This blog is a follow-on from my previous blog “The Sacred Menstrual Cycle” Which you can read here  I will include some snippets from that blog if you don’t have time to read it.

Society has taught women to feel deep shame and rejection around their menstrual cycle. Healing this relationship with our blood can open the door to deep spiritual transformation!

Yes really!.

When new women come into my life they are both fascinated and a little bit grossed out when I speak to them about their cycles.  Society really has done great work on disconnecting women from their monthly magic. When they begin to understand the importance of embracing their womanhood their lives begin to transform. See, the modern woman has forgotten her roots, her superpower and I feel it is my role as a wisdom keeper to help unbalanced women reconnect with their superpower. I have been lucky enough to travel a lot, I have spent time in the amazon with medicine women, herbalists, elders, and women living in traditional communities. These fellow wisdom keepers have passed on their knowledge of what it means to be a woman and how to thrive in life by connecting to our monthly bleed. and so, it is my honor to pass that information on to you.

The Modern Woman

Women today have forgotten their roots. Their desire to be seen as equal to men is causing a number of imbalances within their health. They today have developed a desire to do the work of a man, to push and achieve in a man’s world, to be at the top, and be recognized for their efforts (and quite rightly so).But my dears, We are not the same at all!

Women are magical beings, we are caregivers, healers, mothers, nurturers; we have a longing deep within us for connection with other women and community with fellow women. We did not incarnate onto this earth to be stuck in an office building all day stressing over spreadsheets. We were born with a purpose and we are meant to be free. We are not men!! How is it that we have forgotten our roots, our hard-wired need to be creative in favor of a need to compete with men for recognition and success?  I’m not saying that women shouldn’t desire success and equality, as they absolutely should do what makes them happy. What I am saying is that women have forgotten who they are which has caused us to look for validation in all the wrong places and quite honestly, it’s making us sick!

She goes to work in her high-powered corporate job. Spends all day pushing to meet deadlines, targets, & keeps the business running smoothly. She stressed, she pressurizes herself & others, she skips lunch because she’s on a deadline & then works overtime to get the job done; this is a very yang (masculine) environment. ( and yes this was me)  Then she goes home to her partner/children & steps into her role of being soft, she wants to nurture her family & connect with them in a yin (feminine) way. ( also me ) Her hormones & her psyche cannot find equilibrium between masculine/feminine & so she becomes deeply out of balance. One of the first signs of illness is infertility & menstrual imbalances, as a society are we not inundated with infertility, polycystic ovaries, endometriosis, and missed/absent periods?

Now, let us compare her to the traditional woman!

The Traditional Woman

in tribal communities, life could not be more different. Women understand the power of their feminine energy & how to harness their inner wisdom. It is the women that hold the roots of the tribe together. They prepare the food, nurse & parent the children, hold council, listen & share stories, they make & create things as a group, resulting in a powerful bond of sisterhood that is the cement of the community. The Indigenous Shipibo women in the Amazon Rainforest have a beautiful gift. They sit together and work to create beautiful tapestries with sacred geometry designs, each and every woman is connected to the other while creating these fabulous pieces of art, which can sometimes take years to make. It is said that if one woman dies mid-process, she is able to pass on her vision from the grave to the next woman to carry on her work, which is incredible.

These women also share a sacred bond to the earth & their moon cycle. It is a common practice to designate a space known as a “red tent” for women to rest with other women during their period. Once in this space, women are not to be disturbed only leaving the tent when their period has ended. To them, menstrual blood is very sacred. Their menstrual time is ritualistic, they enjoy sitting together in communion, in doing so amazing things happen to them. Once the trauma and stuck emotions have been shed from that cycle, they begin to receive clarity, psychic abilities, and wisdom from ancestors, all of which are of immense benefit to the overall community.  Now this way of living may seem outdated to us living in the western world with our families to feed and bills to pay, but in these communities, there is no such name for illnesses like endometriosis and polycystic ovaries. So why is that? Could it simply be that these women are able to honor their bodies, slow down and listen to their menstrual bleed, unlike the women of the western world who curse their bodies, sever the message it’s trying to send with painkillers, and treat the whole experience as an inconvenience, with the attitude of “plug it up and forget about it?

When I heard of this I began my own experiment in creating a “red tent” to see if it could help my lifelong battle with endometriosis and hellish periods. Here is what i learned and how to create your own.

Creating Your Red Tent

Healing your relationship with your blood and leaving behind the “plug up and forget” mindset takes awareness & conscious lifestyle changes, it takes time, but you are worth it. 

