Where do I even begin? The Red Tent by Anita Diamant may be
one of the most powerful novels I have read, but in the most subtle way
imaginable. Written believably as the account of Dinah, sister to the heads of
the 12 tribes of Israel (and with a distinctive Jewish flare), this book is like
nothing I've ever read before. It is more. Here is what I have been searching for in my life's journey thus far; here is where my search ends and my understanding and knowledge begin a new beginning.
Without getting too personal, there were things in my life that happened. Things that, given my background, were surprising to myself and those around me. They opened my eyes to acceptance and awareness of myself and those around me, but at the same time, it was a constant struggle with my Otherness.
I realize in my spiritual/religious/faith journey that I lacked a quintessential part. For, in my faith system, there is one God who is referred to always in masculine terms (even though He is written as neither male nor female). There is worship of this one great male deity, and rites of passage: He is to be seen as the One above all else - He has no equal, and there were none before and will be none after Him. He created all, and is everywhere at once.
However, there is no feminine answer to this; no celebration of being a woman in my religion. We go about the drudgery of a monthly period with no deterrence from our daily lives; we do not celebrate when we join the sacred coven of womanhood, nor do we explore our femininity at all, to most extents. There has been a huge movement away from being proud of being a woman -- and this is where I found my unhappiness.
The Red Tent opened my eyes to the greatness and beauty of femininity. We are unique and separate from men, and those differences should be praised - not hindered.
In my religion, the man is the head of the household, with the woman subordinate. (Of course, this is a rather unpopular stance from a "modern" standpoint, however it is still the case, fundamentally - regardless of whether it is truly practiced or not).
The Red Tent explores this grand wholeness - that a man is not whole without a woman and a woman is not whole without a man - no, I said that wrong. We are whole, uniquely unto ourselves. But regarding a "head" of the house - a man alone does not a great leader make. Women are gifted with things men are not - and it is the two together, complementing each other and diversifying one another that makes such a union great and satisfying.
This realization makes me long for a Christian goddess, or a view on God from the feminine perspective (since, as it says in the Bible, God is not male or female). He embodies everything - and I know this goes back to things on a more historical level, that I cannot claim to know ANYTHING about....but I do wish little girls, teenage girls, women about to marry, women in the fruit of their lives - I wish we had more sacred things to hold dear. More rituals to uphold, more stories to tell, more pride to take from society in being the special being we are - a woman.
I could go on, but the weather outside is too nice.
