by Greta Hassel Grace, LMFT

So many of us women find ourselves constantly on the run today, in our roles as entrepreneurs, leaders, wives and mothers. Naturally, we tend to skip the opportunity to pause and take note when the cycle of our body calls us to rest. The resulting symptoms of our constant busyness can show up as increased stress, body pains, cramps, emotional breakdowns and even heart disease. When this happens to me, the Red Tent is my refuge.

Women have been gathering since the beginning of time to share their stories and their secrets, their laughter and tears, their heartaches and celebrations. From midwifing birth and death to menarche and marriage, women’s circles provide support, strength and wisdom for the journey of life. Imagine a world where these circles gather every new moon with women activating and synchronizing their intentions to catalyze personal, community and global transformation.

In 1997, when Anita Diamant’s published her novel, The Red Tent, she wrote about her vision of the support and encouragement women shared with each other during biblical times, when they gathered during their periods of menstruation and when giving birth. In response to the novel, a contemporary Red Tent Movement emerged with local Red Tents springing up around the world.  In Los Angeles, I have been honored to host the Red Tent for nearly three years in my home. We have gathered with a three-fold vision of healing ourselves, our sisterhood and our world. Ours is a vital portal for sharing lost and timeless wisdom necessary to thrive in today’s world.

As an antidote to our too often hustle and bustle lifestyle, Dr. Christiane Northrup writes and emphasizes in The Wisdom of Menopause that we are “lunar creatures … cycling with the moon and the tides”. When we embrace our lunar nature, honoring the opportunity to slow down and nurture ourselves, we find resources within, waiting to be accessed. As we do, we access inner wellsprings that offer the opportunity to restore, renew and revitalize our bodies.

Meeting with our sisters under the Red Tent offers us so many opportunities. We slow down and listen to the wisdom within, and celebrate our bodies as beautiful temples of creation. We educate ourselves about feminine sexual health and wellness, so that we may live as fully as our hearts can imagine. We acknowledge and celebrate each other’s superpowers, so we can be empowered to live out our dreams and purpose.

In the Red Tent Manifesto, we heal the voices of comparison, competition and criticism that have separated us from our sisters and invalidated our collective voices as women. In its place, we harness the spirit of cooperation and community, solidifying our sacred sisterhood to create a world that empowers women. In this way, we return to the wise use of power for the benefit of all.

Red Tent Los Angeles meets once a month on Monday around the new moon. Starting in March 2019, the Red Tent Wisdom Circle will offer resources and wisdom for women to thrive in today’s world. We look forward to these digitized courses supporting women throughout their physical, emotional and spiritual journeys. Visit RedTentWisdomCircle.org to find a Red Tent gathering in your area.

Greta Hassel Grace, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Intimacy Coach and Sexual Educator, has been in practice for over 25 years. Her Masters’ Degrees in Psychology and Divinity have extended to an education that includes the lifelong study of Modern Psychology, Ancient Wisdom and Sacred Sexuality. Greta sees clients in her office in West Los Angeles. Visit www.gretahasselgrace.com for more information on her work with women, men, singles and couples.