The Inner Seasons of your Menstrual Cycle
March 22, 2022
There is MAGIC in your menstrual cycle.
Yep, there absolutely is.
For the past 14 years, I've spent a large part of my life talking to women about their wombs. From pre-conception and fertility, to pregnancy, birth, postpartum and beyond.
One of the first things I like to ask a woman, is what her menarche (first bleed) experience was like.
Why? You ask.
Because this important rite of passage often sets the tone for a woman's relationship with her menstrual cycle, and how she feels about her body, and her 'value' as a woman.
So how was YOUR experience at your menarche? This is great question to do some self-reflection/journalling on.
A LOT of women have very vague memories of their first bleed, and often these memories are tied up with feelings of embarrassment, shame, confusion or fear.
Becoming a woman isn't something that's celebrated in the full spendour that it deserves to be. Our Western culture could really learn a lot from traditional cultures that revere and celebrate a girl's transition into womanhood.
How a culture honours this important life event is also a direct reflection on how they value women.
Our inner seasons are constantly shifting, just like the external seasons.
Women are cyclical beings! We aren't linear, contrary to what the Patriarchal Society wants us to believe.
Just like the Moon waxes and wanes each month, the tide ebbs and flows, and each Season comes and goes, we too have our own inner seasons and cycles.
Women hold a depth of emotional wisdom within their bodies, and this is culminated in our wombs, in our monthly blood.
For many women (maybe even you), talking about Menstruation is deeply uncomfortable.
Why is that?
Often it connects back to that first Menarche experience, but also, it's the way it is portrayed to us.
Just think about it, how often is Mensturation spoken about?
How often do we see anything about Menstruation in movies, shows or ads?
For such a HUGE part of our identity as women, it's something that many of us feel we need to hide away, that's dirty, that we don't talk about, or even pretend doesn't happen each month.
What message does this send us about our value as women in the world?
A woman who heals herself,
heals her Mother,
heals her Daughter,
and heals every woman around her.
Why connect to your inner seasons?
Women are the ultimate creatrixes!
We give birth to human life.
Our bodies are PHENOMENAL and deserve to be freaking celebrated!
When we connect (or re-connect) with the wisdom of our cycles, we begin to take back our power, and learn to flow with our changing energy levels, moods, needs and desires, instead of pushing against the signs and messages our bodies are telling us.
What are the Inner Seasons?
The knowledge of the Menstrual Cycle's inner seasons is Ancient Feminine Wisdom.
Remembering that every woman's cycle is unique, some shorter, some longer, so this is a guide that you can adapt for your individual cycle.
NB: The Archetype correlates to the seasons of life that we move through as women, from Maiden, to Mother, Maga and then Crone.
Each of these Archetypes is reflected in the inner seasons of our menstrual cycle.
Week 1: Around days 1-7 of your menstrual cycle, when you’re bleeding.
- Season: Inner Winter
- Archetype: The Crone/Wise Woman
A time of inner reflection, going within and retreating from the world.
During her bleed, a woman is thought to be more powerful and have deeper access to her own wisdom (Crone/Wise Woman Archetype).
Energy and hormones are at the lowest point in the cycle.
A great time for: rest, taking a bath, early nights, reading, being in nature, nurturing practices.
Week 2: Around day 8-14, when you’re in the pre-ovulation phase.
- Season: Inner Spring
- Archetype: Maiden
A time of re-emerging after hibernation. Re-birthed, renewed, fresh and productive.
Hormones and energy levels are rising.
A great time for: focusing on projects, reading and researching, learning, and performing physical tasks.
Week 3: Around day 15-21 during your ovulation phase.
- Season: Inner Summer
- Archetype: Mother
A time where your energy is more expressive and outward. Feeling more social, heightened pleasure (and fertility).
A great time for: community building, nurturing relationships, socialising, cooking, or being of service to others.
Week 4: Around day 22-29 during your luteal phase.
- Season: Inner Autumn
- Archetype: Maga/Priestess
The time where things again begin to wind down, heading back towards the Winter phase. Feeling more irritated, wanting to go more within.
Energy and hormones beginning to drop.
A great time for: nurturing your creative insights, writing, drawing, come up with ideas for your business, and asserting yourself.
Women are the archetypal anchors for the power of the Feminine, and when we reclaim our feminine power - by restoring our ways and practices - we integrate the power of the Feminine into our lives and back onto the planet. - Alexandra Pope, Wild Power
How to Honour your Menstrual Cycle
Now if you're still reading, there's a good chance you're wanting to re-connect with your Menstrual Cycle and her inner seasons.
AH-MAAAAAZING!!!
So how can you begin to honour your cycle?
- Begin by tracking your cycle throughout the month. Observing different signs and messages your body gives you.
- Connect in with your energy levels daily. As yourself, How am I feeling? What does my body need today?
- Get comfortable with saying no! Yep, this is a HUGE one. But trust me, once you get used to it, it feels so good to honour your body's desires, not what you think you "should" be doing.
- Plan your diary around your cycle. This way you can harness your creativity and energy when it's high, and take the rest and retreat you need when it's low.
- Begin to be open and honest around your cycle. Share it with your partner, or your children. Normalise that women menstruate and it's not something to be ashamed of!
- Create ritual around your 'moon' time. Maybe it's dedicated practices you do each month like taking a bath, or curling up in bed early with a good book, or doing a beautiful Yoga Nidra practice.
- Journal how you're feeling throughout your cycle. You might be amazed and some of the deep wisdom that comes through during your Winter/Wise Woman season.
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With deep reverence we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we live, the Wodi Wodi people of the Dharawal Nation. We also give great thanks to our ancestors, guides, and teachers, and to all of the powerful women who have come before us, and are yet to come. Deep gratitude.
Are you ready to reconnect with your body, awaken your innate wisdom, and deepen your connection to the wisdom of the cycles? Join our sacred circle here!
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