Red Tent Otepoti Dunedin

Red Tent Otepoti Dunedin a Moon Lodge for Women who have or have had a Womb

Stories of our Hair ..... Body Hair in women generally falls into three biological types: lanugo, vellus, and terminal h...
02/08/2026

Stories of our Hair ..... Body Hair in women generally falls into three biological types: lanugo, vellus, and terminal hair. These types vary in texture, location, and how hormones affect their growth.

Biological Hair Types . . .
1 : Lanugo: Soft, fine hair that grows on a fetus before birth and is usually shed before delivery.
2 : Vellus: Thin, short, and nearly invisible "peach fuzz" that covers most of the human body and is not controlled by hormones.
3 : Terminal: Thick, dark, and coarse hair found on the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, underarms, and p***c region.

Growth Patterns and Causes . . . .
* Puberty and Hormones: Androgens (such as testosterone) trigger terminal hair growth in the underarms and p***c area.
* Genetics and Ethnicity: Family traits and ancestry heavily influence how thick, dark, or widespread body hair appears on limbs and the torso.
* Hirsutism: A condition causing women to grow coarse terminal hair in male-like patterns (such as the face, chest, or back), often linked to higher androgen levels or conditions like Polycystic O***y Syndrome (PCOS).

It is extraordinary that something so biologically basic as body hair carries so much cultural voltage. We are mammals, we grow hair and yet body hair, particularly on women remains subject to an intense kind of scrutiny that feels wildly disproportionate. We shave, wax, pluck, thread, sugar and laser it, all in the hope of never seeing it again.

This did not happen by accident. Early 20th-century fashion advertising was quick to reframe female body hair as unhygienic and unfeminine. To be modern was to be hairless. To be smooth was to be civilised. And so body hair became something we manage in a social context.

The reactions, from admiration to reflection, shock, mockery and outright repulsion, tell us how unsettled we still are by follicles that dare to sprout anywhere other than our heads, lashes or brows. So while I would love to say that we are drifting towards breezy indifference, sadly the evidence proves that society still has a complex relationship with body hair. Unconvinced? I dare you to go on your next beach holiday with a furry bikini line you haven’t touched since last winter. Send us the reactions.

Stories of Our Hair . . . In Basque mythology, the Lamiak (or laminak) are nymph and mermaid-like female spirits that bl...
01/08/2026

Stories of Our Hair . . .

In Basque mythology, the Lamiak (or laminak) are nymph and mermaid-like female spirits that blend elements of water nymphs, sirens, and traditional folklore creatures. Half-woman, half-water creatures, thet are depicted as stunningly beautiful long-haired women, but instead of a fish’s tail or standard human feet, they typically possess the webbed feet of a duck or sometimes bird-like feet. They are frequently found sitting by riverbanks, springs, or cave openings, brushing their long golden hair with a golden comb.

The legend of the Lamiak has been well-known since ancient times and there are many places within the Basque homeland named in honour of these beautiful women, with the earliest known reference from 945 A.D.

The Lamia often brought good luck to the local peasants and if a farmer left the Lamiak a present, he could awake in the morning to find his fields ploughed or his wood cut. These woodland spirits were often thanked for their help in the building of bridges, but, if a stone of a bridge was suddenly found missing, then this was a sign of bad luck and that the Lamia had left the river. This was often the case when men started to build small churches in the forest. Male Lamiak are also said to have helped by night in the building of ancient burial mounds such as dolmens and stone circles – many examples of which are found on the hill tops and mountain passes of this area.

For good or bad, very few Lamia remain in the Basque lands, being driven away by church bells and religious shrines.



“I am sure they will be married very soon, for he has got a lock of her hair.” —Jane Austen, Sense & Sensibility Althoug...
29/07/2026

“I am sure they will be married very soon, for he has got a lock of her hair.” —Jane Austen, Sense & Sensibility

Although the practice of crafting hair into jewelry may seem strange to the modern reader, hair jewelry was widely popular in Europe and the United States throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Gifts of courtship in the Regency era (1811-1820) were often symbolically related to the body like gloves, garters, or lovers’ eyes (miniature portraits of a beloved’s eye often set in jewelry). Hair jewelry, however, escalated this trend by utilising something that literally grows from the body.

