Tanishka, widely recognized as “The Moon Woman” on Facebook, is an influential author, speaker, and teacher of ancient wisdom traditions with over two decades of experience. With a following of half a million, she passionately promotes social sustainability by helping people align with natural cycles. A leader in the global Red Tent movement, Tanishka has empowered women in 44 countries to create supportive communities. Her work, including six books and various online courses, focuses on the sacred feminine, offering insights that resonate worldwide. MysticMag has the pleasure of chatting with The Moon Woman.
Tanishka, your journey as the ‘Moon Woman’ has inspired many. What initially drew you to ancient wisdom traditions, and how did that evolve into your work aligning people with natural cycles?
It wasn’t that I specifically set out to seek ancient wisdom. Like many, my journey was born out of personal frustration and pain. I reached a breaking point where I literally found myself on my knees, pleading with the universe to send me some role models. My request was not eloquent, but the passion and sincerity with which I cried out to the benevolent multiverse was met…like the saying, “Ask and you will receive.”
Within two weeks, I found myself living off-grid in the mountains, where I met a woman who introduced me to the ancient wisdom traditions of the feminine. It was like finding a drink of water after enduring a long drought. I was so deeply moved that I devoted my life to passing on that wisdom…filling the Grail cup in others searching for the lost wisdom of the mystic feminine.
My experience illustrates our darkest moments can give birth to light. Just as a woman in labor or a wild animal seeks out a dark, private place, we too must go within and face ourselves with brutal honesty—our wounds, insecurities, and fears. It’s in that darkness that the light within us is ignited.
Yet, we’re often conditioned to fear the dark, to run from it. But I’ve learned that we must move toward it, for it’s there that we find our true illumination.
You’ve trained women in 44 countries to facilitate Red Tent women’s circles. Can you share the impact you’ve seen these circles have on communities and why you believe this movement is so vital today?
I’ve witnessed remarkable transformations in women, sometimes even within just a week during the retreats I’ve run. The changes have been so profound that we started taking before and after photos. In the BEFORE images you can visibly see the tension in their faces—tension that ages us when we hold onto our social masks while everything beneath them is falling apart.
When we are given a safe space to relax the social mask, we can feel into the discomfort that lies beneath, the unexpressed emotions the body holds. All the pain and inflammation in the body, particularly in the joints, is often unexpressed emotion. What we need more than ever are safe spaces where, like a basket, we are held so we can unravel—rather than becoming a basket case in our daily lives.
Through attending regular sharing circles, I’ve seen both men and women make more self-honoring choices. When they have a supportive foundation, a nest from which to venture into the world, they can build the visions that come to them in their dreams or in moments of quiet reflection. Circles also provide validation for our inner terrain, which is so crucial. We live in a world that is heavily rational, ego-driven, and with the rise of technology, increasingly de-humanizing. The constant invalidation of our soul – our inner self traumatizes us.
In the ancient practice of sitting and sharing our inner most thoughts and feelings in the inclusive construct of a circle, we get a potent dose of connection—not just a social space where the dominant ego takes up all the airtime, but a place where everyone is equally heard, seen, and validated. When you hear yourself speak in a circle, you can’t ignore what’s coming out. You become aware of the impact of your choices, and that awareness promotes personal accountability.
This leads to empowerment and transformation in every aspect of our lives. Simply by showing up and participating in the practice of monthly sharing circles I’ve seen both men and women leave relationships and jobs that no longer honour them, relocate, take action for their health, and increase their self-care practices. The circle provides a space to truly face ourselves, and every person in it becomes a mirror, reflecting our truth back to us.
In your teachings, you often emphasize the sacred feminine and its connection to the Holy Grail. How do you see this perspective influencing both individual spiritual journeys and broader societal change?
The Grail is the distillation of the wisdom found within the cycles of life. Women, in particular, undergo 13 psycho-emotional descents each year, especially during their fertile years, catalysed by menstruation. Every month, women are humbled by this process, which forces the ego to break down. The social masks we wear start to crumble—tears, fatigue, and vulnerability become impossible to ignore. It’s no wonder, considering that 80% of our body’s energy goes into menstruation. When we’re low on energy we feel acutely vulnerable, like a sick child who becomes extra clingy and teary. This cyclic vulnerability requires acknowledgment and a practice to support us to journey it consciously as a practice for healing and empowerment.
