THE PERIOD CYCLE: 5 REASONS WHY THE TIME OF YOUR MOON IS SACRED AND POWERFUL
THESE DAYS, MOST WOMEN ARE “INCONVENIENTLY,” ANNOYED, OR INDIFFERENT TO THEIR PERIOD CYCLES. IF YOU ARE A WOMAN, TAKE A MOMENT TO THINK ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS TOWARDS YOUR MENSTRUATION. HOW ARE YOU FEELING (OR NOT FEELING)?
The period cycle is, on average, 28 days and involves shedding of the uterine lining once a month through the vagina. On average, menstruation lasts between 3 and 7 days, and at this time it is common to experience many side effects. These side effects may include, for example, mood swings, fatigue, cramps, and skin problems such as acne. We were all taught this, right? And yet, this purely biological description was probably the ONLY thing you were taught about the period cycle and its meaning. In this article I want to raise awareness about the myths that have been used for so long about our periods, and I want to show you how beautiful and powerful your Moon Time really is.
MY EXPERIENCEFirst I want to share with you my own experience. When I remember my own menarche (the first time I experienced my period), I remember that no one had explained anything to me. I was just 13 years old and that day my favorite teacher had died in a car accident. I was sad and in shock. When I got home I started bleeding for the first time.
My mother gave me a compress and told me that I couldn’t do this and that during menstruation, that it was a nuisance and little more. In high school, there were shy whispers from other students who were going through their menstruation. But no one talked much about it. As I grew older and became sexually active, I had to investigate what I could do since my mother did not explain anything to me about the subject. It was a time when the pill was not prescribed. I had to go to a family planning center back in the ’77s. After being on the pill for three years, I stopped because I had emotional and creative numbness, monthly (or mole) depression, and other side effects. Coming off the pill showed me how out of touch I was with my body and my period cycle. For many months after stopping the pill, my body was in shock. As my body began to rely on synthesized hormones, my body forgot how to make and regulate its own. So I had trouble getting a regular or healthy period for several months. I also discovered problems and dysfunctions in my body that the pill had suppressed or exacerbated, such as adrenal fatigue, and vitamin deficiency. But interestingly, the same month I went off the pill (and switched to an alternative birth control method), I felt much better. While I respect what the pill has done for women around the world, I can’t help but wonder what it’s teaching us about our periods. Now I have been going through menopause for years, an experience of integrating all my internal archetypes, and this stage has also taught me a lot about myself and who I am today.
THE DENIGRATION OF FEMALE MENSTRUATION IN EVERYDAY LIFE
How many times have you heard the women around you refer to their periods as a “curse,” or even talk about their periods sarcastically (“it’s that time of the month again”)?
However, before we started perceiving our monthly periods as annoying, creepy, and gross, we honored them and even planned our lives around them.
Can you believe that in ancient cultures the period cycle was deeply respected and revered? Although we do our best these days to ignore and control our cycles, our ancestors really celebrated it and let it flow naturally. The most famous example can be found among the Native American tribes who reserved Tent Moon for their menstruating women. These lunar Lodges were places for women to gather, rest, introspect and dream. At this time of the month when women were most sensitive, they often had prophetic dreams about hunting and ruling the tribe. Some say that, according to a Native American tradition, the quickest way to destroy a village was to simply destroy its Moon Lodges, the place where women gathered. And others say that, according to the Cherokee, menstrual blood was considered a source of feminine strength that could destroy enemies. These days, in some modern cultures such as Ghana, the Ivory Coast and the South Pacific, the period cycle is respected, even celebrated. However, most of the time, menstruation seems to be denigrated. If not look at your own education. You’ve probably been taught that your period is socially unacceptable as a topic of conversation, or even disgusting and embarrassing. In fact, if you were raised in a very religious culture, you were taught that your period makes you something of a lunatic. In fact, if you were raised in any of the world’s major religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc.) you were probably taught directly or indirectly that menstruation makes you impure or dirty. And throughout history, women in their periods have been pathologized and medicalized (the Victorian era), and were actually considered cursed (ancient Romans, medieval Europe). Unfortunately, these degrading beliefs have subtly seeped into our current cultural attitudes toward the female period.
WHY IS THE PERIOD CYCLE SACRED AND POWERFUL?
There is much more to the period cycle than we have been taught. Our period cycles are physical, but they are also emotional, mental, and spiritual. In other words, menstruation is not just about bleeding, cramps and PMS. In reality, menstrual symptoms are actually messages in disguise telling you to slow down and respect your body. In fact, every month, our periods reveal to us how many physical and emotional toxins we have accumulated, and we are shown the state of our inner self in complete rawness. For many women, this type of honesty is very painful and discouraging to face. But that’s only because we haven’t been taught how to listen and live in sync with our cycles. So why is the period cycle not only sacred but also powerful?
