Crimson River Ceremony
Earth Daughters Festival 2025

The ‘Crimson River’ Ceremony brought together 700 women to walk in honor of the red thread, the interconnecting essence that unites all women- the Blood. This was a procession for healing the ancestral connection to the womb, the rose petalled path, the rights of passage of birth and death, and the deep connection to the heart of woman.

We opened this ceremony by singing ‘Lineage’ and calling a tone to the heart and the womb.
As we toned this sound, we imagined the resonance of all our voices opening the way together for this healing ceremony.

’I honor my lineage
lineage

As I dance on the spiral
through the passage of these rites
the wisdom of the cycle
the mother blood that gives me life

In the waking of her daughters
and the bearing of these bones
to the birthing waters
where I find myself reborn

I honor my lineage
lineage’

Hope Medford held the rhythm down for our 700 person crew to sing these songs, as we welcomed elder Uma Dinsmore-Tuli to guide us in a session of Rest as Radical Resistance. She invited us to lay with our backs against the earth as she sang to us about rest. About letting go,
about horizontal presence with is-ness. We did this together as the antidote for capitalism and the toll it takes on the bodies of women, who are cyclical relational beings by nature. After this great rest and reset, we were ready to rise and walk on rested feet on behalf of all women.

Then we welcomed the Awakened Ancestors to witness and bless this prayer, with beloved Mahadevi wearing my ancestral mask puppet,
created in honor of the remembered grandmothers of our line.
We sang Center of the Wheel to invoke their presence to behold the ritual space we were creating to support our bloodline to heal.

‘Standing at the center
of the center of the wheel
opening the crimson gates
to fates im here to heal
reweaving the threading
of the shedding of the blood
the stories of my mothers mother
daughters daughter
sisters sister
through red rivers
we are one’

Jasmine Rose came forward to introduce the Umbilicus she wove with the bleeding women during her retreat
and all the blood prayers woven and tied to it.

Women came to the fire to add their own ties to this weave, uniting our prayers to the umbilicus of gaia,
She offered it to the fire after the ceremony was complete.

Then we welcomed Blood Woman puppet created by Amy Sass,

while singing Awaken To Your Power (original song by Sheila Chandra)
as blood woman came forward to give an ancient blessing to us all.

’Where do I go to find
Images of woman woman made

Our wisdom cannot be lost
And our spirit cannot be broken

Awaken to your power’



As she walked the circle, we invoked the Blood Woman song.
(this song was composed 30 minutes prior after I saw the puppet and imagined how she would enter the ceremony)

‘Blood Woman’
Women of the moon remember
Your womb holds an ancient time
It’s a circle it’s a hoop it’s an ember
that burns with a sacred rhyme
Blood women
We walk with rested feet
We walk in reclamation
For the rhythms that breathe

After teaching this song, we invoked our rose priestesses hand out 700 roses to each of the women
a remembrance of the rose lineage and the phases and stages.

We sang Blood Woman in multiple parts, imprinting this into our Rose

Then introduced the Ruby Ray, danced by Sister Swan, the emanation of the essence of the great she that lives
as the Ruby radiance of the goddess,
who lives as a drop at the center

singing
’Ruby Light at the Root of my Tongue
opening songlines sung from the mother of the one’

Prior to this ceremony I had a dream about the Phoenix (puppet created by Toni Tone and Giant Puppets Save The World) coming to bless the Ancestral Mask Puppet, as a symbolic representation of transforming any of the taboo, self-critical energies connected to the womb-blood within our entire lineage. It was such a powerful dream to have, and guided this next part of the ceremony.

As we invoked Phoenix puppet along with our fan veilers from She Rose cast to come and bless our circle,
I taught this song, an original piece composed specifically for this Crimson River procession- composed a few days before the ceremony,
in 3 parts that layer with each other

‘From bud to blossom to bloom
I walk the rose hoop
Through gates of a womb illumined
Through rivers of crimson tides
Petals that guide our way back home

I am holy woman
I am healing bloodlines
I am holding visions
Of a lineage love reborn

Crimson River hold me’

We then walked in procession with all the puppets, and roses, umbilicus
the women of She Rose holding hoops and fans
to the meadow singing the song in 3 parts with Hope Medford holding the drum beat for us.

After singing for about 15-20 minutes, gathering as a great womb upon the earth,
I invited everyone to hold their rose up to gather the energies of Ruby Ray
to leave a petal on the path as a prayer and offering, and savor the energies available that were generated.

We sealed with signing Voice of my Womb
and processed back to the center fire to close.

We were able to document this experience from above, showcasing a 700 person living art installation of a crimson river, a ceremony to commune witht he great motherline, womb wisdom and sacred blood-rite remembrances. I decided to write it down and share with my teachers what transpired here with so much beauty, tears, and treasured healing. I am sharing here with you as a way to remember what a powerful moment this was, and as a way to template this as a tradition of multi-modal procession as ceremonial art installation for the community of womb wisdom keepers and carriers of the rose lineage.

Blessed be to all involved in co-weaving this miracle.

Photography and Video:
Anabel DeLaForet
Jade O’Wilde
Annika Faith
Eyecatchers Media
Femme Film Works

with contributions from Marya Stark, Amy Sass, Jasmine Rose, Hope Medford,
Giant Puppets Save The World, Sister Swan,
Damion Bond, Ishra Blanco, Maha Devi, Dahlia Moon, Schirin Chams-Diba,
Una Dinsmore-Tuli, Drew Temple, Kjelti Katherine, Rose Priestess Sisters

In collaboration with Amanda Stephenson and Earth Daughters Festival
Special thanks to Rhonda and Infinity at The Go Organic Sports Ranch

This event is held on the traditional and unceded territory of the Ktunaxa and Secwépemc peoples

Watch Reel Clip Below