The Grail wasn’t just a practice for women in the moon lodge or the red tent, where they could consciously journey through their shadow selves in a supportive space. It also recognized that men have cycles too, although different from women’s monthly lunar cycle. Men’s cycles are attuned to the solar wheel, with mid-Winter being the time when they are most at risk of injury, illness, depression, and even suicide—when the solar light is at its lowest ebb. The Grail tradition provided practices to support men during this time, with women often midwifing men through their annual ego death and soul rebirth.
Today, there’s a lot of talk about sustainability, but often we overlook the importance of personal sustainability and creating sustainable relationships. The Grail offers this crucial missing piece, a gift of the mystic feminine that was oppressed by empires, like Rome as when people are empowered, they become resistant to manipulation and control by top-down hierarchical power. The Grail is about building communities from the ground up through coming together to midwife each other’s growth. It’s timely the Grail now returns as we outgrow and transcend the old structures that no longer serve us as a collective consciousness.
Your ‘28 Day Happy Challenge’ was a not-for-profit project supporting women recovering from human trafficking. What inspired you to create this project, and how has it impacted the lives of the women it was designed to help?
A dear friend of mine, Atira Tan, created the Art for Healing project, which was born out of a deeply moving experience she had while traveling through Cambodia. She witnessed a mother selling her daughter on the street—a girl likely no older than ten years of age. Faced with this heartbreaking scene, Atira realized she had two choices: she could turn away and continue with her travel plans, or she could respond to the profound call to action that this moment presented. She chose the latter and went on to create an extraordinary not-for-profit project.
Through the Art for Healing project, Atira used sacred women’s traditions—such as sharing circles, sacred ceremonies, art therapy, and yoga—to rehabilitate children and women who had been abducted and sold into human slavery. The results were incredible; one woman even went on to serve as a member of parliament, and many others transformed their lives, becoming leaders within their communities.
I was so inspired by Atira’s work that I wanted to support her in any way I could. Though I didn’t have the funds to make a financial contribution, I asked myself what I could offer. That’s when the idea of creating a book came to me. Initially, we launched the project as a Facebook event, where, for 28 days, I provided a daily happiness challenge. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and this success led me to turn the project into a book. Since then, it has continued to raise funds, with all proceeds donated to support Atira’s incredible work.
As an author of six books and a creator of various online programs, what do you find most rewarding about sharing your knowledge in these formats, and how do you see your work evolving in the future?
It has been incredibly rewarding to sit in virtual circles with men and women of all ages and cultures from around the world in my online programs. During the lockdowns, these circles provided a continuous thread of much-needed support. I’ve witnessed incredible shifts in these virtual gatherings, demonstrating that whether we meet online or in person, the circle’s power remains undiminished.
However, my programs are now undergoing a renaissance. They are available now on demand with remote mentoring, as I’ve been called in a new direction, thanks to menopause. I can no longer spend as much time online as I once did; as our sensitivity increases. So while my extensive library of resources remains available, my passion now lies in working with people in person. I believe there is a unique transmission that occurs in person, something that can’t quite be replicated through a screen.
We are at a crossroads where we all have the free will to choose whether we align with artificial intelligence or natural intelligence. I choose to align with Gaia and her consciousness, understanding that we are each fractals of that Gaia consciousness. I’m excited about a new collaborative project I’m envisioning where people can experience initiation into the ancient traditions of the Mystic Feminine via a multi-disciplinary interactive mystical arts event that combines elements of an immersive retreat with a festival or circus – a curated experience in a unified field under the one big top tent. I am in discussion with potential collaborators and keen to connect with potential sponsors.
In the meantime, all the resources I’ve developed over the past 27 years including videos, articles, interviews, books, meditations, online programs and training courses to facilitate sharing circles for men and women are available on my website.
To find out more about Tanishka, visit https://themoonwoman.com/