Hair jewelry is deeply intimate; giving a piece of your hair to a lover is akin to giving them a piece of yourself. Moreover, since hair does not decay, hair jewelry serves as a token of everlasting love and devotion. This is why exchanging plaits of hair was a sure sign of impending engagement.

Hair jewelry reached its height during the Victorian Era (1837-1901). This period was marked by sentimentality and a fascination with the macabre, influenced by Romanticism (~1798-1837), an artistic movement that celebrated emotion, imagination, and the sublime beauty of nature, and embraced the mysterious and supernatural.

A lock of hair would be crafted into jewelry and worn as a symbol of affection, to commemorate an engagement or marriage, to preserve a connection with someone who is far away or at war, or to serve as a memento of a loved one who has passed away. Before the advent and accessibility of photography, hair art served as a way to remember the deceased.

As the Romantic movement gained momentum, people were captivated by hair’s enduring nature - its ability to retain its form and colour long after their loved ones were laid to rest, making it a living extension of the departed.

Hair jewelry was more than just a fashionable accessory; it was a potent symbol of love and devotion. A lock of hair, intricately woven into a piece of jewelry, served not merely as an adornment but as a vessel of emotion and memory.

Our August Sistar Circle honours the "Stories of our Hair”. We are a multi-generational woman-only space where women honour the cycles of life. Red Tent is a space for women to connect in community, to explore our inner power, and to learn the wisdom of our body in a safe, nourishing and welcoming space.

We gather at 7pm at Ayu Community Space, 7 Crawford Street, Dunedin and your expression of attendance is required for our August Sistar Circle as there is a limit to numbers, so please register your intent to attend with us on facebook or email [email protected] to confirm a place.





“Stories of our Hair” will be the focus for our 26th of August Sistar Circle. This month we are going to share the Stor...
29/07/2026

“Stories of our Hair” will be the focus for our 26th of August Sistar Circle.

This month we are going to share the Stories of our Hair, the stories that changed our life, the spiritual traditions and practices used with our hair, cleansing practices, symbolic hair care rituals, stories of personal vitality, memories, and ancestral connection with hair, as will stories of cutting hair and its significance, we will share folklore and historical superstitions as well as why we style our hair in certain ways and so much more.

Come and join and share with us what you practice, experience, or know of your hair.

We gather at 7pm at Ayu Community Space, 7 Crawford Street, Dunedin and your expression of attendance is required for our August Sistar Circle as there is a limit to numbers, so please register your intent to attend with us on facebook or email [email protected] to confirm a place.




On Mary Magdalene's Feast Day we held a full circle of 13 women. We spoke gently of Mary Magdalene and shared our stor...
23/07/2026

On Mary Magdalene's Feast Day we held a full circle of 13 women.

We spoke gently of Mary Magdalene and shared our stories.

We chanted “B’shem Maryam” in Aramaic, her mother tongue, which means: in the living frequency and essence of Maryam, she who carries the light.

We opened ourselves to a healing meditation, our inner sanctuary beyond time, beyond space, an inner temple of remembrance where the voice of Mary Magdalene speaks not in words but in waves of love, in silence, in stillness and we chanted to her once more.

We painted gold foil on red eggs, as a fertile symbol, a gesture, in reverence of the Light contained within her wisdom of the Divine Feminine.

Mary Magdalene’s Feast Day uplifted us and brought us closer to the unconditional love we hold within.

Blessings




Remembering Mary Magdalene .... What the Gospel of Mary Actually RevealsFew texts shake the foundations of spiritual his...
20/07/2026

Remembering Mary Magdalene ....
What the Gospel of Mary Actually Reveals

Few texts shake the foundations of spiritual history the way the Gospel of Mary does. Not because it contradicts the teachings of the Christ but because it restores them to their original clarity. What survives of this gospel does not give us a new religion. It gives us something far more dangerous to the old structures: direct knowledge, empowerment, and inner sovereignty.
Below are the core teachings from Mary’s gospel, presented plainly and openly, so this community can reflect, remember, and apply them.

