The Importance of Women Gathering
There is a better way of being for humanity on the horizon, and it’s an important one for women...and the world. People are finally talking about the fact that the nurturing, wise, healing energy of the feminine has been suppressed in countless ways on this planet.
The removal of powerful women from our history books, and our memory has done tremendous damage. Many of those stories will be lost forever, but those that we can find remnants of need to be restored. Women’s personal power was diminished in countless ways, from being given ridiculous standards of beauty to match, to being set-up to compete with each other, rather than enjoy the broad comradery men do.
There was a time that women gathered. Though women’s power was already being suppressed for thousands of years, there was a time of the Red Tent Women’s gatherings. My understanding is that these gatherings happened during the new moon and when girls and women needed support and rest during their menstrual cycles, which often synced up with the cycles of the moon, and also for when they needed support with their pregnancies. There they learned about their fertility cycles, and shared intimate stories about their relationships and how it felt to be going through whatever they were going through as a woman. They gained support and understanding through each other. They helped each other raise their babies and they helped each other through life.
Currently, we are waking up and seeing the emergence of a Red Tent Movement, once again bringing women together. What Isadora Gabrielle Leidenfrost, PhD, writer on the RedTentMovie website says is: “While the original function of the biblical Red Tent in Diamant’s book had to do with women gathering following pregnancy and during menstruation, the contemporary practice of creating a separate space is not about ostracism. It is a spiritual practice, a sacred woman’s place, an enjoyable and non-judgmental space, and part of a women’s movement. The book was a tool that helped women reshape their relationships with each other and gave them a specific vehicle for coming together.”
We are finally realizing that the divide and separate mentality was to our detriment. It is healing to share and care for each other. That’s why these new women’s circles that are cropping up are so important. Whether it is a yearly gathering such as the wonderful Swan Day Event for women artists, founded by Martha Richards, or monthly sacred women’s circles for sharing, listening, relating, transforming...they are all tremendously healing, empowering and important.
Additionally, in life and business, we need to be willing to open doors for each other. Men have been doing it for each other for centuries. They have a buddy system. In the film business, for example, there are far more men than women in the top positions. One of the bigger positions a woman has a chance at getting hired for is the position of producer. One of the most difficult positions a woman has the chance at breaking into is that of a film's director. Only about 4% of studio films have been given over to a woman director. Since the male producers aren't hiring women directors, and since there are actually many woman producers out there...you'd think they'd be creating opportunities for the vast pool of qualified woman directors. Whether it’s the old competition thing, or the fear of needing to go along with the system in order to stay employed, most woman producers are not stepping forward to hire and open doors for the gifted women directors knocking on them.
The time for gathering, healing, listening and supporting each other as women has come. We all stand to gain so much from this mutual support, whether it be on the spiritual, emotional level, or on business, career level. It's time to embrace our individual and collective power to contribute to the greater whole.
