Every month the moon goes through 4 phases, she is dark/new, she waxes, she is full, she wanes and then she is dark/new again. Our feminine bodies are lunar rhythmic, which means, we mirror the cycles of the moon. Every month we go through 4 phases, menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation and the luteal phase, then we menstruate again. Each of these 4 phases also reflect the 4 main phases of a woman's life, we go through maiden, mother, maga(menopause), crone.
In this post we are going to discover how these 4 phases can propel us into maximum productivity to create more and have more time and space to be with our feminine nature instead of pushing the envelope to the point of burn out (left brain living is on the way out sisters, no need to strive to survive, we are creatresses who create with the essential nature of our womban hood!)
But First a little history for you
When women lived in tribe and were not exposed to unnatural lighting and expected to push and strive like men, we bled with the moon, when the moon was new. At the beginning of the cycle, as the moon went from dark to new, from the end of the old to the new cycle. All of the women in the tribe would go into dream time together, they would celebrate, do ceremony, cry, laugh, pray, nurture, pamper and nourish each other. The men would wait with anticipation for the wisdom that their women folk would bring back for the tribe when they returned. The feminine were celebrated for their menstrual wisdom & feared (respected) for the power that they contained. Which is why it makes sense that the church banned women who were bleeding from attending & why the man folk of the 1800's decided to take away our sacred womens business by making it illegal for midwife's to practice without a male doctor present.... They took away our power because they feared it... Too much power baby!!!
Guess what? The ancient wisdom is back, and now is the time for us to embrace the wisdom and the power of our cycle again!!!! Are you ready?
Side note: If you are not bleeding at the new moon at the moment, there is nothing wrong with you, a lot of hype is going around about us being out of sync if we are not bleeding on the new moon. I'm here to crack that open and give you permission to celebrate your cycle, just as you do the moon phases. We live in a very different society today and we are in a very different place in the evolution of humanity compared to our ancestors. Which means we all bleed at different times, times that are perfect for us personally, times that are aligned with the wisdom grandmother moon is desiring to illuminate in us for our personal and spiritual growth. In my ancient wisdom modern woman program we dive into these mysteries further, today we are looking at the basics to introduce you to the phases and your magic!
You will see in the diagram above on the outside edge each archetype and the direction (medicine wheel wisdom) connected to her. In tomorrow's class I will talk more about the medicine wheel, which is the reason I have included the 4 directions in this chart.
You will also notice on the inside of the chart are the 4 phases of our cycle. Phase 1 (menstruation), Phase 2 (follicular), Phase 3 (ovulation), Phase 4 (luteal). This chart is different to a lot of womens wisdom and has been shown to me for a reason. Our bodies reflect the cycles of the moon. Every month, the moon is dark before she is new, this is one of the most important keys to feminine wisdom. We bleed before we enter the new, therefore phase 1 needs to begin midway in our crone/wise woman phase, because we bleed and then we enter the new energy of the maiden! And we are premenstrual and crumpy like a crone just before. (Sometimes, not all women are the same)
Ancient Wisdom Of The Cycles
1. Crone/Wise Woman ...
We experience the archetype of the wise woman once a month for a reason. She takes us into the realms of our inner knowing, holds up the lantern of truth to guide us through our shadows & gives us the wisdom we need for the month ahead. This occurs from half way through the luteal phase (around day 25) & continues throughout the whole of our menstruation phase. During this 7-9 day cycle we enter into deep rest and replenishment. This is when our energy is at its lowest, like the DARK MOON (new moon) and the season of winter. We are releasing all of the old that was not needed and making space for the new. It's the 'Beginning' of the coming phase, from the depths of this rest, release & let go we are gifted with the vision to 'see' our lives from a new prospective. With the lantern of truth illuminating everything that works, and everything that no longer works for us.
Take note that we begin with resting, the energy is at it's lowest so we need to prepare for this time by scheduling less into our diaries and engaging in nurturing supportive activities that tap us into the sensitivities that are guiding us home. This is the time when we let go of what was not needed in the previous month. Its happening both physically as our body bleeds the unfertilised egg out. Its happening emotionally as we bleed and let go of what is not serving us, we shed the layers that have been holding us back. And we experience birthing pains, birthing into the fertile soil of our subconscious mind as we enter dream time & dream our deepest desires into being. This is POWERFUL sisters! Your inner wise woman, the dark wild goddess, is powerful beyond belief. She has your back, she will not allow you to ignore your inner truth......... You my darling are not crazy, hyper sensitive, mentally unbalanced, hormonal.... You are wisdom herself, and she is calling you home, to your truth. Our bodies are the key to unlocking our wisdom & our truth. The truth will set you freeeeee!!!
When we create space in our calender & utilise our hyper sensitivity during our wise woman phase this becomes the most profound time of the month to dream into the month, year, ahead. With the same sanctity we approach the new moon, we can approach our menstrual phase, as it sets us up for the month ahead.
If we prepare in advanced so that our lifestyle support this deep rest & replenishment you will find your weeks and month flow with so much more ease.
It's a good idea to plan ahead think about taking into your wise woman cave your fave foods that nourish you, then choose healthy versions of your comfort foods (e.g cocao, coconut oil, shredded coconut, dried fruit 7& nuts, tahini, and a dash of agave or honey if you are a massive sweet tooth is an EXCELLENT chocolate substitute). Have your meditation on your phone, buy a journal, create a play list on sound cloud or you tube, have a great book, write a list of what you would like to bring with you into your womb cave. What exercise is REALISTIC? Running for 1 hour when your bleeding is not really supportive, but a yin/restorative yoga class is! Or dancing your sensual body around to some soft sexy alluring middle eastern tunes is!
