine to rebalance, regulate and eliminate any problematic issues around menstruation. As the name suggests it can also bring on your menstrual cycle thereby having an affect as a natural birth control method if one so chooses. www.womenhealthyself.com In particular read the link at the bottom of the homepage about her experiences and tchniques.

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

Blood Clots and Menstruation...

enjoyholistichealing — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:22:53 GMT

I have a question concerning menstruation. My periods have been really heavy as I've gotten older. Today I had two really huge blood clots fall out. I probably should know this at my age, but can anyone tell me why we get blood clots? Why would they be significantly bigger at times? Do you think it's just a cleansing thing?

posted in The Red Tent - 5 replies

The Red Temple at Womongathering

Astrid — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:50:02 GMT

If you haven't joined us here, then this may be the year!
www.womongathering.com.

Bless-
Astrid

posted in The Red Tent - 5 replies

DIVING INTO OURSELVES

Junie — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:11:03 GMT

Come home to yourself
Get comfortable in your own skin
Join us in Sisterhood!

Diving Into Ourselves
A Woman’s Retreat

SATURDAY, JULY 12th
9:30 - 5:30pm
92 Lakeside Trail, Kinnelon NJ

Joyous Community at a Beautiful Lakeside Location

Featuring:
Sacred Circle Shares
Journey In – Go within through safe and nurturing guided meditation
Chakras Alive! - Junie Moon – Joyful expression through movement, playing with the 7 Energies
Reconnection through Music with Laura Berman Benelli
Empowering Your Inner Ecstasy with Sheri Winston – Connect with your profound power and joy as you access your deep inner well of Ecstatic Energy
A loving space for women to connect, learn and grow
Gain empowering insights and tools to take out in the world
Regain and strengthen your Self-Love and Health
Awaken your Joy!
Cost - sliding scale - $85-$115. Work exchange opportunities available. Snacks, coffee/tea/water and lunch are provided. Space is limited so register early. For information go to www.soulfulexpressions.net or contact Junie at JunieMoon@soulfulexpressions.net

Come Dive In!

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

aaaaaaaaaaaaqahhh!!! i'm bleeding!!!!!!!!

Thu, 08 May 2008 18:16:04 GMT

: 0

posted in The Red Tent - 11 replies

Red Tent in Seacoast NH - Wed June 4

shedonist — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:12:13 GMT

Wednesday June 4, 2008, 4pm-9pm
Please feel welcome to come for the entire time, part of the time or just for the formal circle at 7pm.

The Red Tent Temple Movement was started as a way to create sacred space for women and is spreading internationally. All women are welcome, bleeding and not. We create a space to heal and be heard. Come and drop into yourself. This is a place where women can serve women in a voluntary way and where giving and receiving happen naturally in a place that is open to all women. The Red Tent will have space for resting, journaling, connecting with others, being creative, making music, meditating, drinking tea, or just breathing. A circle will be held at 7pm, but the rest of the time is unstructured to allow women's needs and wants to develop and be nurtured organically. Donations are welcome, but completely optional. If you feel called to wear a little red, please do. Please feel free to also bring any instruments or other sacred objects you wish to share.

This Red Tent Temple will be held in Rye, NH and will be a monthly event. For more information or to RSVP to join us, please call 603-498-2735 or email crystal@gypsymoonlounge.com. We will then supply the exact location. This is an open event in that you can come and go at any time that you wish.

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

seek ceremony ideas for younger ones (b4 moontime)

xylemlarladey — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:49:53 GMT

hi ladies,
i am involved with a beautiful womens gathering that has a flourishing maidens ceremony welcoming maidens into the red tent.
there is also a few older girls- think mature 8 to 12 year olds- who have not yet begun their moontime,
they are very interested in the discussion circle with the maidens and have pushed? their way into those discussions a little prematurely. there is a call from the elders and from their mothers to have a discussion circle and an activity/ceremony for these young ones, who are strong in their power, to celebrate them exactly where they are at- to free the older circle to go a little deeper in their discussion, and to call the girls back into themselves- while honoring their curiousity, we want to help them to have something to look forward to later, and help them to feel the specialness of being right where they are.
my thoughts thus far are to create a piece of theater with them where they can share their message with the little little girls (and the full gathering) about why it is wonderful to grow up a girl, to cast them into their own elders role among the daughters, to name their curiousities and also share their strengths, their heroes, create their own special rites of passage in the stage of girlhood.
i write to welcome any thoughts from wise women here who have daughters of this age and would like to share what it is they think their daughters would enjoy or need, ideas from any who have created ceremony for this age, and general inspiration. give thanks!

posted in The Red Tent - 4 replies

Menarche Traditions

petra — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:24:39 GMT

Just thought it would be interesting to hear of any special traditions/rituals that others have done to celebrate their very first period.

posted in The Red Tent - 11 replies

Non-hormonal contraceptives recommendations

marriagrace — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 19:35:30 GMT

I've never been on the pill or any sort of hormonal-based contraceptive, because I am a bit skeptical about altering the chemistry of my body. Do any of you fine women have any recommendations about non-hormonal contraceptives? What about the diaphragm...do women still use this or is there something newer & better?

posted in The Red Tent - 15 replies

Red Tent Temple in NH - Wed May 7

shedonist — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:30:52 GMT

This is a monthly gathering I'm helping to organize and facilitate in the seacoast NH area. I know this is short notice, but it's our first time and we're still a bit unorganized. If you are interested in joining us, please contact myself or the folks listed below for more information and directions. This event will be held monthly on the Wed night closest to the New Moon (this is the 1st Wed of the month for at least the next few months).

Peace,
Amanda

***

Red Tent Temple

Wed May 7, 4-9pm
Rye, NH
* Women Only *

We are having our first Red Tent Temple event in seacoast NH. The Red Tent Temple movement was started as a way to create sacred space for women and is spreading internationally. All woman are welcome, bleeding and not. We create a space to heal and be heard. Come and drop into yourself. This is a place where women can serve women in a voluntary way and where giving and receiving happen naturally in a place that is open to all women. The Red Tent will have space for resting journaling, connecting with others, being creative, making music, meditating, drinking tea, crying, or just breathing. A circle will be held at 7pm, but the rest of the time is unstructured to allow women's needs and wants to develop and be nutured organically.

Donations are welcome, but completely optional. If you feel called to wear a little red, please do. Please feel free to also bring any instruments or other sacred objects you wish to share.

For more information or to RSVP to join us, please call 603-498-2735 or email crystal *at* gypsymoonlounge.com. We will then supply the exact location. This is an open event in that you can come and go at any time that you wish.

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

ceremony for young women

Junie — Fri, 02 May 2008 01:30:51 GMT

I am attending a ritual for a young woman who has begun to bleed. I was wondering if anyone has a poem, a reading or any ceremonial piece they might share?
Thanks! Junie Moon

posted in The Red Tent - 1 reply

Belly Work

petra — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:01:19 GMT

I'm new to the term "Belly Work"...What is it, and how can it help with emotional healing and release? Can men benefit from it, or does it specifically involve the uterus/wombspace?

posted in The Red Tent - 4 replies

"Bloodline" Movie Opening May 2008

Kris — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:51:29 GMT

A new movie "Bloodline" about the mystery surrounding the Priory of Sion and the union of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is being released this May.

The movie traces the film makers' "raw, personal journey" to find evidence to support the theory that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child that carried the royal bloodline. For interviews, to view the trailer and get more information on screenings, visit: www.bloodline-themovie.com

The upcoming movie screening for the film "Bloodline" in Los Angeles is on May 16th at the Leammle 5 Theatre on Sunset Blvd. For screenings in your area, go to the website.

I uploaded the poster for the film to the tribe.

posted in The Red Tent - 1 reply

3 out of 5 weeks of bleeding...so far

liabear1 — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:46:32 GMT

Hi folks. I'm new here and I'm having irregular bleeding that's making me crazy. Maybe sombody has some info.

