MOONWATCHING
It's time! Time for all women of all ages to remember
and reclaim the wisdom and magic of the lunar cycle and
to accept the birthright of the Moon Goddess which we
are given as a gift when we are born into this life as
women.(Or maybe even when we aren't born as women for
some of us!) It's a simple sounding idea to track one's
menstrual cycle, but over time we may discover that this
pracice offers much more than just a physical reminder
of what day we are due to bleed.
It can become a pathway that leads to the fathomless
depths of the feminine psyche, a place many of us have
heard about in myth and legend, a place many of us feel
calling us from within, a place that is connected to our
dreams and desires, the wisdom and magic of ourselves,
of the earth, the seasons and the divinty and spirit which
is in everything.
When I discuss this issue with women in my workshops,
they are often surprised to find that I begin at this
point. I have heard many of them make comments something
like, ‘Well I know I start to bleed around the seventh,
that’s all I really need to know, what else is there?”
To answer them I usually ask if they know that the cycle
actually takes place over a full twenty-eight day period
on average, although this can and does vary quite widely
while still being ‘normal’ for that particular
woman. “Of course,” they usually reply, “you
learn that in biology!”
Of course. Most of us have seen a drawing of the ovaries
and the uterus at some time. Most of us have been told
that once a month, usually after the first fourteen or
so days of the cycle known as the pre-ovulatory phase
during which time oestrogen has been building up in our
bodies, an egg is released. This time is known as the
ovulation phase, and can be experienced by some women
as physical manifestations of pain or discomfort around
the pelvic area, breast tenderness or swelling, cravings
for certain foods, or even ‘spotting’.
After the egg is released the hormones progesterone and
oestrogen are both produced, allowing the uterus to create
a thickened lining containing a place for the potential
foetus (fertilised egg) to lodge and gain nourishment.
If fertilisation doesn’t take place, the pre-menstrual
phase commences in which hormone levels fall and the uterine
lining begins to break down, eventually leaving the uterus
by way of the vagina as menstrual ‘discharge.’
The symptoms of ‘Pre- Menstrual Syndrome’
are fairly well-known, and discussed elsewhere, so I’ll
leave it at that.
We all know this stuff, don’t we? We were taught
in biology, or sex education, or health, or by whichever
parent handled ‘the talk’. If we had older
sisters or friends with older sisters, sometimes we were
filled in on the mysteries and miseries of PMS, pads and
tampons. If we were really lucky, we were made to feel
that this monthly experience was something that was worthwhile
and necessary, even if only so that we could become mothers
at some far-distant (or maybe not so far distant!) time.
If we weren’t, we were informed that it was a monthly
misery, uncontrollable, fraught with difficulty, discomfort
and a vague shamefulness that we had to ‘grin and
bear’ in order to continue the species.
But I don’t know many women who were told that
each and every day of this physical cycle, emotional changes,
energy changes, dream cycle changes and creativity changes
were also taking place. I certainly wasn’t! Our
society’s lack of understanding for and lack of
recognition of this fact is what has probably given rise
to the notions that women are somehow not able to function
in ‘serious’ roles because they are unreliable
and illogical.
The only way women have been able to become acceptable
in most male-dominated areas such as business for example,
is to ignore cyclic changes or treat them as ‘illness’,
and attempt to be more like men. This attitude is finally
beginning to change, as humans realise that each gender
brings its own strengths to any situation. But as women,
remedying our own ignorance about our cycles, learning
and understanding more about our own selves, what we are
capable of and when, and giving this knowledge to our
daughters right from the start of their menstrual journey
can bring many changes to our lives for the better.
And taking responsibility for gaining this knowledge
moves us away from being perceived as poor suffering victims
at the mercy of nature to women of knowledge and power,
informed and able to take action regarding our lives including
this ‘mysterious’ monthly transformation we
undergo.We are reclaiming our birthright and fulfilling
our destinies!
From a physical viewpoint, knowledge about our cycle
is important for many reasons, contra-ception and con-ception
being two areas that immediately spring to mind. Did you
know for example that it’s possible to become pregnant
twice in each lunar cycle? If you know when your more
fertile times (just after ovulation usually) are likely
to occur you stand a better chance of becoming or not
becoming pregnant, depending on which is your choice at
this time!
by Michelle Royce
to be continued...
