Temple Traditions

Welcome to the Temple of the Goddess, where we join in reverence to Womb-man and the beauty within us all.

• Sign-in Table: Upon entering our Hostess' home you will find an area to complete a few tasks. Please be sure to sign in as this allows us to responsibly account for attendance and in general, properly manage Tent without it becoming part of our time in Temple. Also located on the Sign-in Table are the items listed below. To the best of your ability, we ask you to complete these tasks in the following order:​
  • Love Offering: A Love Offering of $15 allows us to pay our Priestess a small fee to honor her time, talents, and energy, gift our Hostess with a Goddess statue to continue blessing her home month after month, as well as purchase our monthly, annual supplies, and privately reserve the hot springs location for Goddess Night Out. You have the option to make your Love Offering via PayPal to paypal.me/ElenaRomero prior to the event or by leaving cash in the bowl. 
  • Releasing Roles: Be mindful of any roles (i.e. wife, mother, sister, employee, etc. in other words how you identify in your Doing world) you would like to release before entering the Tent. Flash paper and a red Goddess candle are provided to create your own magical release. The candle has been blessed by one of our Keepers of Temple prior to our gathering.
    • Roles can also be Archetypes (often subconscious aspects of the Self) we carry, such as Mother, Child, Healer, Victim, Wise, Innocent, Caretaker, Cared for, etc. For additional insight, we suggest spending some quiet time to write down what behaviors (the doing) you tend toward in the world and you will likely have awareness to the Archetypes, which are generally unconscious aspects of the Self and what you may be inspired to release.

• Honoring Our Hostess: At the end of our ceremony a Goddess statue is gifted to our Hostess to thank her for her time and effort. We also include a card signed by everyone in attendance to honor the blessing she has gifted us by opening her home.

• Goddess Oracle Cards: You are invited to draw a Goddess Oracle card at any point during our time together if you would like to receive a divine message from the Goddess Herself. You do not need any special skills to receive this message, simply trust whatever card you are drawn to as the message intended for you to receive. 

• Entering the Temple: To enter this ancient space of the Goddess we begin the formal portion of Tent with a fan smudging (please turn clockwise (to the right) to complete a full circle) and a blessing from the Goddess on the forehead with oil. The blessing is a special blend of essential oils placed on your forehead with a prayer. Please be seated in silence and allow yourself to be enveloped by the beauty and Sisterhood forming around you. This allows ancient memories to awaken deep within, especially if you have never been to a Temple of the Goddess prior to this event.
  • Smudging is accomplished by using a fan made of feathers or the wing of a bird this assists in clearing energies. Please turn in a clockwise direction (to your left) to complete a circle. We move in a clockwise direction to remain in the flow of cosmic energy. 
    

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• Seating: During a Welcome Sister Tent, we ask that you seat yourselves in age order. While it may be more comfortable to sit by the Sister who invited you, this is an excellent opportunity to subtly get to know other women you will be sharing this space with. Please maintain a whisper as you determine your placement. Elders sit to the left of the Keeper of Temple, her seat is marked by a red Talking Stick, and our younger Sisters to the right. Seating is informal during all other gatherings.

• Housekeeping: Items addressed as needed.

• Finding Our Center: A Keeper will open circle with a moment of silence for us each to find our center. 

• Speaking Our Names Into the Circle: We pass the Talking Stick to speak our sacred or magical names and intention into the circle.
  • Many of our Sisters have been given sacred names by teachers or Guides they work with or have claimed a name that better suits them. Others choose to speak the name they were given at birth. The name we speak into the circle is how we claim ourselves before our Sisters and the Goddess. 

• Priestess Program: The evening is then turned over to the Priestess for the presentation of her program. Our Priestesses are any individual Sister who is presenting a program. This does not require formal training but rather her desire to share something she has learned with us. 
  • For our Sister’s time and effort, she is not expected to pay the Love Offering and is financially compensated with a small offering of $30. 
  • One assistant, should the Priestess desire, is not required to pay the Love Offering. Assistants are not financially compensated by Red Tent.
  • Money is the energetic language of our culture and our Priestesses deserve to receive this acknowledgement for their time, dedication, and commitment for offering our Sisterhood the blessing of their teaching. Payment also serves to close the energetic loop of giving and receiving.

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• Honoring Our Hostess: The time and care it takes to raise the Tent in one's home is considerable and speaks of our Sister’s dedication to our Sisterhood through this act of service and is vital for the continuation of our monthly gatherings. To Honor Our Hostesses for their commitment we present them with a Goddess and take a moment to offer a few words to thank them for all they have done to create a loving and beautiful space for us to gather. (Please be sure to sign the card for our Hostess located on the Sign-In Table or passed by one of the Keepers of Temple.) 

• Talking Stick: At the conclusion of the program, a Keeper of Temple will once again pass the Talking Stick around the circle. At this time, follow as directed. (Please see the Talking Stick Customs for additional information.) 

• I Lift You Up: To conclude the formal portion of Temple, a designated Sister will begin our tradition to lift each other up by standing in front of the woman seated to her left and joining hands while saying, “I am a powerful woman, I lift you up.” The seated Sister waits for the Sister standing to lift her up before standing. It is customary for the person who has been lifted to offer thanks, prayer hands and a bow, or a hug. When this is complete, the Sister who now stands turns to the Sister on her left to offer the same blessing. This continues until each Sister is standing, lifted by and with the power to stand autonomously, and side by side.

• Social Time: Moving into our Social Time offers us the opportunity to connect with one another over the shared offerings we have created in our homes. Whether the item served was handmade with love or joyfully arranged on a plate prior to the gathering, know that the intention behind the food we offer to one other is meant to provide nourishment as we celebrate each other and all that it is to be Woman!

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• ​Taking Down the Tent: At the end of our Social Time we all chip in to help take down the fabric of our Tent, tidy up the spaces we inhabited in the hostesses home, and otherwise leave our hostess with a fresh start to her morning.

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