My bleeding has not stopped since 3/14. If my period starts on time on 3/28, that will be 3 weeks of bleeding. my last period started on 2/27 and was preceeded by a week of spotting.

here's the breakdown;
2/22-2/26= spotting, dark red-brown, clots and stringy. PMS symptoms of tender breasts went away during this time
2/27-3/1= regular period- a couple of days heavy, 3 days light or spotting
11 days of no bleeding
3/14-3/24(present) light bleeding, but heavier than spotting. Slightly crampy for the last 3 days
3/18 my doctor took a uterine biopsy or cytology and a pap smear

other info;
I'm 40
3 years ago, my Fallopion tubes were blocked by a non surgical procedure through the cervix called Essure. During that procedure, the saw small uterine fibroids that they told me were not a concern. Periods didn’t change significantly.
Periods have been regular for the last 10 years give or take.
Both my mother and my grandmother had uterine fibroids.
for the last several years, all of the hormonal birth control I've used and a cortisone shot I had about 3 years ago all caused about 4 months of spotting.
My medications haven't changed recently and are primarily anti-depressents and allergy meds.

My mother experienced heavy bleeding past menopause and had a hysterctomy a few years ago. My grandmother had 9 miscarriages and a hysterctomy, although we don't know if any of that was connected to fibroids.
Considering my family history of fibroids and the fact that they saw small ones 3 years ago when I had my Essure procedure, do you think my symptoms do you think my symptoms are consistent with fibroids?

posted in The Red Tent - 4 replies

Yoni Love

Ember_Kitty — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:10:06 GMT

Hi there :)

I am planning a series of workshops called Yoni Love, which will be offered at various festivals I attend over the next couple of years. An extended day-long/overnight version may also be offered locally at some point. These workshops will be open to people of all genders, who have or love the Yoni. :)

I am seeking a few things from the community in the pursuit of creating this workshop. Firstly, a part of the workshop will discuss the Yoni through the life cycle. Does anyone have any advice for peri-menopausal, natural care? Meaning, not hormone-replacement? Any collections of herbal/exercise/nutrition regimens would be greatly appreciated.

Second, ditto for bleeding days. Any non-medical, pro-nutrition, pro-supplement, pro-yoga regimens or helpful suggestions?

Finally, I am doing a segment called De-Sanitization: Reclaiming the Beauty of Blood. I am seeking hand-made examples of cloth pads, simple or elaborate, brand new or used, as long as they are clean. These will be used for examples only. If you have any leftover or extra pads you would like to donate to this cause, please contact me. I am hoping to display the wide variety of creative, effective, environmentally and Yoni friendly products. I have some Glad Rags to show, but more variety is welcome. Ditto for Diva Cups or similar products.

I'm perfectly happy to have these conversations on the forum, but please feel free to contact me directly here on Tribe as well.

Thanks, sisters!

Ember

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

Grafton, Ma. Red Tent Temple 4/4

Oceana — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:36:22 GMT

Join us at the Red Tent Temple in Grafton, Ma. on April 4 from 7-10pm.
Come and rejuventae, respose, make new women friends, share wisdom...

What: Red Tent
When: April 4, Friday
at 7-10pm
Where: 53 Stone School Rd., Sutton, Ma. 01590

Directions:

This is a private residence on a lovely country road.
Rt. 146 exit and go south toward Providence.
Approx 4 miles down (after you pass the Dunkin and Honey Dew Donut
shops) you will come to a street light. Take a left, this is Boston
Road.
Your 4th right is Stone School Road, (approx .8 mile.
1/2 mile up the hill is #53, A big Pink house on your left, we have a
red mailbox across the street with the #53 on it.
Please feel free to call if you need alternate directions
774-249-4888

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

disposable products?

aargh — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:53:48 GMT

Hello lovelies!
I've rejoined this tribe after being being gone almost 2 years. Nine months of pregnancy and 15 months of non-cycling afterwards, and here i am back at the door of the tent asking for advice.
My post-partum bleeding is of a very different quality than my pre-baby life, and i need new ways of dealing with it. I used to use cloth pads and that worked perfectly for my moderate, 4-5 day period. Now i have a truncated 3 day affair but for about half that time the bleeding is so heavy that i'm going through a pad+tampon combo every hour and a half. I can used the cloth pads for the beginning time only, and i was wondering what women think about the different disposable products since that's what i'm stuck with.
I've been getting Natracare or 7th generation non-bleached products since that's the last place in the world i want bleach. Does anyone have a product they like better?

posted in The Red Tent - 4 replies

Painful Periods...

enjoyholistichealing — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:01:27 GMT

Age 30 in case that helps answer my question. Anyways last 6 months or so I have been experiencing excruciating cramps. The kind that aches when standing, laying, walking, makes you nasea. One time the only thing that helped was jumping around in a circle, my boyfriend watched this crazy therapeutic creation. Mmm..maybe it helped bring oxygen to my uterus, anyways it workedfor a bit. It only happens on the first day of my period for a few hours. Anyways I'm on a pretty strict organic diet, eating meat again which I feel better about. I was covered in ezcema a year ago and it's all gone since I incorporated meat and omegas. So I eat more bananas and drink water when my period feels it might become painful. I am aware of the emotional pieces involved. My hormones are shifting and things are changing. Can anyone give me any suggestions to decrease the pain during menstruation? I also would be open to trading with anyone who does mayan abdominal massage or belly work. I just don't get enough. I have come a long way in a year though, but my body needs more specific belly work, I can feel it.

posted in The Red Tent - 11 replies

SOS!

Eurynome — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:01:13 GMT

http://people.tribe.net/eurynome/blog/95e07f00-9f35-4752-b184-687544a3fee9#comments

posted in The Red Tent - 1 reply

My moontime issues

N/A — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:26:53 GMT

I am in my 30's & have always been a 31 cycle gal. The only time I am ever late is when I was pregnant. Latley, i've noticed in the past 3 years that if I am under a lot of stress my moontime is WAY off & always late. This past fall I was late by 2 months (hubby & I were not pregnant & we have never used birth control) & i was going thru a lot of heavy inner stress. (spiritual) After this stress passed, my moontime came on. :) Then it happened again where I was under more stress (spiritual) and my moontime was absent for 4 months. Guess what? My stress (spiritual) has ceased & today my moontime came!! I am SO happy!! Last week I prayed & told myself: Your moontime is going to come back this month. No more screwing around. I mean it. Let everything go & be at peace with yourself. I drank some Red Raspberry tea & continued to pray on my moontime. I also vented out all my frustrations to 2 sisters-a close wise woman who is very much a Goddess practitioner & my real sister!! Well, my efforts paid off cuz my moontime is back!!! :D

posted in The Red Tent - 12 replies

long time between periods

Adele — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:05:26 GMT

Hello,

The time between the start of my periods seems excessively long. Recently I have been keeping track, and its about 35-40 days between starting days for me. I'm not having serious PMS conditions, but for about a week before it starts my skin breaks out, I get moody, and constipated. When I finally start menstruating it is always a relief. I don't know why they are so long..and I would think that it would be better to be on a 28-day cycle, not that I want to force anything. I believe my hormones must be out of wack. I just started taking ~3000 mg of evening primose oil (in three smaller doses) and 440 mg of chaste tree/vitex agnus-castus every day. It might take a few months for these to kick in.

Anyone experienced this before/have any advice? Its so nice to have a forum here to talk about these issues, and discuss naturopathic ways to deal with them!

peace,
Adele

posted in The Red Tent - 9 replies

Worcester, Feb. 8th 6-10 Red Tent Temple

Oceana — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:26:10 GMT

First Worcester Red Tent Temple happening this friday evening.
All women welcome!
located at Amethyst Point
232 Chandler St.
2nd floor
Worcester, Ma.

Tent from 6-10pm, but feel free to come between 4-6 to help set up!
contact Oceana at GoddessOceana@gmail.com with questions.

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

Friendship Among Women

AdrianeRiceColvin — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:56:29 GMT

I wanted to share this story with the women on this tribe. I am so excited by this information, it confirms what I have been seeing in my womens groups. Much love to all of you who carry and dwel within the feminie devine space.

UCLA Study On Friendship Among Women : An alternative to fight or flight

Â©2002 Written by Gale Berkowitz

A landmark UCLA study suggests friendships between women are special. They shape who we are and who we are yet to be. They soothe our tumultuous inner world, fill the emotional gaps in our marriage, and help us remember who we really are. By the way, they may do even more.

