Red Tent Edinburgh
Red Tent Edinburgh is a community movement that aims to provide a haven for women to gather, rest and co-create. Wherever you are in your menstrual or menopausal cycle, we have a circle for women to celebrate or find solace.
What is the Red Tent?
Traditionally Red Tents or Moon Lodges provided solace, comfort, and nurture to women of ancient cultures during their menstrual cycle. Today Red Tents are used in cities and communities all over the world to reconnect women with their innate power. It is a place to be seen and heard in our vulnerability and authenticity. It is a place for stories, rejuvenation, and community.
This space will be run by volunteer facilitators, women are invited to hold space as well as workshops, ceremonies, talks, meditations, creative activities and more. All of these will be specifically focused for women, inviting them to celebrate their menstrual cycles. It will seek to provide emotional support, spiritual growth, women's health education and practical support/advice.
It is more than just a tent or womens circle, it is a movement, weaving together in sisterhood! Check out the Red Tent Movement for the inspiration.
We are currently looking for 2 more volunteer facilitators, if you have experience of running womens circles, workshops or programmes please do get in touch. This is a co-creative project, however having a small core group of experienced facilitators ensures that the space is well held with consistency to our core values.
Why is this space only for women?
The Red Tent is for women who are born women, identify as women or people who menstruate of all ages. The tent provides a space where menstruation or menopause are not taboo, but it’s not necessary to be experiencing either to join the activities.
We are open to all spectrums of sexuality, backgrounds and beliefs. Our strength comes from our diversity as we learn from each other, sharing our stories, skills and support.
We love men, and we really need their support to allow us the space to nurture ourselves and move into our womb space whenever we need. Only then can we have the internal resources to give men, each other and the world so much more. We need warriors to help protect the sacred space of women in order to give birth to a new paradigm, socially, culturally and ecologically.
In a challenging environment and society we create a new paradigm first by gathering together in the essence of solidarity and creativity, then bringing it out to the world to break those taboos and change perceptions. We must start somewhere and we need the support of everyone.
We need to reclaim the womb as the centre of the universe, every one of us is birthed from the womb, something that we as a society has largely forgotten. Women are sacred, as is our mother earth, by remembering this we remember the need to nurture ourselves and the earth. This brief but powerful explanation by Larry Merculieff says it all why it is important to put the womb at the centre of the universe.
Some women in a male-dominated working environment are expected to function 24/7 like men, yet they have these wombs and cycles that need to be embraced rather than seen as getting in the way. This is not the way, we are gifted with the ability to create life and so much more.
Some women have never really connected with their womb or they have disconnected due to birth or sexual trauma. These can be really sensitive topics and they really do need the comfort of women to intimately understand something that they have never voiced. To do this we must create a safe, womb like space on the outside so that we can go to these places inside.
What will happen in the Red Tent?
In a non-linear matriarchal space the women will weave their magic together, love and support each other. We will be relying on any women that wish to take part by providing a workshop, volunteering or holding space.
We welcome discussions or workshops around: Menstruation, Menopause, Sexual Health, Sexuality, Sexual Trauma, Feminism and anything beyond. Some examples include:
Womb Ceremonies
Poetry Workshops
Storytelling
Singing
Divine Feminine Meditations/workshops
Self-pleasure for women
Sacred Sexuality
Somatic practices
Dance
Crafting
The list could be endless, it is up to you. If you, or someone you know, would like to run an activity that would help to create this vision, please join us.
How do I offer an event in the Red Tent?
Please submit your event using the Red Tent Edinburgh Event Submission Form if you would like to run a workshop, ceremony, meditation, discussion, talk or something else entirely. It will be a small womb-like space for 6-10 women so bear that in mind for numbers and activities.
Calling all Priestesses and Moon Mamas
Don't have a workshop/talk/activity to offer but would like to help out? We really need as many women as we can to get involved and make this tent a wonderful space. So we need help in the following areas:
Website: Setting up a website, creating images, content etc for events
Decor: Signage, sourcing cushions, fabrics, carpets, alter items, craft items etc.
If you’re interested in getting involved, join our Facebook group and send us a message.
Where can I find the Red Tent?
For Red Tent Edinburgh join our Facebook group and here the location of the monthly gatherings will be shared as well as an online community space to share.