Your Menses and The Moon: The Connection
In regards to my last post, I called my menses my "moon" and stated that we our cycles are connected to the moon. A few women asked me "What is our connection to the moon?"
First off before I get into it, our period, cycle, menses, moon...whatever you want to call it is not this horrible evil thing, as the male dominated world would like for us to think. In some religions a woman is "unclean" when she is menstruating. UNCLEAN....can you believe that? She is sent a way and cannot be touched while she is bleeding. Back to the point now, our menses is EXTREMELY sacred. Your menstrual blood actually holds stem cells.....extremely powerful stuff! Some women have used their menstrual blood for healing purposes, meditative purposes (applying blood topically to different parts of the body), and to even create elixirs for love spells (yes, made into a drink and INGESTED). Your moon blood can be used as fertilizer for your plants, especially plants that bear fruit. Women have even fed their men the fruit of the tree(s) their menses fertilized as a special gift to them....literally sharing a piece of her inner most being. Back in the day it was quite normal for a woman to have intercourse with her male lover while on her menses, this act of sharing blood actually shares spiritual knowledge between partners (as does receiving sperm). Its literally sharing heavily encrypted DNA aka life source with someone. If you only knew how powerful the stuff you got is...you better wake up & use it!
About the connection. Years ago, before the over-taking of Christianity, all calendars used to be lunar calendars which consisted of 13 months, each having 28 days. A woman's menstrual cycle is directly connected to the moon cycle. Both are 28 days long. The moon aka Luna, as I like to call her, is the representative for FEMINE ENERGY (like the sun is masculine energy), the epitome of femininity. Our cycles correspond as such. Ovulation during the full moon. Premenstrual when the moon is waning. Bleed during the new moon. Pre-ovulation when the moon is waxing.
The new moon is literally for releasing and starting over, beginning new things and coming up with plans. During our moon time aka menstruation, especially should it fall on or around the new moon, we need to take that time to retreat and be by ourselves. It is a time for great and deep meditation. It is a very sacred time and it shouldn't be looked at as a curse. It is more of a time of regeneration and renewal.
The full moon is my favorite times, especially when I prepare for it. The full moon should coincide with our ovulation/fertile week. I always tell women that if you're ovulating and you are not trying to get pregnant then I would not suggest having intercourse during the full moon. The full moon represents conception, creation, and manifestation. I often like to celebrate the full moon. There are numerous ways to celebrate. You can have a womb circle with other women and dance and sing together. Experiencing direct full moon light exposure can help you get your cycle in sync with the lunar cycle. You can meditate, dance or even lay outside under the full moon . This can also be a very grounding activity especially if you are barefoot or even naked.
A moon circle I facilitated with my friends.
Personally, every time there is a full moon I wish I could just strip all of my clothes off and walk around outside, dance a bit (if there is a fire that would be best) and soak up Luna's glow, but that is quite impossible now. So my little ritual is to set my crystals outside to charge and practice yoga or dance to release some of that high full moon energy! My cycle happens to line up with Luna, ovulating near or on the full moon, so my spirit is usually high and anxious. I do feel a strong urge to be intimate and I often have to suppress it because I am usually not near my lover (woe is me right?). Therefore, I have to utilize other sources to outlet the pent up energy.
Side note about the full moon. Have you ever noticed that people get really crazy on the full moon? Personally I am very emotional and my sensitivity is extremely high. My empathy levels peak and I have to take extra measures safe-guarding my spirit. Luna controls the waters and the tides and it is no coincidence that she pulls on us humans as we are made up of 75% water. I know that each full moon pulls me in a particular way depending on what sign it is in.
Now, if you are a woman that ovulates during the full moon, you will have a higher chance of conception. If you are a woman that bleeds during the full moon, that does not mean that you won't ever be with child or it will be harder for you to conceive! If your cycle is opposite to the moon, that means that bleeding during the new moon "enhances inner expression, intuition, and development of [your] inner, spiritual life" (according to menstruation.com.au). If you do want to get your menstrual cycle back in sync with the lunar cycle, as stated above, I would recommend that you experience unfiltered, direct moon light.
Learn to become one with your body and your womb. Respect and love your moon time. When you accept the fact that your monthly bleeding is natural and above all SACRED/SPECIAL, you will be surprised at how it will begin to work with you and do what is natural!
I would also recommend reading this book if you are more interested. It has a lot of great information, insight, and tips for celebrating your woman hood.
As usual, you know I would love to hear from you. What is your knowledge about your moon cycle? How does your cycle line up with the lunar cycle?