Scientists now suspect that hanging out with our friends can actually counteract the kind of stomach-quivering stress most of us experience on a daily basis. A landmark UCLA study suggests that women respond to stress with a cascade of brain chemicals that cause us to make and maintain friendships with other women. It's a stunning find that has turned five decades of stress research---most of it on men---upside down. Until this study was published, scientists generally believed that when people experience stress, they trigger a hormonal cascade that revs the body to either stand and fight or flee as fast as possible, explains Laura Cousin Klein, Ph.D., now an Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State University and one of the study's authors. It's an ancient survival mechanism left over from the time we were chased across the planet by saber-toothed tigers.

Now the researchers suspect that women have a larger behavioral repertoire than just fight or flight; In fact, says Dr. Klein, it seems that when the hormone oxytocin is release as part of the stress responses in a woman, it buffers the fight or flight response and encourages her to tend children and gather with other women instead. When she actually engages in this tending or befriending, studies suggest that more oxytocin is released, which further counters stress and produces a calming effect. This calming response does not occur in men, says Dr. Klein, because testosterone---which men produce in high levels when they 're un der stress---seems to reduce the effects of oxytocin. Estrogen, she adds, seems to enhance it.

The discovery that women respond to stress differently than men was made in a classic "aha" moment shared by two women scientists who were talking one day in a lab at UCLA. There was this joke that when the women who worked in the lab were stressed, they came in, cleaned the lab, had coffee, and bonded, says Dr. Klein. When the men were stressed, they holed up somewhere on their own. I commented one day to fellow researcher Shelley Taylor that nearly 90% of the stress research is on males. I showed her the data from my lab, and the two of us knew instantly that we were onto something.

The women cleared their schedules and started meeting with one scientist after anot her fr om various research specialties. Very quickly, Drs. Klein and Taylor discovered that by not including women in stress research, scientists had made a huge mistake: The fact that women respond to stress differently than men has significant implications for our health.

It may take some time for new studies to reveal all the ways that oxytocin encourages us to care for children and hang out with other women, but the "tend and befriend" notion developed by Drs. Klein and Taylor may explain why women consistently outlive men. Study after study has found that social ties reduce our risk of disease by lowering blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol. There's no doubt, says Dr. Klein, that friends are helping us live longer.

In one study, for example, resear chers found that people who had no friends increased their risk of death over a 6-month period. In another study, those who had the most friends over a 9-year period cut their risk of death by more than 60%.

Friends are also helping us live better. The famed Nurses' Health Study from Harvard Medical School found that the more friends women had, the less likely they were to develop physical impairments as they aged, and the more likely they were to be leading a joyful life. In fact, the results were so significant, the researchers concluded, that not having close friends or confidants was as detrimental to your health as smo king o r carrying extra weight.

And that's not all. When the researchers looked at how well the women functioned after the death of their spouse, they found that even in the face of this biggest stressor of all, those women who had a close friend and confidante were more likely to survive the experience without any new physical impairments or permanent loss of vitality. Those without friends were not always so fortunate. Yet if friends counter the stress that seems to swallow up so much of our life these days, if they keep us healthy and even add years to our life, why is it so hard to find time to be with them? That's a question that also troubles researcher Ruthellen Josselson, Ph.D., co-author of Best Friends: The Pleasures and Perils of Girls' and Women's Friendships (Three Rivers Press, 1998). The following paragraph is, in my opinion , very , very true and something all women should be aware of and NOT put our female friends on the back burners.

Every time we get overly busy with work and family, the first thing we do is let go of friendships with other women, explains Dr. Josselson. We push them right to the back burner. That's really a mistake because women are such a source of strength to each other. We nurture one another. And we need to have unpressured space in which we can do the special kind of talk that women do when they're with other women. It's a very healing experience.

Taylor, S. E., Klein, L.C., Lewis, B. P., Gruenewald, T. L., Gurung, R. A. R., & Updegraff, J. A. Female Responses to Stress: Tend and Befriend, Not Fight or Fligh t" Psychol Rev, 107(3):41-429.

Biobehavioral Responses to Stress in Females: Tend-and-Befriend, not Fight-or-Flight. (Full article in PDF)

Geary DC, Flinn MV. Sex differences in behavioral and hormonal response to social threat: commentary on Taylor et al. Psychol Rev 2002 Oct;109(4):745-50; discussion 751-3

Cousino Klein L, Corwin EJ. Seeing the unexpected: how sex differences in stress responses may provide a new perspective on the manifestation of psychiatric disorders. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2002 Dec;4(6):441-8.

posted in The Red Tent - 2 replies

empowering ritual while on period b4 a Full Moon...?

atcandela — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 05:08:23 GMT

Is there an empowering ritual that anyone here can suggest while on your period
around the time of the Full Moon.
My moon is in Leo and I always feel it's regenerative elements during this time.

But as the moon cycle is a time of release and healing, I'm trying to see a meditative ritual
that can bring in the emotional healing and release of the cycle, while still using the power of the
moon as it approaches to it's most powerful state.

I would like to incorporate incense, essential oils, crystal, candles, etc.. these are the tools I work
with in my spiritual practice.

any thoughts, ideas?? thanks in advance ~A~

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

How the Temple Went

Junie — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:52:27 GMT

It was a lovely day AND I am exhausted. I knew going into the day I was in need of the biggest lesson for me in lettin go and letting others do. I have been sick all week. nothign serious but upper respiratory stuff that has zonked me out. no energy and just unwell. And my voice is very hoarse.
I also knew going in that I had very little help. I asked. I really did but alas, I only had one sister able to help set up. Big endeavor for just two women. And me being unwell.
But I began creating the temple the day before so i did not feel rushed and that it would have love and intention. I did most of it this time but in a way that wasnt stressful. I do know more help is needed.
I did ask two women directly to help hold the space. It really helped. I even had the massage therapist work on me. I almost let it go. But i really neede to be worked on and to receive.
So, it was a lovely day with many great lessons and I look forward to more women stepping forward cause as i always say, it is our temple to co-create.
anyway, it was great and i am loveing it. Love, June

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

Monadnock ~ Red Tent Temple, Southwestern NH, Peterborough Area

Cami — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:39:07 GMT

Hello }Women{ of the Red Tent Tribe,
We are looking to bring a Red Tent Temple to the Monadnock Area. If you are interested in attending and co~creating the Monadnock ~ Red Tent Temple, please email me to get more information at Spinning.Sun@yahoo.com or my personal email C.Granara@yahoo.com .
Cami

posted in The Red Tent - 1 reply

Red Tent Temple in Grafton, Ma. Jan. 11, 6-10pm

Oceana — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:16:04 GMT

Join us at the Grafton Common UU Society for another Red Tent Temple tonite!
Contact GoddessOceana@gmail.com for details.

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

Red Tent Temple in Boston, Nov 9th

Alma Dell — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 01:15:16 GMT

Women from Cambridge and Boston are gathering in the South End for the first Boston Area Red Tent Temple. Some of us have worked a lot with ALisa Starkweather, some are friends of friends of friends. We will gather to relax, get acquainted, eat soup, share music and what we are doing, relax, dance, sing, tell stories, whatever feels right. Friday, 4-10pm with a circle at 7. A healthy snack to share is welcome. Wear colors of red and bring your beautiful self .
In Boston's South End between Tremont and Shawmut at 539 Mass Ave, Boston. Near the Orange Line Mass Ave Station and Green Line Symphony Station and the #1 Mass Ave bus (get off at Tremont and walk a half block).
RSVP 617 247 1235 to Alma Dell for directions.

posted in The Red Tent - 1 reply

periods

christie — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 03:19:50 GMT

i started my period the 12 of this mouth and now i am spotting a brownish blood and my period was 2 weeks earily can any one tell me what is going on?

posted in The Red Tent - 3 replies

Red Tent Temple in NJ

Junie — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 03:06:50 GMT

RED TENT TEMPLE

A sacred space for women of all ages and beliefs
In Kinnelon, N.J.

January 13th, 2007
1-5 P.M.
1-3:30 Open Time For Women to Come and Go
3:30-5 Women’s Wisdom Circle

If the weather looks iffy, please look in your email box in the morning in case of cancellation.

