Come closer and gather round the fire. This is where we look at the flames and prick up our ears to hear the stories of women beyond this circle and beyond this time. Have you ever asked your mother, grandmother or family friends about women whose names you hear, wanting to match the stories of their lives with where your own life is now? Sometimes it just doesn’t fit. Women in the past often faced struggles that we can’t even imagine as they were often invisible in a male-dominated or closed-minded world. Other times you look back and see the golden glow of a time out of reach… a time that feels simpler than the challenges you face today as you experience the daily negation of your voice and aggression towards you rising forth.
The women who came before us enabled us to have the rich lives that we have. The unnamed, unseen women who came before us deserve our collective reflection and thanks. And too the women we know of in name who fought for our rights, who treasured the small freedoms we had and advanced the parameters of our lives so that we could work, vote, choose to have or not have children. And the women who were brave enough to live with the truth of who they were whether or not that fitted within the conventions of society, heterosexuality or binary gender.
We hear from Claudia from Red Tent Gera about how they honoured the women that linked to their present lived experience and how we can continue their work in our lifetime and beyond.
| Sitting in Circle with Claudia from Rotes Zelt Gera |
Women came before us, our ancestors and all the other woman, who are indeed still connected to us within the collective subconciousness.
In the tradition of the Red Tent, it was and is our mission to gather the women and bring our energies together, to support each other, to nourish us and heal in the circle of sisters. We can go with the flow as we meet up; or set a profound intention how to use this holy time and space. As it is our nature to chat away and gossip we can easily lose our focus on what we want to create together, so it is very helpful if one or a few women can hold the space and guide – without any hierarchy – a ritual, meditation or ceremony.
For March’s Red Tent on International Women’s day I chose the topic ‘women’s rights and women of the past’.
As far as we understand it the power of women started to be overpowered by patriarchy about 3000-5000 years ago when monotheistic religions took over the political and social life. All those years women had to keep their power hidden to ensure their survival under these conditions. When did it start to change? Only 150 years ago women were not allowed to have their own property, possessions, were not allowed to study or be in politics and had no right to vote. Socially, they were perceived to be on the same level as a child, a criminal, psychopath or slave. This was daily life! Can we imagine this situation today in western society? Sure, not all is great and well today, but just consider what we have already achieved or, better, what other women have achieved for us. They were fighting for us, for their daughters and grandchildren, which is who we are.
One of the first was Olympe de Gouges, born in France 1748. She is today regarded as one of the first pioneers of the women’s movement. She declared the new human rights, including the rights of women, and had to pay with her head in 1793.
After her in many countries more women stood up and had to fight to be heard because there was no other way. It was both a physical and intellectual fight.
They were brave, strong and had their goals clear in their minds.
For honouring and reconnection, we travelled deep back to the roots of these women from the 18/19th century. From this inner journey we brought back their strength, braveness and willpower to create something new. It is all about remembering the long forgotten truth and that we are the ones who change today’s world, every single woman on this mother earth! It is time to remember our truth and rise into a new understanding of sisterhood. We are half of the human race! Stand up sisters, connect to each other, create Red Tents and make the world a better place to live for us and all who come behind us!