9/11/2009

The Red Tent Vision

Here is the original vision set forth in its entirety.  The current manifestation of the vision could potentially alter some of the details as it becomes more clear how best we can serve our community.

The Moon Hut Project (TMHP) is a voluntary women's health organization. We believe women's health is inseparable from our relationships on all levels, and therefore includes physical, mental, emotional, interpersonal, intercultural, ecological, and spiritual health and wellbeing. In service to this understanding of women’s health, we include the following clauses in our mission.


I. TMHP is dedicated to fostering the Red Tent: a safe, sacred space for women of all ages to build community; to support, mentor, and celebrate one another; to connect with authentic rites of passage and initiation; and to explore and honor our innate feminine wisdom.


II. TMHP’s work to realize the Red Tent vision will take place in four spheres: A) in our home office in Eugene, Oregon; B) on the road in our Red Tent Village; C) on the web, both on our home page, and on networking sites such as Facebook; and D) in our future (potential) self-published newsletter/zine, The Moon Hut Project. *


III. TMHP aims to foster education, information distribution, and heartfelt exchange within the local and global women’s communities about the four M’s (menarche, menstruation, motherhood, and menopause) and about healthy, environmentally sound, and sustainable menstruation practices.


IV. TMHP will partner with indigenous sources of wisdom and women’s traditions wherever possible, and will seek to preserve the continuance of these valuable forms of knowledge from around the world.


V. TMHP will work to empower women to recreate the Red Tent in their own communities.


VI. TMHP is inclusive of all women, and strives to operate according to the values of the talking circle, where every voice is of equal importance, respect is given and received by all, and compassion and wisdom are in balance.




*A. Our home office (HQ) is envisioned as a headquarters for the nonprofit logistical side of things and as a Red Tent drop-in space for women in our community. The HQ will house reference materials relevant to the mission of TMHP and may provide a library of resources for women. It may also serve as a home for educational workshops and community celebrations.


B. The Red Tent Village will travel to festivals and women’s gatherings whenever possible to provide outreach and experiential education opportunities to women around the United States. Festivals provide a venue where many people can be reached, and there is often greater openness to trying new ways of being at such events. (We also think it would simply be a nice thing just to offer a safe, quiet, comfortable, and hygienic refuge for women who are menstruating in this situation.)


C. The TMHP Home website (here) expresses the vision and goals of TMHP. This is where to check to find out what's new, what's needed, and (in the future) to find resources and related organizations listed online. 


D. The Moon Hut Project zine is envisioned as a newsletter for the organization, and as an independent publishing venue for women's and girls' art and creative writing.