New things:
A book gifting (bring a book that has moved you and you no longer want and share it with the other women)

Canned donations for the local food bank

need more information about this event? Please write to shamaness2007@yahoo.com.
Remember to RSVP. and let me know if you can help set up. Thanks!

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

sex during moon time

petra — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 05:51:57 GMT

What are your thoughts/experiences on having vaginal/anal sex during your moon time? Do you feel more aroused at that time? If you prefer to abstain, how do your partners support you during the monthly cleanse?

posted in The Red Tent - 18 replies

Seeking Submissions for Zine

DarkMaidenDivya — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:29:33 GMT

A Zine is a self-published pamphlet/book. I am in the process of the second issue of my zine called Moonifestations. I am now accepting submissions from wimmin and trans writers and non-writers. I am looking for you to write a paragraph or a page (any length you'd like) about your experiences with and/or alternatives to "feminine hygiene products," experiences with menstruation, or menarche. I am also looking for experiences with and/or alternatives to birth control methods, and reflections on the topic of sex and gender. You can submit your writing anonymously, with a made-up name, or with your name. For your efforts, you will receive a free copy of the zine, and if your writing is selected to be published I will pay you $5. Please contact me!
I am especially interested in hearing your experiences with The Keeper, Diva Cup, sea sponges, making your own pads, etc. and how it empowers you, or doesn't, and what brought you to that experience of using an alternative product.
THANKS!
message me for my snail mail, i love to get mail!!

posted in The Red Tent - 3 replies

Red Tent Temple Movement is here

ALisa — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:29:44 GMT

Okay dear women. I wrote in April and asked if some of you were ready and now it is beginning. When I taught at the Women's Herbal Conference and also reached out to other women over the summer, we now have over fifteen cities and towns ready to launch the one day a month (near the new moon) Red Tent Temple Movement. A website will be developed for this and organizers can tell women where/when/ it will be. It will be free/donation based so that all women can attend and open for a full day each month to all women if you are bleeding or not, if you have a womb or not. If you are interested in co-creating launching still let me know. We have all through the US ~ even Miami came in today. Could use more midwest as so far we have Columbus, Ohio and Boulder, Co. We are working on Kentucky too. Information about how to do this and ideas on what to do will be on the site. It will be like wiki where organizers can write in their own information onto the site.
My first one will be in our yurt, Thursday, September 13th from 1pm until 10pm with a formal circle at 7pm. Let me know if you want to RSVP and come. Several women have volunteered to priestess the site with dance, bodywork and guardianship. We also will have a big pot of soup on the stove. You can write to me privately if you have any personal things to share about this or if you are inspired write here as a movement takes many and certainly a lot of word of mouth. Once I get the site up in the autumn I will let you know too.

I am in the middle of lots of things among us women people right now, including organizing the 9th Women's Belly and Womb Conference on November 3rd this year in massachusetts.
Many blessings, ALisa

posted in The Red Tent - 11 replies

will there be another red tent event??

Alana — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:46:02 GMT

i'm so sad i missed the first one!!

thanks!

posted in The Red Tent - 1 reply

Red Tent in Central Mass/ Nov. 9

Oceana — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:22:52 GMT

You are invited to do something both ancient and new, bold and wonderful for yourself. The Red Tent has arrived in Central Massachusetts and we are about to make herstory.
I would be honored and grateful to have your presence at the very first one, next friday evening, Nov. 9th in Grafton Common at the UU church.
Read on to learn more...and scroll waaaay down...

Red Blessings to You,

Oceana
Join Our Mailing List!
What: Red Tent
When: Nov.9, Friday
at 7p.m.
Where: UU Church,
Grafton Common,
Grafton, Ma.
DIRECTIONS TO Unitarian Universalist Society of Grafton and Upton
From the North/495:
I-495S to I-90W/Mass Pike

From I-90/Mass Pike
I-90E from Springfield/West, 1-90W from Boston/East. Take Exit 11, RIGHT onto 122S to
MA-140S to Grafton Common.

From the South/I-95:
I-95 N to 146N, RIGHT onto MA - 122A/Providence Road, LEFT onto MA-122N, RIGHT onto MA-140S to Grafton Common.

As you approach the top of the hill in Grafton Center take a left at the police dummy. We are located on the left next to the brick building.

Where to Park:
Parking is available around the common.

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, reading, dancing, candlelight, safe respectful nurturing...and participation is always optional.
~hosted by Kali Ma Healing Arts
The Red Tent
Co-collaborative Sacred Space for Women by Women
ALisa Starkweather, women's empowerment facillitator, visionary, co-founder of Women in Power and founder of the Belly and Womb Conference and Priestess Path Apprenticeship is the creator of the Red Tent Temple Movement that is spreading throughout the country. As a priestess and healer, I am called to bring life to her vision here in our community.

On November 9, 2007 at 7p.m., 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 unsane 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 suspicious self, your happy self, your wanting to give self, and your wanting to get self. It matters not. What matters is that you show up...and we will create from there...together.

This is a co-collaborative event!
I would be grateful for any assistance if you are able or inclined:

Needed:
Floor pillows
Red fabric to hang or drape
Help setting up beforehand
Help breaking down afterwards
Herb tea
Soup if you like to cook
Bring your drum or rattle

If you are wanting to priestess this event, please contact me...I will be needing women to serve in some capacity each month when they are able. If you are a masseuse, or play the drum, or enjoy feeding people, if you are wanting to bring your gifts and they are not listed, please contact me.

Attendance is on a free/donation basis. All proceeds will be used towards the rental of the space and supplies.

posted in The Red Tent - 1 reply

Let's buy a red tent temple house together

the_unhomed_one — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 04:30:18 GMT

I said it in DOE and I'm gonna say it here. We need a space to claim as our own. I totally believe that. We need a space that we can provide for ourselves when we need retreat, for our daughters when they need safety, for our mothers when they need care. We need a space where we can teach each other how to live toghether, can exchange skills and knowledge. Where we can go in sorrow, fear, joy, boredom, happiness, laughter, excitement, anger, all of it. Where we can live togehter or just vacation together. Retire togehter. Learn together. Heal together. Raise babies together. Grow food together. Build shelter together, physically and metaphorically. I imagine a piece of land big enough to build more cabins/cottages on and to grow tood too. A place where we can trade skills. A place with enough space to act as an incubator for beginning women's businesses. And definitely a place where there is healing - phyusical and emotional - for all of us. I imagine some of us living there full time, some just visiting, some part time. Some long-term, some for just a season or even a month. Some just coming for vacatoin or retreat. Goddess, WE NEED SPACE OF OUR OWN!!!! Come on, let's do it! I have money that I'm willing to put down. Who else will contribute? Who else will stand up and say IT'S TIME FOR US TO MAKE OUR OWN SPACE!

posted in The Red Tent - 2 replies

Creating a Red Temple

Junie — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:17:39 GMT

Hello Sisters,
I am holding space for a red tent next month and would greatly appreciate any words of wisdom as to what I can do to support it. Thanks

posted in The Red Tent - 12 replies

Red Tent Temple in Boston,Nov 9th

Alma Dell — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:58:24 GMT

Women from Cambridge and Boston are gathering in the South End for the first Boston Area Red Tent Temple. Some of us have worked a lot with ALisa, some are friends of friends of friends. We will gather to relax, get acquainted, eat soup, share music and what we are doing, relax, dance, sing, tell stories, whatever feels right. Friday, 4-10pm with a circle at 7. A healthy snack to share is welcome. Wear colors of red and bring your beautiful self .
In Boston's South End between Tremont and Shawmut at 539 Mass Ave, Boston. Near the Orange Line Mass Ave Station and Green Line Symphony Station and the #1 Mass Ave bus (get off at Tremont and walk a half block).
RSVP 617 247 1235 to Alma Dell for directions.

