Lunar & Menstrual Connections Part One

The cycles within us are a familiar pattern observed throughout all beings, both cosmic and earthen. Menstruators hold a unique power in that they are innately tethered to these cycles. Observing the cycles that exist around us, brings awareness to those that occur within. 

The 29.5 day lunar cycle embodies four phases - new Moon, waxing Moon, full Moon, and waning Moon. Analogous to the Moon, each month menstruators navigate through four states of being - menstrual, preovulatory, ovulatory, and premenstrual. 

Each Moon and menstrual phase hold paralleling energies, insights, and opportunities for transformation. We can draw connections between the four lunar and menstrual phases, as each lunar phase is intimately connected to a phase within ourselves. 

The new Moon and the menstrual phase offer similar energies of renewal, reflection, and rebirth. It is during this time we may feel our light is at its dimmest, and we are asked to go inward to rest, recuperate, and prepare for our rebirth. 

Conversely, the full Moon is analogous with ovulation, the time which we often feel the most energetic, brightest, and vital. This time is revered as a time of pleasure - when loving, living, and creating may feel effortless. The energy present during this time often reflects the amount of rest gathered during menstruation. 

We carry these analogies with us to remind ourselves that it is our nature to exist in a state of transformation. Just as the Moon changes each time it rises over the horizon, our bodies undergo a shift in hormonal constitution each day. By becoming aware of our inner rhythms, we are able to make choices that are in alignment with our body’s needs - to rest unapologetically and create when we are most capable, working with the natural waxing and waning of our most embodied expression. 

Have you ever gazed up at the moon and wished for her to be different, despite her ceaseless variability? If not, offer yourself the same liberty.