Lughnasadh in the Red Tent
Wood Sister’s Lughnasadh in the Red Tent
The Red Tent pitched for Lughnasadh
Lughnasadh/Lammas has become a special time for the Wood Sisters. It was when we first listened together to stories inspired by Anita Diamant’s book, The Red Tent, and were moved to create our own travelling sanctuary for women’s mysteries in 2011. A year later we were taking our creation to Quest and the Westcountry Storytelling Festival. Since then a Red Tent Council of women has been formed, such that this year we could spend a long weekend together with our Wood Sisters in our very own Red Tent. What a wonderful harvest celebration!
In the Red Tent
A whole weekend to delve into the mysteries… on Friday we put up the Red Tent with lots of willing helpers and enjoyed a BBQ in the August sunshine. It was an especial pleasure to be supported by our Wood Brothers, as mothers & daughters were joined by fathers and sons. The Tent seems to have matured over its first year and is looking glorious – oiled poles, adjusted canvas, swept groundsheet and longer tension bands – the open door flap is such an wonderful and strong invitation…
Inviting
Sam dressed the altar and made the inside into the warm, carpeted, decorated, sacred and womb-like space, that we have so appreciated. Our grateful thanks go out to Miriam, who sadly wasn’t able to join us, but still provided the sumptuous fabrics and a powerful birthing Goddess sculpture of her own creation. We sat in our sacred grove of ash trees, covered in glowing red canvas, with the blue sky & the green leaves around and above us and the sunshine pouring in through the roof wheel. It is a powerful space to have co-created. We entered to the delicious sounds of Abigail’s sacred harp music which she played throughout the day and which wove us into the sacred mystery in all things.
The altar
Women came from Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol, Ashburton and all around Totnes and Dartington to celebrate the Celtic festival of the first fruits – the grain harvest, the ripening power of the summer sun. We sat in a circle and shared: the political, the personal, tears, laughter, motherhood, pregnancy, divorce, home-making, bee hives and much more was offered up to the communal wisdom pot that sits notionally at the centre of the circle. Earthed and connected, we listened to three stories, from three women myth-tellers, of three Ancient Greek goddesses as we continued our Odyssey through the archetypes, looking this time at Mothers, Lovers and Wives.
Sunshine through the roof wheel
Sue looked back at the ancient origins of Aphrodite and how, unlike the other so-called ‘vulnerable’ Goddesses (who have dealings with men) she is not subject to unwanted attentions, nor in any way ashamed of her appetites and lovers. Death cannot even deprive her of the essence of her young son/lover Adonis, she goes to the underworld and claims him back for six months of the year. Her complete confidence in knowing herself as a beautiful woman felt like it could be an inspiration to each of us to claim our own unique and diverse beauties as women and her capacity to draw her lovers away from the call of material power, wealth and status and towards the deeper values of love, passion and intimacy was similarly inspiring.
Grain mill
Ronnie gave a powerful and personal interpretation of the mother/daughter Demeter and Persephone myth – with lyrical eloquence and heart-felt emotion, she conjured up the call of the dark shadow world with all its needy souls and the compassion of the teenage girl who goes to create a garden in the darkness. There were tears in many eyes around the circle as we resonated with her stirring images and remembered similar callings and descents in our own lives.
Wild women milling grain 1
- Wild women milling 2
Wild women milling 4
Lisa took on Hera, the wife of Zeus, in a brilliant, humorous and yet at times also chilling and challenging first person narrative. She creatively channelled all the anger, wit and self delusion of the matriarchal goddess who blames her husband’s infidelity on the young women who “seduce” him and wreaks vengeance on all who oppose her. As Hera she demanded our worship and our admiration and championed the role of marriage and being a faithful wife. That certainly got the discussion going!
Crafting
After a rich “feeding” of these three stories, we went into meditation, led by Sam. A deep relaxation and grounding into our bodies and our life breath through a simple guidance of settling onto the earth , opening to each other and all beings in the circle of life around us and feeling from above the warmth of the sun and depths of the cosmos. This was followed by silent time for journalling, exploring the land or just being.
Four-straw favour
The Wood Sisters really had excelled themselves this time and we had a truly great feast of home-made bread, summer salads, pies, falafels and warm bowls of spicy rice with fruit, chocolate cake, muffins and more to follow. Many ingredients were from folks’ own organic gardens and a special thanks goes out to Linda and all at the Barn Buddhist Retreat Centre for an abundance of fresh veggies.
Wild women milling 5
After lunch we crafted: we missed our Wood Sister Izzy who was sadly not well enough to guide us, but in the tent women wove traditional ‘corn dollies’ known as ‘four straw favours’ with local barley and brightly coloured wool and ribbons and outdoors we milled barley and wheat, made honey and date goddess cakes in the womanly triangle shape and baked then on a griddle over the open fire. Our creations were offered up to the altar with each of us speaking or silent as we wished and then we sampled the Goddess cakes in collaborative communion with a mead cup also passed around. Our simple ceremony had an extra special conclusion as together we blessed Jade as she prepares for the birth of her first baby. She sat in the centre to be showered with our love and gifts and words of connection.
Making goddess cakes 1
- Making goddess cakes 2
It was a rich day and the seven women of the Red Tent council stayed on till the Sunday for a day of meditation and visioning for the year ahead in the Red Tent. More news will come in the red tent newsletter soon.
Honey and date barley cakes
The Wood Sisters Circle groups start again on Thursday 12th September with the concluding part of our exploration of animal and story wisdom. From Samhain in late October/ early November, we’ll be starting a new year of explorations, this time into the sacred wisdom of native herbs and wild plants… we are looking for a group of 13 people to commit to regular weekly meetings so that we can deepen our enquiry into the mysteries. There will still be places for drop in and first-time women, but the 13 will hold the continuity of the collaborative wisdom we share each time. Out next day gathering is for the Autumn Equinox on Saturday 21st September – we’ll be exploring Crones, Wise Women and Grandmothers….which will be powerful magic!
Offerings