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

UTI starting

Pamela — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 20:18:51 GMT

Hey Women,

I think I have an UTI coming on...just feeling it in my urethra right now....any suggestions. I started taking some cranberry pills and trying to drink more water....anything else I should do?

posted in The Red Tent - 6 replies

day conference for modern menstruators and friends VICTORIA BC NOV 17

blurr — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 05:03:01 GMT

http://sexedexchange.org/events/2007/11/17/day-conference-for-modern-menstruators-and-their-friends/

thought some of you would be interested. a red tent, padmaking, charting workshop from www.justisse.ca, and more will be going down

the sex ed exchange is in general a great group for empowering community sex and health ed.

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

awesome cramp remedy

rayann — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 01:20:41 GMT

my homeopath suggested magnesium tissue salts (homeopathic remedy). I couldnt find the so I got the 6CH magnesium remedy and my cramps stopped 20 min after taking it.

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

Red Tent Temple in Boston November 9

Alma Dell — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:24:05 GMT

Women from Cambridge and Boston are gathering for the first Boston Area Red Tent Temple. Some of us have worked a lot with ALisa, some are friends of friends of friends. We will gather to relax, get acquainted, eat soup, share music and what we are doing, dance, sing, tell stories, whatever feels right. Friday, 4-10pm with a circle at 7. A healthy snack to share is welcome. Wear colors of red and bring your beautiful self .
In the South End between Tremont and Shawmut on Mass Ave. Near the Orange and Green Lines and the #1 Mass Ave bus.
RSVP 617 247 1235 to Alma Dell for directions.

posted in The Red Tent - 3 replies

how to get a moon to start

rayann — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 05:31:01 GMT

I am not supposed to drink raspberry leaf tea right now... are there any other ways people have helped their moons to start? visualizations? energetic techniques? foods?

thanks so much !

posted in The Red Tent - 10 replies

great site for cramps

rayann — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:55:39 GMT

this site has many different natural remedies all on one page (ayurvedic, homeopathic, naturopathic etc) so you can scan the list and see what sounds right for you

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/21/155.cfm

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

Two Red Tent Gatherings in CT

leahlove — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 20:41:15 GMT

We are pleased to share of 2 gatherings coming to Connecticut.

Nov 9
Red Tent Gathering 7pm Until Complete
Hosted By Cherese Mathews and Leah Emerson
Bring food, music, pillows, body oils, hair brushes and whatever else feels nurturing and healing for you.
Women in all stages of life welcome.
Ashford, CT

and Nov 18, Center for Progressive Therapies, Manchester CT 2-4pm
A red tent gathering will be re-forming. I will be co-creating a red tent club for any woman who wishes to come. My vision is to create space for women to nuture eachother on life's journey. May we gather together to share our dreams, goals, visions, sad times, successes. May we hold each woman with compassion and tenderness as she shares her heart.
Please contact me, Leah Emerson at my tribe page. Thanks! I hope you can join us!

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

PA fines midwife

Vikinggirl — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:00:54 GMT

If you care about women in Pennsylvania having the right to determine who has access to their reproductive organs, pass this around! Our bodies belong to us, not the medical establishment.

http://www.savehomebirth.com/home

In an unexpectedly aggressive move Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine began a campaign to end homebirth, a practice common among the Amish and Plain communities here in Lancaster County.

HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA -

SEPTEMBER 27, 2007

HOMEBIRTH MIDWIFE IS ORDERED TO CEASE AND DESIST BY THE STATE BOARD OF MEDICINE

The State Board of Medicine today ordered Diane Goslin, a Pennsylvania midwife who attends the homebirths of the Amish and Plain communities, to “cease and desist from the practice of medicine and midwifery.” Additionally, she was fined $11,000.

Goslin, a Certified Professional Midwife, who attended over 5,000 successful homebirths and trained many professional midwives, received her certification from NARM (North American Registry of Midwives) in 1998. Accordingly, she has received appropriate training and education, demonstrated competent midwifery skill levels as affirmed by peer-review and successfully passed nationally standardized examinations. Although 23 States grant midwifery licenses to midwives who achieve NARM certification, Pennsylvania does not.

While homebirth attended by a midwife has been a traditional practice within Pennsylvania Amish and Plain communities, this less costly practice has recently been under attack from the state medical board. The number of families choosing homebirth continues to increase as medical research demonstrates its safety and cost effectiveness.

The CDC recently released a report that shows national maternal mortality rates (Aug, 2007 National Health Statistics) are the highest they have been in decades. One of the factors, they say, is the rising Cesarean birth rate.

In an effort to achieve a safe and satisfying birth, women are beginning to choose homebirth as an option. "The system is broken," said Dr. Marsden Wagner, the former director of Women and Children's Health at the World Health Organization. "The United States has the second worst newborn mortality rate in the developed world, despite the fact that it's one of the most expensive maternity care systems."

In the UK, homebirth was recently adopted as an option for birthing women by the National Health Dept., which stated in 2006, "We are committed to offering all women the choice of how and where they give birth." In April 2007, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (the UK equivalent to the US ACOG), released a joint statement with the Royal College of Midwives stating their support for home birth.

"A recommendation made by the Georgia Study Commission on Midwifery is applicable to Pennsylvania," said Ida Darragh, Director of NARM. "When a state has an underground network of health care providers, it needs to deal with the situation responsibly through regulation rather than prosecution."

Goslin's lawyers plan to appeal the Medical Board's decision.

http://www.abc27.com/news/stories/0107/391828.html

posted in The Red Tent - 1 reply

Maya Abdominal Massage Tribe---Join us!

Astrid — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:54:33 GMT

Join us in a new tribe at http://tribes.tribe.net/mayamassage to learn more about Maya Abdominal Massage and to share your experiences!

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

Dream tribe needs you....

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 02:52:38 GMT

I moderate a tribe called Dreaming.
It is full of very nice people who care about others, with never ever a harsh word.

http://tribes.tribe.net/dreamingknights

I hope you'll all join and talk about your dreams, learn about others dreams too. Find new skills in understanding your dreams.

Come sleep with us,
Daniel

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

Is this it....?

Lynda — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 19:59:19 GMT

I hope not.

I have had periods coming closer together in the last few years, being 48 now..but the one before last so unusually light, then 6 weeks later...lighter still to just the point of staining.

No hot flashes or anything like that, just the sense of having to rush to deadlines too much and often feeling totally frazzled. There has been a lot of fairly drastic temperature changes purely due to the weather and to flying somewhere recently to where it was a whole lot colder, with the new diet really upsetting my gut.

I do know the croning, the last period, has to come, but...I had hoped that it would not be just yet. Has anyone else had similar expereinces, any advice to give?

Thanks.

posted in The Red Tent - 5 replies

IUD

Katrina — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:26:40 GMT

Does anyone have experience with this form of birth control? I'm thinking it may be my only option at this point, unfortunately.... too bad there's not really any great options... the thing I'm concerned with the IUD is that I would feel it occasionally. Some women say they have been able to feel it, particularly during sex... even tampons bother me, and they don't to most women, so I would imagine that having a thing inside me all the time may be bothersome! I'm not sure...

posted in The Red Tent - 8 replies

Postponing a Period

Pamela — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 18:23:26 GMT

Okay...usually I would be against this...but I am going on a weekend trip and I don't want to have my period that weeked (I am super regular and when I calculated...it falls squarely on the date)...somewhere in my mind I recall hearing of a shot that the doctor will give to postpone one month of menses....is this true...what do you ladies think about the idea?

posted in The Red Tent - 7 replies

red tent in Altanta

Gamo — Fri, 04 May 2007 14:40:14 GMT

Any one in Atlanta??

posted in The Red Tent - 5 replies

Women's Sacred Circles.

kala — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 22:03:15 GMT

Passing along some information on Women's sacred circles that came my way:

womenscircle8.eventbrite.com
sacredcircle8.eventbrite.com

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

disturbing menstrual dream!

ra — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 05:13:19 GMT

hi everyone

i was just reading another post in which Nux reminds us to pay attention to our dreams. most of you know that i suffer from immense menstrual pain, hemmoeraging (i can never spell that!) and long periods.

in the dream, i was "bleeding" a very black liquid in addition to the blood. in the dream, i did notice it and was concerned about it. but that's all i remember. i was more disturbed by it when i woke up.

any dream interpreters here? all i can think is that it represents toxins? maybe internalized hatred?

i have been on chinese herbs for a few months now, and for this and the last moontime, get an acupuncture treatment near the first day of my moontime.

curious!

posted in The Red Tent - 7 replies

I find this disturbing

tattooed_kitty — Tue, 22 May 2007 23:50:11 GMT

FDA approves contraceptive that stops periods
Erin Allday, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

(05-22) 14:56 PDT WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration today approved the first birth-control pill that can stop a woman's period indefinitely.

