The Secret Power Of Your Period Revealed
The menstrual cycle is about womens’ energy and power; the power to be, to restore, to receive & to create.
Throughout history different cultures attitudes towards menstruation and menstrual blood have varied. This has ranged from menstrual blood being viewed as sacred, healing and powerful, to being feared as dangerous and unclean.
For instance in the Bible it is written:
“And if a women has an issue, and her issue is her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever touches her shall be unclean until even….” [Levitious 15: 19-30].
This is the basis upon which the Jewish tradition deems women ritually unclean and impure whilst menstruating. Menstrual taboos from the Greco-Roman culture feared that menstrual blood soured wine, made crops wither, caused fruit to fall off trees, and dulled the edge of steel, and so forth ~ that’s some power!
Today, in Western society, much of the language and attitude surrounding menstruation is negative such as referring to menstruation as the “curse.”
Many women view their monthly bleeding as burdensome and inconvenient. That is until they want to become pregnant. Also our Western culture to a large degree suppresses and denies our fertility and femininity, and the menstrual cycle.
In ancient traditional tribal cultures a girl’s entry into womanhood as symbolized by her first period is celebrated and honored.
The Sacredness Of Menstruation In Traditional Tribal Cultures
#1 Sacredness of Menstruation in the Apache Indian Tribe
Apache Indian girls are sprinkled with pollen from the stamen of flowers, representing their blossoming fertility, and there is a four day long ceremony. This is somewhat different from the approach of being handed a pack of sanitary pads and being advised that the best form of contraception is to say “no”. This pretty much sums up the education we were both given as teenagers in the 1970’s / 80’s about menstruation and sexuality.
#2 Sacredness of Menstruation in the Dogon Tribe
The Dogon tribe in Africa have a special designated menstrual hut to go to. This is not because they are seen as unclean, but to give them the space to practice their special shamanic powers that are heightened during menstruation.
#3 Sacredness of Menstruation among Native American
The Native American Indian “moon lodge” had a similar purpose. Menstruation was considered a powerful time by the whole tribe for visioning and attaining guidance for the tribe. Hence, the Native American Indian saying, ” the fastest way to destroy a tribe is to first destroy the moon lodge.” Aboriginal women’s rituals around menarche and menstruation are based on fasting and developing their spiritual practices.
Sadly this ancient knowledge and understanding of the spiritual power and connection of the menstrual cycle has not been passed down through the generations to the modern woman.
Menstruation – A Time To Tap Into Feminine Power, Fertility & Creativity
This is truly a sacred time for a woman to tap into her feminine power, fertility, creativity and nurturing spirit. The menstrual cycle is about women’s energy and power; the power to be, to restore, to receive and to create.
We have found through our own personal experience that it’s important to take the time to honour the first 2 days of our bleeding [moontime]. It is by resting and allowing our awareness to be drawn inwards that enables the richness of deep connection to strengthen our intuition, inspiration, creativity, feminine wisdom, internal guidance and spiritual awakening.
The Importance Of Your Moon Time (Bleeding)
During your moon time your physical energy will be lower, but your intuition and sensitivity will be heightened. Therefore it is a time for quiet reflection, to tap into your inner needs and knowing. This is why menstruation is a gift. Tribal cultures recognized this and created the time and space for ritual and spiritual practice.
If you don’t do this you will drain the cellular energy reserves of your ovaries and adrenal glands. This will affect your fertility, hormonal balance, and ultimately how easy or difficult your transition through menopause is. Although symptoms such as PMS and period pain are associated with menstruation, they are not the same thing. Any menstrual distress you experience is your body showing you that things are out of balance.
7 Ways To Empower Yourself During Your Menstruation
Feel free to explore and play with the following suggestions as ways to honor YOU when you’re menstruating:
#1 Keep yourself warm, especially your abdomen, lower back and feet.
#2 Go to bed early, especially on the first day of bleeding.
#3 You may like to spend time journaling to express your feelings and record insights, inner messages and dreams.
#4 Spend time in nature and in meditation.
#5 Notice how you think and feel about your moonflow.
#6 Reflect and ask yourself if there is anything you need to let go of in your life in order to make space for the new?
#7 Make friends with your cycle ~ discover what you need, such as time out, a change of pace, and asking for support.
If you would like to discover or deepen the connection to your menstrual cycle then feel free to consider our women’s workshops and retreats in Australia and Bali. We love to create sacred and safe spaces for women to explore the power of their feminine cycle.
