Rebirth and Renewal
Coventina launched under the name ‘Moon Lodge’ just as the global pandemic hit in March 2020. What a time to introduce a platform meant to bring women together to the world…
Life has been a rollercoaster since then, as life often is. Managing a full-time job, buying a house, the trials and tribulations of an American expat navigating the volatile visa system in the UK, planning a wedding, completing Red School’s Menstruality Leadership Programme, illness and burnout, the death of a parent, deep grief, completing a Master’s in Contemporary Menstrual Studies, and becoming a UK citizen (finally) all “got in the way” and were excuses not to bring my vision of a platform to search for and share women’s circles to life.
But here I am now, 100% dedicated to birthing Coventina into this world. As I mentioned, I decided to change the name somewhere along the way. Moon Lodge is a name belonging to the Native American tradition, one that I have no ancestral claim to. Popular in the pre-modern world, Moon Lodges, were private spaces for women and girls to gather away from men around the time of the new moon to rest and connect with each other. The Moon Lodge was, and is once again, an important centre for female culture and community, enhancing women’s agency both personally and collectively. Although this name more accurately represents what I am aiming to promote, I recognised the need to rename the platform as not to appropriate the idea of the Moon Lodge culturally. My ancestry is based in Britain and Northern Europe and while I didn’t find a Celtic equivalent of the Moon Lodge, while reading Sharon Blackie’s If Women Rose Rooted, I was drawn to the name of a Romano-British goddess of the land who has a wellspring shrine dedicated to her in the north of England. Through her etymology, we can know Coventina as a goddess of meeting, place and space, of trade and sharing of ideas. Combining this with her connection to heads and waters, she is a goddess who grants us sacred memories and wisdom, who enables connection with others and ourselves. [Source]
Women’s circles and the unwavering support of the women in my life have been the foundation of my personal development and healing journey. I’m a service designer by trade and problem solver by nature so I knew I had to create something that promotes awareness of women’s gatherings and makes them more accessible and easy to find. On this journey, I have met many wise and passionate women who host events, facilitate gatherings, and mentor other women to step into their power. Their knowledge deserves to be spread and shared with as many women as possible – something I hope this platform can do for them too. There are not enough spaces for women to just be themselves without societal pressure and expectations. Women deserve to have safe spaces to gather. I’m creating Coventina so we can find them.