Lybrel, which is made by pharmaceutical giant Wyeth, contains hormone doses lower than oral contraceptives already available. It is designed for women to take every day of the month, instead of a cycle of 21 days on and 7 days off that is used for most other birth-control pills.

Unscheduled bleeding can occur while on Lybrel, and the pill will not halt menstruation in all women.

The pill is expected to be made widely available by the end of summer, when it will become clear whether women who have grown accustomed to viewing their menstrual cycle as a sign of health and fertility will embrace the idea of skipping their period altogether.

Other forms of birth control -- including Depo-Provera, a shot given every three months, and Implanon, a drug-coated stick that is implanted in a woman's arm -- also are known to stop most women's periods. And for decades, women have taken oral contraceptives already on the market to stop their periods, either indefinitely or for a temporary convenience.

Lybrel is the first oral contraceptive to be designed and marketed specifically for eliminating periods.

posted in The Red Tent - 19 replies

Help needed with period after quitting the pill

Magdala — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 01:33:00 GMT

Greetings Everyone!!!

I am wondering if anyone can help me as I have a period that is three months overdue. I came off the pill in November and had normal periods all the way till March and even ovulated (I get the pain in my side when I do). Anyways since March I have had no period. I know it is normal to have irregular periods after quitting the pill but isin't it weird that I had normal ones and now have had not had any! Oh and I have taken several pregnancy tests--through the doctor and from the drugstore and they are all negative. It's very frustrating as my husband and I are trying but it is pretty hard when I have no idea if I am ovulating now or when to really 'try'. I have tried bringing it on with parsley and that didn't work... maybe I should try again I just don't understand why this is happening or when my period is going to come back? I am relatively thin (119 pounds and 5'8) but before I went on the pill I had normal periods. Also I went to see the doctor about it and he tested everything and all my hormone levels came back normal. So how come I'm not bleeding?!!! Does this mean I'm not ovulating?

posted in The Red Tent - 7 replies

Red Tent in Austin Tx

Lesleyanne — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 05:47:46 GMT

I would love to set up a permant red tent space here in Austin, all helpers and ideas welcome

posted in The Red Tent - 5 replies

New information - please help!!!

ra — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 04:37:56 GMT

Hey sistas,

I found out some news from my doctor (Western doctor) today that makes some sense - my uterus is tilted completely backwards, and possibly (probably) sitting on a nerve. She said at first she couldn't even find my cervix as everything is at such an odd angle.This could possibly explain the immense pain that happens around my moontime that is not a congestive cramp but a sharp , stabbing pain that lately has been so intense I've been on the verge of going to the hospital to beg for morphine.

Of course, my doctor still stands by her 'a hysterectomy will solve everything' line. In this situation, I am not sure what the hell I can do to move my uterus. I am open to any and all suggestions as I do not wish to undergo surgery and have my insides removed.

I doubt this has anything to do with the heavy bleeding. That is a separate matter. I just got a book today by Susan Lark entitled, "Heavy Menstrual Flow and Anemia: Effective Self-Help Solutions" and she is totally naturally oriented. So we'll see if she has any new ideas for me.

