Red Tent/Mardi Gras, March 8, 2011

Last night was very special gathering of Red Tent Temple Hamilton:

**  It was the first anniversary of our group

**  It was the first meeting in my new place

**  It coincided with 100th anniversary of International Woman's Day

**  And it happened on Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras

So naturally, we went with the Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras theme!!  The tables were decorated in the traditional colours of purple, gold and green, not to mention some masks, and there were plenty of Mardi Gras beads to add to our already sparkling bling bling!!  In attendance, we had Natasha, Yvette, Brandi, Shelly and myself.  We deeply missed Darlene, Lisa, Samantha and Suzanne, and look forward to having them, and others, join us next month!

And can we say pancakes?  Oh yes!!  Yvette commandered my kitchen and expertly flipped us pancake after pancake while we piled our plates high.  On the buffet table we had a multitude of toppings - from the usual bacon, sausages and maple syrup  (the real stuff, thank you!), to the more exotic and adventurous toppings that included sour cream, chopped eggs and green onions combination, apple sauce, yogurts, luscious berries, peaches and whipped cream!  Oh, and let us not forget that some pancakes were actually studded with chocolate chips!!  And as strange as some of these toppings sounded, all found their taste buds expanded.  

As always, we had a well-stocked tea station and a delicious punch as well.

At one point, as I passed by Natasha, I heard her murmur, "Oh, this is pure bliss!"

Of course, before we all dug into these yummies, Natasha, who organized this evening, educated us with a presentation on the origins of Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, and Lent.  We all had questions and  this generated a lively discussion.  She also had researched, printed out and presented us with many and various blessings which fed our souls as much as the pancakes fed our bodies.  

Thank you to all the ladies who made it out, and in particular, I would like to thank Natasha for organizing the evening, Yvette for keeping our plates heaped with pancakes, and Brandi for being our wonderful gopher.

And during the evening, a very important question was asked for us all to ponder, and I will close this report with this question:

We all walk many different spiritual paths - how does that path and your faith strengthen your own Sacred Feminine and make you a better woman?

Until next month...