2. Maiden ...
We move out of the depths of replenishment feeling 'fresh' revitalised and refocused! We enter the follicular phase when our body starts being flooded with nest building hormones. The uterine wall starts creating a nest for life (sperm). We feel awesome as our bodies begin to move towards ovulation. This is the energy of the WAXING MOON, we are inspired, we have been replenished, the seeds of our dreamtime are planted in the fertile soil of this Spring energy, this is the best time to start new projects and create a new approach to the way you do things. To begin our Self Care Inspired Actions! Working with the archetype of Aphrodite during this phase is amazing, she is so sensuous, alive and magnetic!
Start new regimes, initiate new cycle focus with inspired actions, make dates, go shopping, take singing lessons, utilise this amazing fresh energy to invoke how you would like to interact with the coming cycle...
3. Mother ...
We then enter into the Mother phase 'Pregnancy/Birthing/Nurturing', we are 'pregnant' with our desires, idea's and dreams. We are ovulating. For a lot of women this is manifest as the Earth Empress in all of her glory! Your business idea's will be flowing. Your body is craving a baby (maybe tricking you, be aware of the hormone's influencing you at this time). We become total SQUISH!!!! Love bombs on legs!!!
This is the energy of the FULL MOON & summer, where we naturally want to go out and frolick in life. We feel connected to nature and are celebrating the amazing fruit that is showing up in our life. Our bodies are flooded with hormones and we feel amazing, on fire and able to do so much more than we were able just 14 days ago.
Plan your "peak activities" for the month during the mother/ovulation phase . This is prime time for business activities that need more energy. For getting into your garden and doing the hard yaka, or plan the hard work stuff you've been putting off for this week. Remember to plan to celebrate, socialise... If your holding a party, plan it on the full moon, or when you are ovulating.
4. Maga ...
In our Sacred Women Tribe we refer to this time as "Medicine Woman/Queen". This is the energy of the WANING MOON, Autumn. It mirrors our premenstrual phase/menopausal phase. This is the time when the leaves begin falling back to the earth, the harvest is being reaped from the seasons past & we are preparing for the next season/phase and we become 'extra sensitive', go into the deep rest of winter and the wise woman.
The sensitivities we experience during this time are chemical. We have entered the luteal phase, our body has registered that she has not received sperm and the hormones are leaving the nest so to speak. The sensitivities we feel during this time can become our greatest gift if we know how to use them. This is why we work with the "medicine woman and our queen". Your medicine woman knows what she needs, and your queen knows what she wants, like's and doesn't want. She is the ruler of your inner kingdom after all, so get to know her well.
This is the best time to go and see a healer, meditate more, listen to your inner queen, here is a meditation for you (if you don't already have it). Take the seat on the throne of your inner kingdom and come from a place of inner mastery. Connect with the medicine woman within who knows how to guide you and lead you towards the healing you are yearning for.
Use the whole month to prepare for this time, this is when most women fall off the bus! This is the time when we can see clearly what is not working, we are being invited to release the clutter in our subconscious minds, to prepare for the new beginning that comes after our bleed.
I can hear you all breathing a sigh of relief..... Yesssss you are normal! You don't need to fit into a rigid structure, in fact {{ subscriber.first_name }} your not meant to, you are here in this feminine body to utilise these incredible energies and flow with the cycles of your body and Grandmother moon. Each sacred cycle we have the opportunity to begin again, each bleed is a new beginning.
Putting this all into practice
So how does this apply to a productive life?...
Inspired actions vs business of activity lead to a full filling lifestyle. We have more time and space for the things that truly fill our cup, when we have a full cup we create our dreams effortlessly. We engage in actions that are inspired by our values which leads to more conscious participation and self care.
When life is our art it becomes our most spiritual practice.
Your life is your spiritual practice.
In my free Discover you magic course we cover this subject in lesson 4. I have created a workbook to help you to plan your month ahead according to each phase with each of these 4 categories. You can fill it all out on your device, no printing required! Get it here
1. Leasure Rest and Healing
2. Inspired Actions
3. Awareness Practices
4. To Do's.
Time Management Tips
- Begin your planning with your leisure and rest & healing activities
- Next plan your inspired actions list including your sacred self care rituals that support each phase of your cycle
- Prepare your awareness practices, book your massage for the month, go and see a healer, tune into a circle (ask us about our circles). Journal, journal, journal. Meditate (you can use your inner woman meditation). I have prepared a list of suggestions in your workbook here.
- Your To Do's List. This is the list of things that need to get done, but not in a push push way! In a feminine way, by assigning the activities that need to be done to the appropriate energies for your cycle... Planning our month in advanced so we can fully utilise the powerful time of our medicine woman and crone phase.
Remember that you are perfect the way you are, the art of inspired living is about changing our approach to activities so that we come from a place of inspiration rather than the pesky monkey on our shoulder telling us what we SHOULD be doing... It saves us from burnout when we get to our bleed and cant rest because we havn't allowed space for ourselves... We are engaging in life in a right brained, feminine, creative way that ultimately leads to POWERFUL manifestation and radical self love... This is how we discover our magic!