Womb Wisdom.
I don’t remember exactly how I first began to tap into the wisdom that the menstrual cycle holds. I suspect it was one of those instances where I read one thing, which then lead to another and before I knew it I was down the rabbit hole and I found myself sitting in a Menstrual Cycle Awareness circle and devouring a copy of Wild Power by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer, the founders of the Red School.
I couldn’t believe that the keys to change such a huge part of the understanding of myself had been right in front of me all of this time. To change my life from one of regularly feeling exhaustion and depletion, to one of a deeper understanding of what was working me. An explanation as to why I was feeling certain emotions and to why my energy levels fluctuated.
Now for those of you reading this who may not have a menstrual cycle, whether that’s due to menopause, health conditions or a hysterectomy, you may be thinking this blog isn’t for you. All Women hold the energy qualities of the womb space and yes, our cycle isn’t as obvious when we don’t bleed each month, but you can still tap into this wisdom and call upon the lunar cycle to help you map your way.
So how do you start to unlock this inner wisdom?
I began by tracking my days (if you don’t bleed each month you can track the lunar cycle). Day one being the first day of bleeding (or the dark moon), all the way through until the next bleed when I would return to day one. I keep a small note book by my bed and each night I write a couple of words as to how I have felt that day. Over time, I began to see a pattern. Similar emotions coming up on similar days of my cycle. It was like turning the lights on. There were so many ah ah moments and when I leant into this knowing, even more wisdom showed itself. It was like uncovering gold. Things slotted into place and I felt I had been given a map to guide me home. It allowed me to find out more about myself. To have a deeper understanding and connection with who I am and what is running through me and I could now use this to my advantage. I know when to take my children here there and everywhere and I know when to retreat and spend more time alone.
Sharing this understanding of yourself with your family will allow them to understand you better too and be able to support you when needed. I created the above wheel and put it on the fridge for my family to see. Using the arrow to show them what day I was on and what emotions to expect from me!
Periods have been given bad press over the years. They are seen by many as something to hide, ignore and even stop. They are often described as the ‘dreaded time of the month’ that just gets in the way of life. Thankfully times are changing. The power of the feminine is on the rise and along with it the remembrance of just how rich and sacred the menstrual cycle is. Brands such as Modibodi can be seen on billboards and in magazines, bringing period products into the public eye and also encouraging us to move away from toxic, land fill sanitary pads and towards eco-friendly reusable pads and underwear.
Our cycle can be broken down into seasons. Winter being the time of bleeding (or time of the dark moon) and Summer being the time of ovulation (or time of the full moon). Although the length of each season will vary with each individual, the qualities are pretty much the same for everyone. Here are some brief ideas on what to expect with each season:
Winter
Time to go inwards.
Quiet
Sleep
Being alone
Rest
Nourishment
Peace
Spring
Creativity
Hope
Ideas
Expansion
Play
Summer
High energy
Social
Care free
Love
Gratitude
Connection
Autumn
Self-reflection
Fiery
Set boundaries
Self-doubt
Intuition
Clear insight
Dreams
Critical
On the edge
Slowing down.
Now I have this prediction tool at my fingertips, I can plan my diary more accordingly. I know when to conserve energy and when to use it. I know when to step forward and be at the forefront of life and when to step back and let others lead the way. This isn’t always easy. When you have a job to do, family to care for and a never ending ‘to do’ list, stepping back and taking rest for days is pretty impossible. Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer, explain how to navigate this with the idea of allowing yourself an extra 1%. On those inner Autumn and Winter days, if you can’t allow yourself the full resting treatment, try and allow yourself just 1% of what that full day would feel and be like. I’ve tried this out and can vouch that even this 1% can make a massive difference to how I feel and move through the rest of the cycle. This knowledge has been a saviour, leading me back from the edges of depletion and towards a sense of balance. We are nature. Everything in nature seeks balance and our menstrual cycles are telling us this over and over every, single month.
I’m not perfect and there have been times when I’ve known about womb wisdom and I’ve known what day I am on in my cycle, yet I have chosen to ignore it. I didn’t rest when my body asked me to. I didn’t eat when my body needed nourishment. She (Nature) will ask you nicely and if you don’t listen she will force you to as she needs balance.
When we come to learn about the power of our inner cycle, a power that runs through us every minute of every day, we come to know what we need to thrive, to experience wellbeing and a greater sense of wellness. When I listen to my womb wisdom my energy flows and when I ignore it, it feels like I’m wading through mud, a struggle to put one foot in front of the other. By harnessing the power of the menstrual cycle, we give ourselves access to downloads from other realities, it puts us in touch with our intuition, which sparks ideas of what we need to bring into reality, truly aligning us with what we are here on this planet to do and that is pretty amazing and is why I wanted to share this blog with you.
I hope it has inspired you in some way to connect with your own womb wisdom.
Love & Light,
Natalie.