Track your cycle 
Start to observe when your period begins in relation to the phase of the moon, traditionally women would bleed or ovulate on a full moon, it’s not a big deal if it doesn’t happen exactly on the full Moon but with awareness, it will change. Traditionally the majority of women in communities will bleed on for example the full moon, while the caregivers, midwives, and medicine women would bleed on the new moon, so they could all offer support to their fellow sisters within the community. I recommend getting a moon tracking app and begin to observe the moon moving through the see how your mood changes as the moon move through astrological signs in the month. For example, does the moon in Aries make you feel a little angry, the moon in Scorpio makes you feel a little unsettled, the moon in Taurus makes you feel super lethargic and lazy. learning this info is GOLD! 

Preparing For Your Cycle
Once you have tracked your cycle and you know how long it is and when you expect your next period. Prepare!! Act as if you are going into your own tent, prep ahead nutrient-dense easy to digest foods ahead of time. Think soups, bone broths, stews, easy-to-digest meat, fruit, and starchy veggies, etc your body needs a lot of calories during this time so don’t hold back!  In the three days ahead of your cycle approaching begin to journal out your feelings. write down all the things that have angered you, things that have made you sad, clearing this lingering energy will do wonders for pain relief & assisting your body in shedding trauma. When you bleed your body is also shedding energetically so this helps a great deal! 

When Your Period Arrives

Once you know roughly when your bleed will arrive you can do the unthinkable. Take three days off work!! (yes really). If there is no way you can do this then I recommend reducing your workload to a bare minimum, work from your bed if you can!  

Day One
Take this time to be alone and in silence, as much as possible, avoid external distractions, limit conversation with others, rest, meditate and sleep if your body calls for it. Your dreams are hyper psychic at this time and are likely to contain powerful messages which can benefit you in the future. record or write down all of your dreams. I highly recommend going without sanitary products if you can, instead, allow your blood to flow into an old towel or blanket or invest in some period pants.  Collecting your blood and giving it back to the earth is a very healing process and helps to increase your connection to the earth. You can dilute your blood and use it to water house plants, they love the rich minerals contained in your blood! Remember we are all connected! 

Day Two
You may now have a little more energy to do some light stretching or go for a nature walk. Please be mindful that your body is going through a stressful process so don’t exert yourself, even if you feel ok. What you do now will bear fruit in 100 days. Allow sleep & rest where appropriate.

You may also feel the urge to create, a few wonderful things to explore with are.
Journaling or writing poetry.
Making something with your hands.
Painting with your menstrual blood.
Dance lightly, breathing deeply allowing your body to release held tension and pain.
Yin or restorative yoga.

Day Three
You can now slowly begin to introduce your work commitments back into your day working half a day or an hour on followed by some rest time. Allowing for rest and creative time as necessary. Journal all of your thought processes and feelings throughout your cycle and use it as a guide for the next month. 

Don’t

Watch anything stressful or stimulating during this time.
Over-engage in conversation with people.
Carry on as normal.
Cut back on food.

Do
Listen to your body and honor the miracle that you are.
Take warm magnesium baths for pain relief and deep relaxation.
Indulge in Ceremonial Cacao which is a beautiful magnesium-rich heart-opening superfood that will ground you into your body and help your creative energy flow.
Frequently place your hands on your womb and speak to her, take a few deep breaths, feel your hands on your womb, and feel the space underneath your hands.  Ask her what she would like to say to you.

Remember
If you want to feel more emotionally balanced, in tune with your environment, have a deeper connection with the natural world & your higher self then understand that you too are a part of nature,  a cyclical being, just like the natural world around you.

Each month you move through the four seasons & your lifestyle should reflect that.
Spring – after your period before ovulation when your body energises after bleeding.
Summer – Ovulation, you feel sprightly, energised & vital you are ready for reproduction.
Autumn – pre menstrual, your body starts to slow down a little, you may feel a little more sleepy as your body prepares for its bleed. Just as the trees prepare to drop their leaves, You must prepare too.. journal it out, prepare your meals for the next few days.
Winter – Your period is here, mimic what nature does and withdraw like momma bear into a cave.

You cannot be switched on all of the time. Listen to your body, Honor your bleed & see your life change..

If you suffer from painful periods I recommend the following resources.

For pelvic tension and trauma release
Cervical Dearmouring Wand

Books on menstruation by Lisa Lister
Love Your Lady Landscape 
Code Red

Jessica Ash Wellness