1. Salvation Is an Inner Process, Not an External Rescue
Mary’s gospel states that the soul is not saved by rituals, priests, or institutions, but by inner knowledge and the liberation of consciousness from lower attachments.

2. Fear Is the First Barrier of the Soul
Mary describes the soul’s ascent through the planetary spheres after death, a deeply Hermetic theme found in Egyptian, Greek, and early Christian mysticism.
The very first force that tries to stop the soul is Fear, which says: “You belong to me.” Mary teaches that liberation begins when the soul refuses to be ruled by fear. Fear is not something to defeat, it is something to discard.

3. Desire and Ignorance Bind the Soul to Lower Worlds
The gospel lays out four fundamental forces that attempt to keep consciousness trapped: Darkness, Desire, Ignorance, and The Wrathful Powers of the Material Realm. Mary teaches that these forces have no authority over the awakened soul. The moment the soul recognises its origin - Light from Light - these powers lose their claim.

4. True Vision Is Inner Seeing, Not Outer Sight.
Mary teaches what is rarely spoken in mainstream religion: That the world you see is not the world as it is. Perception is filtered, distorted, and incomplete. Only the inner eye, what Hermetics calls the Nous, sees reality. This aligns perfectly with the Hermetic axiom: “As within, so without.”

5. Do Not Reject the Inner Path.
Mary recounts teachings from Christ that were given to her privately. Peter rejects Mary and feels she is unworthy. He doubts her authority and tries to silence her. This conflict has echoed for 2,000 years. Mary symbolises the intuitive, inner, direct dimension of spirituality, whereas Peter symbolises the institutional, external, hierarchical dimension. Mary’s gospel reveals an ancient truth: Gnosis was originally entrusted to the soul, not to institutions.

6. The Human Soul Is Immortal and Made of the Same Essence as the Divine.
Mary teaches that the soul’s origin is pure, undivided Light. Its suffering comes only from forgetting that origin.
This is Hermetic cosmology, word for word. The root is the One, the undivided Source, the Great Silence.

7. The Final Teaching: Do Not Lay Down Your Power.
At the end of the gospel, the disciples tremble in fear. Rome is hunting them. The world is collapsing and their teacher is gone. Mary stands up, not as a victim, but as a Master. She says: “Do not weep. Do not grieve. Do not let doubt enter your hearts.”
Then she speaks the most Hermetic teaching of the entire text: “The Son of Man is within you.” …. Not far away. Not in the sky. Not in a book. Not locked behind temple gates. Within you. It is a declaration of spiritual independence. The very thing that threatened the early church most.

Why This Matters to Us Today . . . Because these teachings break the illusion that salvation comes from outside. They return authority to the individual. They remind us that awakening is an inner science, not an external ritual. They reveal a path that is Hermetic, Gnostic, mystical, and universal.

The Gospel of Mary is not just the voice of a forgotten disciple. It is the voice of the human soul itself, speaking across centuries: “Remember what you are.”

The Magdalene legacy is being rediscovered, and many are beginning to see that she was not erased, just hidden beneath layers of distortion. As the veil continues to lift, we reclaim the wisdom that was denied, and with it, the understanding that the divine is not confined to buildings, titles, or dogma - it is within.

The old system knew this truth but feared it. That is why they buried it. But buried truth is not dead, it only waits to be unearthed. “Remember what you are.”

.


The Feast of Mary Magdalene is almost here! We will celebrate this special day by decorating red eggs. The egg has lon...
16/07/2026

The Feast of Mary Magdalene is almost here! We will celebrate this special day by decorating red eggs.

The egg has long been a symbol of life, rebirth, and hope.

The egg symbol is layered with rich meaning and history . . .

Long before Christianity, the egg represented the universe, rebirth, and fertility in ancient Persian, Egyptian, and Roman cultures, and was exchanged during spring festivals to mark the awakening of nature. This practice eventually gave rise to traditions like egg rolling, egg tapping, and egg hunts representing the fecundity of Spring.

Early Christians in Mesopotamia originated the tradition of dyeing eggs red to symbolise the blood of Christ. The breaking of the shell mirrors the stone rolling away from the tomb on Easter morning. This symbolism is still echoed in many Eastern Christian traditions, where red-dyed eggs are a common part of honouring Mary Magdalene.

