Red Tent Or Purple Tent?
By DeAnna L'am
Which shall I go to the Red Tent or the Purple Tent?
In one word - Both
In one word - Both
If you are seeing Menopause on the horizon, if you are in the midst of it, or beyond it – you can find community in both. If you still cycle regularly, the Red Tent will continue to be your Home, while the Purple Tent will be something to look forward to.
In the same way that girls who haven’t started bleeding are invited to look forward to their Menarche as a powerful transition, so women in their cycling years are called to anticipate Menopause with new eyes. Not the corporate eyes that prescribe symptoms in order to sell you solutions, nor the cultural eyes that usher you into invisibility as an older woman - in Celtic traditions Maidens were seen as Flowers, Mothers as Fruit, and Wise Women as Seeds.
In the same way that girls who haven’t started bleeding are invited to look forward to their Menarche as a powerful transition, so women in their cycling years are called to anticipate Menopause with new eyes. Not the corporate eyes that prescribe symptoms in order to sell you solutions, nor the cultural eyes that usher you into invisibility as an older woman - in Celtic traditions Maidens were seen as Flowers, Mothers as Fruit, and Wise Women as Seeds.
"In Celtic traditions Maidens were seen as Flowers, Mothers as Fruit, and Wise Women as Seeds"
Flowering young girls need to be lovingly prepared by their mothers, grandmothers, elders, and mentors for their Menarche, the threshold into womanhood. Cycling women greatly benefit from preparing to transition from “Fruit” to “Seed” taking their place as Wise Women once they cross the threshold of Menopause, celebrated and welcomed into the third phase of womanhood.
Women who have been menstruating for years, and are approaching “The Pause”, need support on their path toward becoming wise Elders of their communities. By and large no longer occupied with raising children, nor with furthering their careers, they become freer to spread their gifts like wild flower seeds in the fields of the world!
Women who have been menstruating for years, and are approaching “The Pause”, need support on their path toward becoming wise Elders of their communities. By and large no longer occupied with raising children, nor with furthering their careers, they become freer to spread their gifts like wild flower seeds in the fields of the world!
Red Tent or Purple Tent, then?
Maidens, Women of all ages, and Elders weave community in the Red Tent.
Elders need each other's company in the Purple Tent.
Elders need each other's company in the Purple Tent.
The Red Tent is Multi-Generational by definition. And as such – it is revolutionary!
There aren’t many places in current cultures for generations to mix. We have “Teen Centers” and “Senior Centers” we have schools for the young and assisted living for the old. Separation, individuation, and compartmentalization are the order of the (main stream) day.
"In the face of it, the Red Tent is a haven for women young and old -
a place where the emphasis is not on what separates us, but on what unites us!"
In the face of it, the Red Tent is a haven for women young and old - a place where the emphasis is not on what separates us, but on what unites us!
The Red Tent continues to be a staple home for Maidens, Mothers, and Crones, where young and older women enrich each other and share their lives. The Purple Tent, much like circles of Grandmothers in indigenous cultures, is the next step. It is the sacred space women enter after having walked the path for many years. It is where women share with their Peers, where they give and receive support on the Wisdom Stretch of our lives. So indeed BOTH are open to all women, yet each serves unique needs. One you can go to any time, the other is the one to look forward to.
Isn’t it wonderful to look forward to being held in your wisdom years by a wise community of peers and elders, while being embraced by your multi-generational community throughout your life?
DeAnna L'am is fondly known as ‘Womb Visionary.'
She has been transforming women's lives around the world for over 25 years. She has been addressing the cultural negativity around menstruation, and the wound it inflicts on women's psyche, long before menstruation became mentionable. DeAnna holds the Initiation ceremonies women never had when they came of age; helps women tap into the spiritual depth hidden in Menstruation and Menopause; and teaches women how to hold Red Tents in their communities.
Internationally recognized as pioneer in Menstrual Empowerment, DeAnna is the author of ‘Becoming Peers - Mentoring Girls Into Womanhood’ and ‘A Diva’s Guide to Getting Your Period’, founder of Red Moon School of Empowerment for Women & Girls™, and of Red Tents In Every Neighborhood - Global Movement.
Visit her at: www.deannalam.com
She has been transforming women's lives around the world for over 25 years. She has been addressing the cultural negativity around menstruation, and the wound it inflicts on women's psyche, long before menstruation became mentionable. DeAnna holds the Initiation ceremonies women never had when they came of age; helps women tap into the spiritual depth hidden in Menstruation and Menopause; and teaches women how to hold Red Tents in their communities.
Internationally recognized as pioneer in Menstrual Empowerment, DeAnna is the author of ‘Becoming Peers - Mentoring Girls Into Womanhood’ and ‘A Diva’s Guide to Getting Your Period’, founder of Red Moon School of Empowerment for Women & Girls™, and of Red Tents In Every Neighborhood - Global Movement.
Visit her at: www.deannalam.com
© 2022 Deanna L'am. All rights reserved.