Hugs,
~~~ra~~~

posted in The Red Tent - 24 replies

Red Tent space on the playa???

leahtrix — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 19:14:56 GMT

Gearing up for my first burning man.

Its looking like I'm due to bleed while i'm out there.

My theme camp is a bumping one right on the esplanade - not the ideal space in which to create some moontime space even if i did have the time and resources to get a shade structure and all my red temple fixin's out there. (def putting energy into this next year, if i decide to go again)

A woman posted on here over the winter about the fabulous yoni-chute needing to be passed on to create red tent space on the playa, anyone know what became of it? (i msg'd her but haven't heard back)

blessings
-leah

posted in The Red Tent - 1 reply

IUD with progesterone

mandai — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:56:39 GMT

A friend of mine recently had the IUD with progesterone inserted, it was advised by a Dr. friend of ours.
I'm skeptical and a little worried about the information she received.
She was told that the hormone 'only stays in her uterus' and doesn't enter her general circulation.
She is also a heavy smoker.
I would NEVER advise a smoker to have anything to do with hormone contraception. I've always thought that it increases the risk of cancers by a hundredfold or something.
Does anyone know something that I don't?

posted in The Red Tent - 5 replies

early menstruation

Katrina — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:19:03 GMT

Hey friends,
I was wondering if anyone knew why I could be experiencing not late, and not only abnormal, but EARLY periods that seem to come progressively earlier each month? I'm not on any birth control or doing anything hormonally different... any ideas? Thanks :)

posted in The Red Tent - 5 replies

A Need to express...

Michelle Skye — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 04:49:02 GMT

Hey all you wonderful womin ~

I don't normally post here but I do love to read your stories and learn about our bodies, our bellies, our wombs, our centers. Two days ago I got a call from my doctor that I had an abnormal pap and that the cells are the kind that could possibly grow into the cancerous kind. I have had this diagnosis before, about seven or eight years ago, and... luckily... the cells simply went away and were re-absorbed into my body. No cancer developed. Back then, I was not especially worried about the diagnosis, which I find kind of funny. I suppose ignorance was my reason. I had never known anyone who had this medical issue and, so, I just didn't even really think about it... other than to schedule paps closer together.

But when I received the news this time around... well... I kind of flipped out. Which, again, I find strange since I have experienced this whole scenario before. But, I guess, the first time, the docs just kinda glossed over the whole HPV part and the possibility that it could come back... the whole resurfacing, returning aspect of the disease. I guess I thought it was done but maybe stuff like that is never done. You know? Issues and traumas and dis-ease that get under your skin... literally... into your cells and blood and body.

Do you remember that childhood game "Chutes and Ladders?" You work really hard and try to do the right thing and you roll (or spin) the correct numbers and climb all the ladders and jump through the hoops and when you can see your goal, just when you can taste it and almost touch it, just as the light bends the shadows and begins to shine on you... you land on that super long, endless chute that slides you down, down, down, almost to the beginning of your journey. You are dumped a mere ten squares from where you started the whole freaky carnival ride. You travel through ups and downs, curves and benders, cliffs and mountains and super slides as blinking lights and garish clowns and girls with blood on thier necks stroll by. And the flea-bitten camels and sad-eyed yaks yanked half-way around the world blend with the greedy billy-goats and cavorting lambs, much too young to be tended by a cigarette-chomping salesman with greasy snake-oil on his hands. I see them in their little cages, too depressed, too unhappy to even lift their heads when we pause next to them. Too armored against the uncaring chaos to do more than lazily roll their eyes in our direction. They make me sad, cornered in their flimsy pens, desperation lining their every muscle. I am grateful that, amid the whirlwind, I can see their truth and feel their grief.

I am grateful that I am ten paces ahead. It is time to roll the dice.

(P.S. The animals at the carnival written about above were actually visited by my daughter and I earlier this summer. The whole "petting zoo" provided "free of charge" by the carnival was such a sad, sad experience. The animals acted exactly as I described and even my 4 year old daughter was disturbed by the experience. I think it is such a perfect metaphor for various attitudes and many ills within our Western society.)

posted in The Red Tent - 2 replies

finding the sacred in bleeding each month(even if you don't)

Janet — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 20:55:36 GMT

Hello to all,

It is me,Janet again. I have been thinking alot about my period, since I got home from the Red Temple last month. I don't bleed anymore, since I don't have a womb. And, not having a womb has had such a huge effect on me. One thing I have wondered is how different things might have been if I had been taught that my womb and my bleeding was sacred. I was recently in a store and saw Glad Rags and a Diva cup. Even a few years ago, this would have repulsed me. I had endometriosis and the last thing I wanted was to have a period. I wanted to be done with it all. Now that I am "done with it all", I wonder what it would have been like if I had had a mother who had taught me the sacredness about all of this.........

I then wondered about my own responsibilty in being a mother to myself and teaching myself this. I thought about re-doing the ritual for becoming a young woman and for the sacred changes in my body. Sacred ritual for the changes in my body. I wanted to stay positive about it, while at the same time realizing that I been pushed too quickly into womanhood by severe sexual abuse. There was no kind and gentle way into womanhood for me. And, that is probably true for many of us. Our culture pushes young girls into being sexual at a very tender age. And it can all become so confusing so fast. I was abused by both parents, so it was not a gender issue to me. Meaning, that it was not about whether it was a male or a female that hurt me.

I did not learn that my young body was growing and changing and was to be honored. I am thinking that maybe now there should be a ritual of puberty with roses, and chamomile tea. I woudn't even mind if there was a spring shower, as long as the rain moved past quickly and the sun started peaking through again. I would want there to be a circle of wise women who loved me ,wept with me,and who honored me. They would each bless my belly and wish the greatest future for me. We would join hands and maybe pour milk into the earth, since I have no blood to pour.

It also made me think that each month I could sit in sacred moonlodge and pour milk as a libation, for all the years I have not been able to give my own blood to Gaia. I want to give something back to Her, for She has nurtured and nourished me all this time. She has taken my wise, and wonderful womb back into Hers for regeneration. I can thank Her. I can still sit with all of you who do bleed, and find my place. I am a wise woman, not old, not young. I know alot, and I have a lot more to learn. I want to be with all of you, learn more from each of you. I want to find the sacred in each moment. Find the sacred in bleeding each month, even if I don't. I want to find the sacred in me, and thereby find the sacred in you. I want to find the Goddess, the blessed Goddess who is here, waiting, waiting for me to be born, each month. Isn't that what the secret is? It isn't " just " that we can can also bring forth a life from our own womb, but, isn't it truly that we are able to recreate ourselves each month? We are reborn, in some simple, and yet complex way each month? Isn't this what patriarch doesn't want us to know? Isn't this our true collective power as women? We are the the creators. In Her Image we are Created. In Her image, we create.

Blessings, Janet

posted in The Red Tent - 5 replies

Red Tent @ Shambhala needs volunteers please

Jasmin_Starrchild — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:15:32 GMT

Hey Ladies
so the time has come for us to solidify our plans
here is a detailed list of what i need help with ... please comment below to sign up and be specific with your offering

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO

* collect cedar from the land for ladies to sit on ( Jasmin will show you traditional protocol for this task)
* prepare or retrieve meals for ladies sitting down ( 3 meals per day... you volunteer for one day of service at your convenience)
* pamper time ... needing you to sit with ladies and comfort them ...serving them in any way they need
* Priestesses to hold space at the gate
* spread the word out in the land of Shambhala... escort women in their flow to the tent
* help me set up the tent on Thursday and take down on Monday

the other things i need help with are on my donation list .... please read that as well and thank you so much for your support !!!
FOR THE HIGHEST GOOD OF ALL ... LET US FLOW !!!

posted in The Red Tent - 1 reply

Red Tent @ Shambhala needs donations please

Jasmin_Starrchild — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:04:21 GMT

Ok Ladies here is my wish list ( sure to grow over the next few weeks)
if anyone can help me manifest these items i will be soooo happy
this is costing me over 5 grand to pull off so i am needing help now !!!

* Large truck or reliable vehicle to transport huge tent
* Pillows , blankets, cushy coziness
* Lanterns for candles, red/burgundy candles (beeswax preferably)
* Outdoor lighting for entrance at night (solar powered would be ideal)
* Lots of flowing red material to hang around the space and make it soft
* Power bar and extension cords

Altar items
* 4 tables for altars
* Material for altars ( red, black, brown, burgundy)
* Goddess art (specifically those deities associated with red, or blood, or darkness, or death/ rebirth)
* Lower chakra crystals and stones
* 13 red roses 13 vases
* 13 eggs
* 13 Moon art
* 13 Yoni shells (large cowrie)

Medicines
* Dried Lavendar / charcoal
* Clary sage/ geranium oils for cramps
* Copal
* Sweetgrass
* Mugwort

Tools
* Rattles
* Drums
* Bells / bowls / chimes
* Flute

Craft Supplies
* Red Beads, string, needles , stitch info
* Paint paper and brushes
* craft ideas related to the Goddess or sacred blood

Also needing CHANTS to be printed out for ladies to use in my absence

It would also be super cool if someone made a huge vesica pisces for us to pass through at the gateway !!!

so this is of the top of my head, please check back as i will be adding to this list.... thank you so much
just add a comment here if you can help out
(also see my volunteers needed list)

posted in The Red Tent - 0 replies

I have been to the Red Tent/Red Temple

Janet — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 21:57:39 GMT

I went to Womongathering this year. I am a changed woman from the woman who first posted on this tribe some months ago. I flew a long way to go to the Red Temple. And let me tell you, it is a sacred, healing space. A place like no other. And, I was able to take two other sisters who had never even heard of the red tent, there with me. And they were transformed too. They had their own sacred experiences too, and it was wonderful to see their eyes light up. We sat and told stories and cried and laughed. I met two wonderful priestesses in the temple, ShaUna and Leah. And, I was also able to meet ALisa Starkweather. The Red Tent is alive and well.