1 Our senses are intensified. This includes our sense of taste, smell, sight, touch and hearing. As a result, this makes us more aware.
2 We dream more frequently. During our Lunar Time, we are much more likely to experience lucid and prophetic dreams.
3 Our energy is focused inward. This makes us less emotionally available to other people, and more focused on the lessons we need to learn about our lives.
4 We are more intuitive. Our greater sensitivity at the time of menstruation makes us more receptive and open to life.
5 We are in the process of death and rebirth. In other words, this time of the month is the perfect opportunity to “let go” of old patterns, habits, and thoughts that no longer serve us. This is expressed physically through the release of blood from our uterus. Many women wonder why they are moody and irritable this time of the month. Often the result of this moodiness is getting into fights with friends or spouses. When we look at these common symptoms, we see that women simply want to be left alone. And what better way than to fight and repel others? This is because they are not only lacking physical energy (due to blood loss and fatigue), but they are being called upon to take time for themselves.
This is a deep biological call. But the problem is, how can we take time for ourselves? Very few of us have the ability to go on retreat during our periods. Most of us have full-time jobs, children, and other demanding tasks to attend to. So what can we do to honor our Moon?
HOW TO HONOR YOUR MOON TIME ?
The first step in honoring your lunar time is to understand that it is a cycle.
And this cycle can be divided into four stages:
Menstruation – Winter – The Witch – Days 1-7
Pre-ovulation – Spring – The Maiden – Days 7-14
Ovulation – Summer – The mother – Days 14-21
Before menstruation – Autumn – The Old Woman – Days 21-28
As we can see, each week corresponds to a different season and a feminine stage. Therefore, each week has its own energy to connect with. Learning to love your body during menstruation is about realizing that, as a woman, you are a cyclical being. This is one of the most charming and beautiful things about being a woman: your body, your mind, and your emotions constantly ebb and flow. You are like the moon, the seasons, the force of life itself. In fact, the entire menstrual cycle is about birth, life, growth and decay. This makes your menstrual cycle sacred, as you are the embodiment of life and death. Each month you have the opportunity to live according to the patterns of this constant fluctuation of energy within you. Here are some ways you can learn to honor your lunar time. Recognize how you feel: right now you feel sensitive, calm, and internally focused. Any problems that have been suppressed or put on hold during the month are revealing themselves through your physical and mental state. You are in the process of letting old things die, both physically and mentally. You are in the stage of rest and renewal. You don’t want to be bothered. Key phrases: “I feel calm,” “Please don’t bother me.” After bleeding: “I feel soft and sensitive,” “I am immediately entering the world.” What can you do?
Explore what you have been holding on to and what you can let go of during this stage.
Take time alone every day
Meditate and dedicate time to soul work
Record your thoughts or dreams
Let your friends or family know that you will be taking some time for yourself.
Prepare a big meal to feed your family before you start your period so you don’t have to cook.
Sleep more hours or take a nap during the day.
Slow down in preparation for your body.
Allow yourself to be quiet when interacting with others. (Let them do most of the work)
Find ways to relax, such as a bath or yoga
Stay at home if you go out normally
Read and contemplate
Request messages in your dreams before going to sleep (if you need guidance)
Draw, paint or read
Honor your blood by recycling it into the earth (diluting it with water, many women have a special plant that they water so it grows strong)
Create your own Moon tent or you can dedicate yourself to stillness
Find ways to naturally relieve and calm any symptoms you have and explore the root cause of them
Do gentle exercises like walking in nature
Take care of yourself and respect this period of symbolic and literal death in the way that is most natural and loving for you.
Design your own Moon ritual……it depends completely on you and your personal needs. However, the most important point is to give yourself the space to slow down, shut up, and treat yourself tenderly.
Nature has blessed us women with the ability to live according to a sacred cycle. This sacred cycle helps us honor our energetic, sexual, emotional, and spiritual needs each month. While menstruation has become “taboo” and ugly, it is actually a great blessing. It gives us the opportunity to reconnect with ourselves and also to examine what we should leave in our lives.
Let’s not blame our mothers or societies for teaching us to run away from our bodies and hate our periods; They only acted out of ignorance. My hope is that we can come together once again as women, to reclaim this ancient wisdom within us so that we can guide the next generations with respect for this sacred cycle within.
Rosa Puerto
