The moon and menstruating - how they are linked!
The moon and menstruating as a woman. Do these align? Should they align?
As we dive deeper into the phases of being a woman and the alignment to oneself - we look at how we connect within to bring in more self-awareness.
The more we identify with ourselves and our womanhood, the more we can explain and identify the changes and phases of our lives.
As we know, the moon creates tides on Earth, which means our own tide as well. The women who know their relationship between the moon and their menstrual cycle will seek to align it with the moon.
About the moon and menstruating
The film “The Moon Inside You”, explains at great length the detail of women and menstruation with the moon. This explains that around 25% of women menstruate at any one time. If we do the math, we can work out that around 500 million women bleed at any one time. This means the women’s blood flows around the month - not just at the dark of the moon (which is in our physiological blueprint).
As we know, the moon creates tides on Earth, which means our own tide as well. The women who know their relationship between the moon and their menstrual cycle, will seek to align it with the moon.
By embracing the moon, you will embrace your wellness and menstruation.
‘The health of your menstrual cycle depends on your ability to relax.’ Yogi Bhajan (Kundalini Yoga Guru).
The moon cycles - white and red
The White Moon cycle is when a woman ovulates at the full moon and bleeds at the dark (new) moon. According to the author of “Red Moon'' and “The Optimised Woman”, Miranda Gray says that when the fertile power of a woman and the full moon link together, it allows her to express herself creatively with the energy needed for conception. This is known as the “White Moon cycle”.
If a woman ovulates at the dark moon and bleeds at the full moon, this is known as the “Red Moon cycle”. This cycle shows the energy away from procreation and the material world and heads towards the inner development.
To summarise, the “White Moon cycle” was known for the ‘good mother’ in a patriarchal society and the “Red Moon cycle” was known to be ‘evil’ as women were more ‘seductive’.
However, both of these cycles express the feminine energy and they are both powerful in their own right. It can also happen that women shift between the White and Red Moon cycle.
Reclaiming the mystery of bleeding
When the introduction of medication like “The Pill'' came in, it was aimed to make women feel the same all the time. Now, we see more health complications come from taking hormonal controlled pills, which means it is time to take back the power of our birthrite and learn more about our body to reclaim our bleeding and own it for its beauty.
The power of a menstrual cycle is, each time, a woman is provided with a chance to understand the message from her body. It is a time to heal what needs to be healed. It creates a chance to grow spiritually and develop personally.
What a woman needs to do is, connect with the potential provided by her cycle and be with what is happening - every single time.
The symptoms experienced by menstruation is often a sign that a woman is not connected with her cycle and is ignoring other areas of her health. This could include an emotional or physical need/imbalance.
These symptoms are a message from the body about the toxins that we put into our body from the food we eat to the amount of stress we put ourselves under.
What you need to know about the moon and your menstruation
The cycle of a woman and the lunar cycle (the phases of the moon) are the same cycle.
In the days before electricity, women would ovulate during the full moon and would bleed when the moon was new (and dark). Our brain (specifically the pineal gland) sends a message to our ovaries, through hormones, to release the egg based on the amount of light our brain will sense at nighttime.
So when a woman ovulates during the full moon, it means she will bleed during the dark moon, which means the average menstrual cycle is the same as the 28/29 day cycle of the lunation cycle.
During modern life, and with more artificial light, this has changed the impacts the moon has on the brain, the hormonal messages and menstruation. Now, some women may be bleeding together, but a lot of the time it is not in sync with the moon cycle. There are also many women who do not connect with the moon. Connecting and bringing awareness to the moon, may see a change in the menstruation cycle.
We can ovulate twice in a month - every woman has the potential to ovulate twice during her cycle when the phase of the moon is the same as when she was born. This is known as the Lunar Return Ovulation, which explains pregnancies that occur when a woman thinks she is not fertile.
The only time this does not occur is if during the birth lunar phase, the normal cycle ovulation is already happening, or if the woman is pregnant, breastfeeding or on The Pill.
To find this out, you just need to know the phase of the moon on the day you were born.
The world’s first Shamans were women - Athis resembles the second half of Summer and the first part of the Autumn energy. The post-ovulatory descent, which can be positive or negative. A sense of pride or failure. a time to surrender and let go OR feel frustrated or annoyed.
It was always believed that it was a man’s role to but it was discovered that the first Shamans were women.
This seems obvious when the tendencies of a woman are different depending on the time of her cycle.
The Sanskrit word for menstruation and season is the same (Ritu) and the word root for menstruation (mens) is the same for moon, month and measurement. Also, the first calendar (first time of measurement) was based on the menstrual cycle.
The Wheel of Life and menstruation
As we know from the article on the Wheel of Life, there is a bigger cycle in a woman’s life which works with the Earth’s seasons.
Spring (Maiden)
Summer (Mother)
Autumn (Maga)
Winter (Crone)
Each cycle has different lengths and works from birth to rebirth (birth, growth, full bloom, harvest, decay, death, rebirth).
A woman’s menstrual cycle is the same and is divided into four quarters like the seasons of the Earth. There are weeks 1-4 and if the cycle is consistently longer or shorter than the 28/29 days, the first half is usually the only time impacted.
When a woman is ovulating, this occurs in the second half of the cycle and is usually the 13,14 or 15 day. Every week of the fertility cycle is just as different as each Earth season is and has its own traits.
Let’s dive into the emotional and psychological energies of the cycle and how each week can be directly correlated to the cycle.
Week 1 (Death Rebirth Phase): this resembles the second part of winter (when we bleed) and then it forms into Spring and the energy of Spring. This is all about being focused and quiet, reviewing life. It is about letting go of beliefs that no longer serve.
Then the Spring energy kicks in and as your blood stops flowing it is time to plant the seeds of the new cycle.
Week 2 (High Energy Creative Phase): this resembles the second half of Spring and the first part of the Summer energy. It is all about heightened awareness of yourself and others. It is a high energy creative phase.
Week 3 (Coming Down and Harvest Phase): this resembles the second half of Summer and the first part of the Autumn energy. The post ovulatory descent, which can be positive or negative. A sense of pride or failure.
Week 4 (Distillation and Clarity Phase): this resembles the second half of Aumn and the first part of the Winter energy. This could go one of two ways. Either you are happy with where life is at, or fed up. It is a time to surrender and let go OR feel frustrated or annoyed.
During each phase, energy levels and the messages to your body will change. If you know what part of your cycle you are in, it is better to go with the flow and manage your life around it.
If you are looking to start new projects, aim to do this in the first or second week. Be social when you are ovulating and stay and home or retreat when you are bleeding.
Reading your cycle
When you read or chart your cycle, you can see the different symptoms and energy levels unfold.
Feeling into those emotions and listening to your body is so important. If you feel cranky or impatient this is usually referred to as Premenstrual Syndrome, but it is really about listening to what your body needs and wants you to do.
Get to know your own body and when you are in the different phases of your menstrual cycle and use this to help you in your day to day life.
Final thoughts
The moon phase and your menstruation cycle are so beautifully linked, so it is time to start paying attention to what our body is telling us.
It is also the time to connect with the moon and work to sync the two together.
If you are looking to connect with the moon, do a new Moon ritual with me and some amazing sisters. Join my new Moon rituals for a powerful practice as part of my Essential Alchemy Membership. You will learn to connect in with yourself and the moon so you feel in true alignment.