Return of the Sacred Womb & Divine Femininity
It’s so imperative that all women understand the sacred feministic power of their womb. Today, In the western world, the menstrual cycle or what’s called the woman’s period is seen as such an inconvenience, source of monthly distress, and many women go through drastic measures just to escape the 5 to 7 days of bleeding. But did you know that in Ancient Egypt many women were celebrated when she had her period. When a woman was having her period, it was believed that she tapped in to deep spirituality, held the power of creation, and her wisdom and intuition was at an all time high. She was often supported to go within, listen to her inner voice, and her tribe would marvel at her feet for advice and guidance. The Native Americans had moon lodges for their menstruating women. These moon lodges served as a place for women to rest, gather, dream, and do introspective meditation. They too often had prophetic dreams about how to hunt and govern the tribe. The menstrual cycle was viewed as sacred.
The word menstruation comes from the Greek word, menus which translates to moon, power, and month. The moon cycle is exactly 29.5 days. Studies have shown that a woman’s bleeding cycle is often thought of to be connected to the cycles of the moon. Women often bleed on the new moon and ovulate on the full moon. Research has also shown that the moon rules the flow of fluids (ocean tides as well as body fluids) and affects the unconscious mind and dreams. Therefore; earthly, natural, and universal factors such as the moon, sunlight, and the ocean tides play a researched part in fertility, menstrual cycle, and going into labor. The moon does not have its own light. It reflects light from the sun, which gives it the illusion of producing its own light, but it is indeed a reflection from the sun. For this reason, it has been said that a woman can sleep with the light on and reset her menstrual cycle with the moon cycle.
Somewhere over 6,000 years ago the shift went to a patriarchal society (a social system in which men hold primary power and dominate roles of political, leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property). The idea of Goddess shifted and women were often viewed as unclean, impure, and often times forced to separate themselves from men when they were bleeding and were also viewed as not fit to have sex, prepare food, or enter churches. Now, more than ever is the time to understand our sacred femininity.
The menstrual cycle not only displays our flow of fluids but also of our divine connection to creativity, information, intuition, and the divine creator! We may receive and process information differently during different times of the menstrual cycle. That’s why suppressing blood flow could block creative intuition. From the onset of menstruation (Bleeding) until ovulation, the sacred feminine is ripening an egg and preparing to give birth to someone or metaphorically, something else such as new creative ideas and downloads from the divine source.
Day 1-7 (First Day of Bleeding /Menstruation Phase/Dark Moon)
On this first day of bleeding the energy can be felt like a death/rebirth phase. The old lining of the uterus is shed to make room for the new, healthy lining that will take its place in absence of pregnancy. This is a great time in the month for women to go within, clear emotional and physical wounds she may be carrying, and old patterns or behaviors that no-longer serve her. Accept all the emotions of irritability, sensitivity, or impatience that may come in. It’s your inner guidance communicating to you.
Day 8-14 (Pre-Ovulation Phase/Follicular Phase/Waxing Moon)
The woman will demonstrate new energy that comes in as enthusiastic, upbeat, and outgoing. Besides, it’s such a sigh of relief when the bleeding has stopped. New ideas are rolling in, new projects are being created and this phase of the menstrual cycle best illustrates how consciousness becomes matter and how her thoughts create reality. One follicle will become larger than the rest and release a mature egg.
Day 14/15 (Peak Ovulation/Full Moon)
This is the peak of feminine creativity and is the time where women have increased sexual energy, increased intuition and will exude her energy outwards to the world. Ovulation or midcycle, is when a woman gets a surge of LH (Luteinizing Hormone) and FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone). We are naturally more receptive of others and to new ideas or symbolically “fertile” during this phase. Sexual desire is highest and we secrete air pheromones that increase our sexual attractiveness to others. Verbal skills are heightened along with communication and collaboration. The mature egg is released, travels down the fallopian tubes towards the uterus. The lifespan of the egg is only about 24hours. Unless it meets fertilization(sperm) during this time, it will die.
Day 14-21 (Post Ovulation/Luteal Phase/Full Moon)
In this post ovulation phase women often go into a reflective time where she is evaluating her achievements for the month, which creations were achieved on the physical realm, and also deciding on what aspects of her life need to be adjusted or changed. She can be more task oriented, wrapping up projects and being productive. From ovulation to the onset of the next menstruation is considered the Luteal Phase. Luteal and “Lunar” (of or relating to the moon), both seem to be a time when women must depend on a flow of information that they cannot see, but feel in their gut or what we call intuition. Just like the lunar moon, under darkness is when unconscious downloads may come to us in our dreams and inner guidance. Besides, it’s said that the veil of the spirit world is thinnest during 2am-4am…moonlight hours. The world of the unseen and the seen, the conscious and the unconscious can be more easily assessed by a woman tapped in to herself. Women are most aligned with their inner knowing and with what isn’t working in their lives during this time.
Day 21-28 (Lining Preparing to Shed/Pre-Menstrual /Ongoing Luteal Phase/Waning Moon)
Energy seem to wane during this Phase. Very naturally, women are in-tuned emotionally with their lives during this time and are more apt to cry. However, we cannot toss up these emotions of just having PMS (Pre-menstrual Syndrome). If we continue to resist the information that come to us during this very connected time, like any other bodily symptom if ignored can rear its ugly head as PMS symptoms or other illnesses. If a woman becomes pregnant, the egg moves into the uterus and attaches to the lining. If she does not, the uterus prepares to shed through the vaginal opening and a new menstrual cycle begins.
So, what’s the point of knowing all this? Well, the current culture has conditioned women to suppress her natural cycle at the first sign of imbalance with synthetic hormones rather than educating on the divine sacredness of the menstruation cycle. Our four hormonal phases are the inner guidance to birthing life and so much more! The waxing and waning, ebb and flow, ups and downs of female hormones have natural and predictable fluctuations that affect energy, mood, and cognition. During different times of the month, we can tap into superpowers that can “birth” or “create” anything we want!
My dearest Divine Feminine, you are the divine creator! You are the moon, the seasons, the life force itself! The entire menstrual cycle is about birth, life, growth, and death. Our senses are heightened, we dream frequently and often prophetically, our energy can be focused inward or outward, we are intuitive, and we have a natural cyclic process of death and rebirth. We have to stop speaking disempowering words over our body during our menstrual cycle by not adopting the shame of moodiness, fatigue, cramping, or skin problems that come along with it. We cannot speak about our periods as a “curse” or with words of sarcasm. Learning to love your body daily and being in-tuned with your menstrual cycle is realizing how much of a sacred, charming, cyclic, and beautiful being the feminine energy and body is. By doing this, ALL humans (men and children) must do the same- It’s only the natural order!
Written by Janie Charlot, FNP-C, Family Nurse Practitioner