The message needs to be carried to every woman, everywhere. The healing of our blood mysteries can happen. I am a woman, who was born into this world, with extreme cruelty and hatred. I was not wanted. My birth was not good. My bleeding times were not good. I was not taught to love my body. It was not safe to be a woman. And, when it came time to lose my womb, well, that was not good either. But, when I sat in sacred space at the the temple, I learned, that I still have a womb even if it is no longer there. For 3 years, I have sobbed about not having a womb anymore. I have struggled to find books about surgical menopause,and I have not found more than 1 or 2. Most of them deal with the medical aspects and not the emotional. I could not find anyone to help me with the emotional aspects until I came to this tribe and met all of you. Here was where all of you held sacred space for me, held ritual for me, and I learned about the red tent. Then I went to Womongathering where the red tent has been brought into reality. I even sat in sacred moonlodge and ShaUna led us on a meditation. I went into my "wombspace". And yes, she was respectful enough to say wombspace because some of us have nothing there physically. But, when I journeyed there, I saw something there. First time in my whole life. There was something there!!!!!!!!!

So, I am here to say that we can change the world. Those of us that are younger, with no children, that have had hysterectomies.....we do fit in some where. Yes, we do. Maybe I will one day be a temple priestess. For now, I am learning more about the mysteries. I have been gifted with the sweet love of other sisters. I have never known of this kind of love. I am learning to love my body. It will be an adventure. It has only just begun. It will not always be easy. I planted the seeds of self love, and asked to burn away self loathing. I have so much of that. The red tent is real. I think we can create it online, too, for women who need to hold sacred rites online. I carry the red tent in my heart now. I have the images and know it is real. I think there may be some learning from the hysterectomy. I will not say I am glad it happened. But, I can say that my heart is now more open to the pain that others like myself have to endure. So, I reach out with more love now. I know that we, as women, carry so much. When the choice of giving birth is taken away, it is such a great wounding. I can say this to myself now, and I can say it to all of you.........................and I can say that the Goddess knows this.............and this is why she has places like the red tent for all of her daughters.............and why she gives us this creative, divine spark, so that we can find our way out of the underworld and show the light for our sisters so that they can get out too..................Janet

posted in The Red Tent - 7 replies

It is all coming now for healing

ALisa — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 16:37:11 GMT

I wrote this piece this week after facilitating a women's initiation in the UK. It seems like there is sometimes a common thread of feelings that happen when we are inside of transformational work. In fact, since I've been inside of empowerment work for nearly 24 years I am so used to women telling me that they would do my work with me but they are really scared of it and "not ready". This includes the Women's Belly and Womb Conference because for some reason women are really terrified of their bellies, especially bare ones.

Anyhow, it is a bit long and may not relate as my work that I came home from is connected to the work of how we get out of the spiral of predator/prey/victim/perpetrator loops. But you also may relate very much. I only ask that you don't forward to other people unless you ask me as this is still in a draft form and some day, if I finally get around to it, I may actually write some books after all these years and stories among women! Janet, I am thinking of you.

June 23, 2007
Upon waking after returning from the UK
2nd rough draft
ALisa Starkweather

When you are filled with a terror that you have not felt in a long while
In the presence of multitudes now laughing
in the circle that was formed for our transformation
~I say that it is all coming up to be healed

When your mind begins to shout obscenities at you
and your body panics and tells you to run for your life
And yet the invitation looms to dive deeper still,
to lift the manifold of the hellhole open,
~ I say in this paradoxical split ever widening
the moment has arrived that could bear the weight of your birth
from this pain you have long held

without retaliation.

When you are longing to hide
so that no one can even conceive of your broken fragility
that was carefully masked by your ironclad will
over the seed of your potent and vulnerable love,
~ I say this holy moment of now with those who care is like the scarifying of a seed,
the hard prison of your shell of protection
that could not risk again
until there was a way
for the water of your own tears
to soften the fortitude of your resolve.

Now amidst the chaos of feelings, the frozen tundra threatens to melt revealing what lies beneath.
Let your river run sister.
It is not what you think.
There is still life waiting for the miracle of grace and the touch of springtime long buried but never vanquished.

We are rubbing up next to what is most raw, yes,
because we have tied ourselves in knots
with our nervous systems wired to the perpetrator and victim circuitry.
Like a rodent being chased on the ever turning wheel of believing it's your fault, it's my fault, you're good, I'm bad, you're bad, I'm good, philosophy,

we want to get the hell off this well worn highway
and find another way.

Your psyche takes you here now because like me, she knows that you are safer with us
in this illumination of stark truth than you have been in a long while,
even though you sense extreme danger in the crests of emotions that threaten to take you under.

Safe amidst the terror, the sadness, the rage. Safe to feel what has been numb and lost and submerged. The wild in you hears the call and forces the past like tendrils up through the dark memories to reach the light of love that you secretly hungered for even in total despair.

And all of this is coming up now to be healed.

Get out of your own way as old defenses will not work here any longer. The skin is being shed, the bud opened by a deeper consent that your spirit is guiding.

It is time perhaps to tear, sweat, push what hope has remained out into this world to be lived, seen and met.

The midwives present are ready to receive you into loving arms even if you cannot visually see us. We are here. We stand ready for every woman now laboring her birth.

Move past the clutches of the nightmares that have held you captive far longer then you can remember.

You can choose to continue to believe that there is something so wrong, so flawed, so bad, so weak, so pitiful, so utterly wounded that you will never be among the living loved remembering now.

Or you can do as they are doing.

And choose to perceive your core essence with a penetrating gaze that sees through your past and distorted beliefs to retrieve your soul from the ashes and the chards of darkness that have enveloped your good, kind and precious little one that has endured all in spite of everything.

We have the power to love what we once believed was not loveable.
The ugly within us ~ the mean, the cruel, the weak, the broken, the madness that wants to annihilate and strike out.

We have the power to feel all of these things and throw the switch on, like a light in the darkness and not use this energy as it was used against us. We ask what does this energy really want and need? It is time my sisters to rise up in our power and become the roar of this very change of how we own our true power to live and to love.

I say all of this and more is coming up to be healed for it knows we are throwing open the long closed gates and it is a day of our own reckoning and judgment where we must decide if we can find peace within ourselves and that it is worth all of the costs.

My friend, we all need a place for that within us that is tender

Even among the war zones, the frontlines and our living struggles. It is our right to choose not to be like them. Not to beat her down once more into submission. We now know the true violence of these acts even as it shores up our façade of strength that we came to believe for a time was real. Here in this place, vulnerability is our only true strength. Surrender to love.

Can you not hear her? That is the searing pain. She does not yet believe that she is worthy of your love and that you will let her cry, hear her stories, or meet her needs. Yet with this work, you are now the mother of an orphaned crying daughter child left by your psyche at the doorway of your growing consciousness. Open the door and bring her in. Welcome her, cradle her, feed her hungers. Accept her and what she brings now as a gift of healing to you both. Together and only together are you truly whole.

Face the winds of change and fill up your sails with gales of weeping for life, for what has been lost, for all that is to come. Head straight into what is all coming up to be healed and set your course to home. Come home. Come home. Come home at last. Your heart was made to endure all of this and more. Trust your tears, Trust your belly. Trust your ever beating heart.

And as my words sink deep and create ripples that touch where you cannot yet see your own tears, I know that you know that it is all coming up now for healing. You are safe here to cry out. And in this one simple action, you will find what you believed you had once lost forever.
~ ALisa Starkweather
http://members.aol.com/alisastar

posted in The Red Tent - 1 reply

Moon time coming during a festival - Help!!

chanti — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 23:24:50 GMT

Hola

If my next moon is on schedule it will happen jsut prior to our music festival. As I have organized and am responsible for the kids Inspiration station I will be busy. Normally I find it challenging to be in crowds on my moon, in fact I recently chose to miss two great gatherings the last two cycles, prefering my quiet sacred space instead.
However, I am commited to bring excitement for the younger segment of the population: ) Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on how to bring it on early, late or just ideas for coping.

blessings and thanx
Chanti

posted in The Red Tent - 4 replies

Revealing the veil

arrr — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:04:53 GMT

In the days before the tide flows forth I have been witnessing a swell in negative thoughts and emotions. A realizer tells me it's the subconscious revealing. Usually kept beneath the surface crust of outer show. This simple observation let's me know there's lots of dirt under the rug, and it's high time for sweeping...

Has anyone had similiar experiences?

posted in The Red Tent - 4 replies

The Red Tent's topics - tribe.net

Calling for Red Tent Volunteers @ Shambhala

Sea Sponge tampons

temporary *painful* cramping..

PMS

pain after miscarriage

birth petition

Woman Heal Thyself - Jeanne Blum author

Blood Clots and Menstruation...

The Red Temple at Womongathering

DIVING INTO OURSELVES

aaaaaaaaaaaaqahhh!!! i'm bleeding!!!!!!!!

Red Tent in Seacoast NH - Wed June 4

seek ceremony ideas for younger ones (b4 moontime)

Menarche Traditions

Non-hormonal contraceptives recommendations

Red Tent Temple in NH - Wed May 7

ceremony for young women

Belly Work

"Bloodline" Movie Opening May 2008

3 out of 5 weeks of bleeding...so far

Yoni Love

Grafton, Ma. Red Tent Temple 4/4

disposable products?

Painful Periods...

SOS!

My moontime issues

long time between periods

Worcester, Feb. 8th 6-10 Red Tent Temple

Friendship Among Women

empowering ritual while on period b4 a Full Moon...?

How the Temple Went

Monadnock ~ Red Tent Temple, Southwestern NH, Peterborough Area

Red Tent Temple in Grafton, Ma. Jan. 11, 6-10pm

Red Tent Temple in Boston, Nov 9th

periods

Red Tent Temple in NJ

sex during moon time

Seeking Submissions for Zine

Red Tent Temple Movement is here

will there be another red tent event??

Red Tent in Central Mass/ Nov. 9

Let's buy a red tent temple house together

Creating a Red Temple

Red Tent Temple in Boston,Nov 9th

UTI starting

day conference for modern menstruators and friends VICTORIA BC NOV 17

awesome cramp remedy

Red Tent Temple in Boston November 9

how to get a moon to start

great site for cramps

Two Red Tent Gatherings in CT

PA fines midwife

Maya Abdominal Massage Tribe---Join us!

Dream tribe needs you....

Is this it....?

IUD

Postponing a Period

red tent in Altanta

Women's Sacred Circles.

disturbing menstrual dream!

I find this disturbing

Help needed with period after quitting the pill

Red Tent in Austin Tx

New information - please help!!!

Red Tent space on the playa???

IUD with progesterone

early menstruation

A Need to express...

finding the sacred in bleeding each month(even if you don't)

Red Tent @ Shambhala needs volunteers please

Red Tent @ Shambhala needs donations please

I have been to the Red Tent/Red Temple

It is all coming now for healing

Moon time coming during a festival - Help!!

Revealing the veil

temporary painful cramping..