According to legend, after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene traveled to Rome to share the Gospel with Emperor Tiberius. She gave the emperor an egg and explained to him that the egg was a perfect symbol of the resurrection and rebirth. The emperor was skeptical, responding that it was impossible for someone to rise from the dead, just as it was impossible for the egg in Mary Magdalene’s hand to turn red. The egg miraculously turned red at that moment, shocking everyone who witnessed it. This miraculous event is said to have convinced the emperor of the truth of Mary Magdalene’s message, and he allowed her to continue her missionary work.

Come join us for a magical evening to celebrate the Feast of Mary Magdalene. Connect in sisterhood at Red Tent Otepoti Dunedin ‘Sistar Circle’ this coming Wednesday on the 22nd of July.

Don't miss out on this special gathering by registering your intent to come on facebook or email [email protected]




Remembering Mary Magdalene . . .We are the women who remember.We have returned to the temple again and again through lif...
14/07/2026

Remembering Mary Magdalene . . .
We are the women who remember.

We have returned to the temple again and again through lifetimes,
to sit at the feet of the Goddess and drink from her sacred well.​

We have wept in the arms of Mary,
sung through the golden tones of Hathor,
and surrendered in the soft gaze of Kuan Yin.

We have been kissed awake by Magdalene’s longing,
and held in the holy fire of Isis’ breath.

We danced with Shakti, bare-footed in the moonlight.

We have traced the spirals of our womb and spine,
learning again to speak the language of our bodies.

Our hearts have been split open and stitched anew
by the radiant compassion of the Divine Mother.

We are remembering what it means to walk as living temples,
to embody the Rose, to offer honey, to ripple magnetism with every step.

This is not new.
This is ancient.
​
It is the path of the Priestess of the Rose.
And now, once more, we gather.

To rise.
To reclaim.
To become.

Come join us for a magical evening to celebrate the Feast of Mary Magdalene and shower ourselves with Divine Feminine rose frequencies. We will remember our rose hearts with deep ceremony that utilises ceremonial oils to awaken the Magdalene Codes in our DNA and support us on our spiritual path.

Connect in sisterhood (with women who have or have had a womb) in the sacred space Red Tent Otepoti Dunedin offers on the 22nd of July, Mary Magdaele’s Feast Day.

Don't miss out on this special gathering by registering your intent to come on facebook or email [email protected]


Jane Catherine’s Book Launch was such a success. 30 beautiful women gathered to listen to Jane Catherine present, talk...
13/07/2026

Jane Catherine’s Book Launch was such a success. 30 beautiful women gathered to listen to Jane Catherine present, talk and launch her new book ‘Your Fenomenal Menopause: The femenome guide to your midlife alchemy’. From all the feedback I have received it was well liked and much appreciated by all who came. Thank you to all for your attendance and your support of Jane Catherine. Thank you.

Luna House




The Gospel of Mary was not included amongst the texts that became the official New Testament of the Bible. That might be...
11/07/2026

The Gospel of Mary was not included amongst the texts that became the official New Testament of the Bible. That might be due to limited circulation of the text at that time, but was certainly due to its theological differences with an emerging orthodoxy.

Mary’s own Gospel includes her mystical experience of what Jesus had been teaching her after his death. In addition, her Gospel conveys the importance of salvation through inner awakening rather than submission to teachings from an external authority.

We come together on Mary Magdalene's Feast Day to 'Remembering Mary Magdalene', to support each other to heal and empower through our feminine, meditations, chants, and the remembering of the divine feminine highlighted through Mary Magdalene's teachings and the Divine Feminine Masters.

We gather at 7pm at Ayu Community Space, 7 Crawford Street, Dunedin and your expression of attendance is required.

Red Tent Otepoti Dunedin is organised voluntarily and we aim to be as accessible as possible, as such we ask for the small fee of $10, or a koha, which helps to cover the cost of resources.

Join us for our July Sistar Circle, for women who have or have had a womb, by registering your interest with us on facebook or email [email protected]



Address

Dunedin

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Red Tent Otepoti Dunedin posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Red Tent Otepoti Dunedin:

Shortcuts

Share

Category