Our next Menstrual Wellbeing workshop will be held in Melbourne, Australia on 28th & 29th June. For further details, feel free to explore our website here.
Moontime blessings,
Katherine and Kate
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Art Credit: Renaissance Art
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Editor’s Note: If you want to learn an ancient secret to holistically cleanse, heal & tighten your vagina, check out this recipe.
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Fascinating!!! Love this article ❤️
Would love advice from more experienced women in this situation. I am 21 and have had my period since I was 9 but just now am I starting to love my femininity, accept this as a gift, and try to understand what makes me woman. I have extremely painful periods, I’ve tried pills, meditation, sleep…I can’t help but resent the pain. My issue is, I want to take time out for myself but I work a very high paced active job that I can’t afford to take time away from..one pay check away from homeless kind of situation. I’d love some advice from you ladies on how to moderate between all of this. 🙂 Thank you…answer soon please…ha-ha hurting pretty badly! But wanna love it!
Hi Amy, it sounds like you have some challenges being able to completely take time out during your bleeding time. Some things that could help are remembering that you don’t have to give 100% all of the time! At this time-you can scale it way back- and trust that that is enough. This is also not the time to be giving too much of yourself emotionally to others, lean in to them when you can and feel safe to. You can also try and keep the week clear of other demands- can they be postponed to the following week? This is when you start to get your energy back and is a much better time for more demanding tasks. Things like, keeping your workouts light, eating food that you prepared the previous week and getting enough rest and sleep and even meditation on your lunch breaks if you can will all help. Also-check out Miranda Gray and ‘The Optimised Woman’-it’s fantastic!
1. Focus on gratitude and release the fear. Give love to your body and nurture her from within your heart and mind. Realize that it is feedback
Of imbalance and take micro moments to embrace and love your feminity.
2. Use a heating pad
3. Supplements like evening primrose oil. I rec Estera 1 by Pharmanex
4. Stay away from cold. Drink room temp or warmer liquids, cover your feet, stay away from cold wind/AC
5. Think back to your first thoughts, impressions, imprints of being a female, of menstration, of your sexual organs. What beliefs were created at a young age? What messages were told to you? Ask and journal what comes to you
Blessings
That is all well and good but when your menstrual cycle just brings you physical pain and discomfort and cramps and back pain none of this matters, at least not to me.
I don’t feel empowered, reflective. I feel tired and drained and in pain.
What I need is for them to stop.
Just sayin, Diane
Hi Diane! Trust me, I understand you. My periods have been so painful, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so painful that I just had to stop everything I was doing and go to my bed and suffer. The only thing on my mind was how to make this stop! I tried pills, teas, everything. Nothing worked. Then I started changing the way I relate to my period. I began calling it my moon, because that’s what it is, my connection to the moon. Period? I don’t get it. Maybe period because it stops something… but no. I don’t want to stop anything, nor block it, but allow it, understand it, cherish it, honor it and enjoy it! I started respecting my moon time and feeling my womb the days prior, talking to my womb, giving her support and love, caressing my stomach, burning incense, drinking delicious teas, listening to mantras and beautiful music, lighting candles, eating light, reading about the moon, opening myself to the wisdom of this so important time. The pain didn’t stop, yet, but I began relating differently to my moon, making it a space/time for reflection and introspection. Then I started using a moon cup and collecting my blood. Instead of throwing it in the garbage, I put it on the earth. In the garden, park, tree, ocean. I gave it to Pachamama, she knows best what to do with it. Slowly, I changed. Completely, Diane, completely. My intense pain transformed in an intense confidence and an intense intuition. An intense feeling of beauty, balance, connection. I learned that the pain my womb was suffering was nothing but a wake up call. It was scream for my attention, not to quite it, but to listen and make a U turn at the relationship I had with my womb. Now, she teaches me, a lot, about myself, my relation to life, and I feel so powerful. I’m so happy I can share this with you today, as I see me in you, feeling that pain and that frustration. But, trust me, it’s just a call to go deeper into your power. Blessings Diane, may you enjoy the wonderful power you have!
This is so great!!
menstrual blood was considered in some cultures to have magical powers, and considered by some ancients to have inferred great powers upon those who drank it…ie.. directly from the yoni. since it represents the lining of the womb, it has great power, and is actually alive and filled with nutrients. yes, most women and men are grossed out, but then what do we know of ancient blood rituals?? the male blood brother ritual was based pun women menstruating together in early hominid times…
Exceptional article, our cycles are indeed a sacred time! Thank you for sharing these words of wisdom. 🙂