Love your moontime

Taking time out of busy schedules to be still each month is not always easy, but by doing so we are giving the message to our children that menstruation is special and not a ‘curse’, and that women’s bodies are wise healers to be revered. What better message to pass on to our daughters, and to our sons who will hopefully go on to honour their own partners in years to come?

Here are some of the ways to enjoy and honour this special time:

Take a bath – water is incredibly soothing and healing, and women are often drawn to it at times of transition and change, such as labour. Run yourself a deep bath (or better yet, get someone to do it for you!) and add some essential oils. Favourites include geranium and rose for their affinity with female reproductive health, ylang ylang for sensual pleasure, soothing roman Chamomile, and frankincense for a sense of deep meditative calm. Light some candles and inform your family you are taking half an hour’s uninterrupted quiet time.

Walk amongst the trees or by moving water – when we’re feeling frazzled and disconnected, a walk in nature is a great way to ground ourselves. Take some deep restorative breaths, and lie down on the Earth if you can. Feel all the points of connection between your body and the cradle of Mother Earth. The green light created by sunlight shining through tree leaves is uplifting for the heart chakra and leaves you with a sense of wellbeing and calm. Sometimes, just being near something as solid and Earth-connected as a tree is enough to plug us back in to Universal energy. Or walking beside a moving body of water helps us let go and surrender to the flow, which is partly what menstruation is urging us to do anyway. Give thanks for the gifts of nature.

Be still – perhaps one of the most important gifts we can give to ourselves during menstruation. And, in the rush to get things done, perhaps one of the hardest! Even a few moments taken here and there during the day can be helpful: allow yourself to daydream, to stare out the window and listen to your intuition. Your sense of creativity and awareness may be heightened at this time and women often notice that their best ideas come to them during their bleed.

Wear special red clothes – treating yourself to some gorgeous red clothes that you just wear at this time of the month can make it feel like a special occasion. A pretty red top or dress, or some statement red shoes can make you feel like you’re celebrating! Or, if you feel more insular and quiet, what about some special red underwear only you know about?

Sew your own sanitary towels – one way to honour your bleed time is to create some really special sanitary pads (I hate this terminology, but use it because it enables understanding). Making your own not only cuts down on landfill, it means you can choose soft, comfortable and pretty fabrics, and opt for organic cloth if you want to. There are loads of websites with patterns and instructions for making your own sanitary pads, including Youtube videos. I like this site because she writes about her trial and errors. You may feel, like a lot of women, that you’re naturally a lot more ‘crafty’ and creative around your bleed, which leads me on to…

Get crafty – because of your heightened intuitiveness at this time of the month, many women report more creativity. A recent survey by Mslexia magazine showed that women tend to write more during or around their period. As Venus mentioned on the forum, it is nice to focus on more craft activities with your kids, enabling you to have some quiet time too. Crafting is often a meditative activity, whether it’s sewing, painting, modelling, knitting, drawing, felting, jewellery-making, crocheting…or whatever takes your fancy. One way to really enjoy this craft time is to….

Gather with other women – maybe you prefer to be alone or just with family around the time of your bleed, but often gathering with other women can feel restorative and connective. In her bestselling novel The Red Tent, Anita Diamant writes about how in ancient societies women gathered together during menstruation in a red tent, a sacred place. If you haven’t read the book, do. It’s a really special piece of writing, and you’ll end up buying lots of copies for your female friends! The idea of the red tent is common in the history of lots of cultures where time and space is given to sacred menstruation. You might like to get a women’s group together where you spend time reflecting, being still, crafting, journaling, dancing, making fire, singing, laughing, drumming and talking together.

Keep a journal – writing down your emotional landscape is a great way to recognise changes during your cycle. Though many women have been led to believe that we all ovulate on day 14 of our cycle, it is in fact completely individual. Toni Weschler, in her book Taking Charge Of Your Fertility, empowers women to know their own cycles through charting: taking note of daily basal body temperature, vaginal fluid and the position of the cervix. Through charting your emotions in a journal, you’ll also be able to ensure that on particular days of your cycle you don’t arrange anything stressful or emotionally tiring. In her beautiful and inspiring book, Sacred Cycles: The Spiral of Women’s Wellbeing, Sara Wickham writes about how we have changed each time our period comes around again, we are constantly in a state of change and movement in the spiral dance of life. Journaling helps us to be aware of these changes.

Make time for love – on the Green Parent forums, Random mentions that having sex the night before her period makes her feel much better. It’s different from woman to woman, but many women report feeling more sensual and emotional at this time, and making time for sex can not only ease period pains, but create intense intimacy. The contractions of the vagina during orgasm and the flooding of the body with oxytocin have surely got to be the best painkillers/mood enhancers there are!

There are so many other ways to nurture and care for ourselves and it all comes down to our individual pleasures. Maybe it is building a big fire and gazing into the flames; putting on some music and dancing your heart out; making a special feast (or having it made for you!); curling up with chocolate and a good read; or getting an early night or rare lie in…whatever makes you feel nourished, make it your priority.

Wild Feminine: Finding Power, Spirit & Joy in the Female Body by Tami-Lynn Kent
Red Moon: Understanding and using the creative, sexual and spiritual gifts of the menstrual cycle by Miranda Gray
Womb Wisdom: Awakening the Creative and Forgotten Powers of the Feminine by Padma and Anaiya Aon Prakasha
Her Blood is Gold: Awakening to the Wisdom of Menstruation by Lara Owen
The Optimized Woman: Using Your Menstrual Cycle to Achieve Success and Fulfillment: If You Want to Get Ahead, Get a Cycle by Miranda Gray
Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Moontime: A Guide To Celebrating Your Moontime by Lucy Pearce
The Wild Genie: The Healing Power of Menstruation by Alexandra Pope
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Sacred Cycles: The Spiral of Women’s Wellbeing by Sara Wickham