It is more often told but no longer demonstrated by our elders, that our indigenous ancestors, when they came on their moon cycles, were isolated with other women, in a nurturing environment, nurturing themselves, being nurtured by others and nurturing others in the most harmoniously and peaceful way. It was a time to let go of the male energies that they had stored and received in their wombs during the previous month, along with all the emotional debris from all of the family members that they breathed with every night. It gave them an opportunity to cleanse and therefore take back cleansing energy to the rest of those that they belonged to as mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts and Grandmothers, Great Grandmothers and Godmothers. These days I choose to call our "Days of Compassion."
Our spiritual, physical, and emotional/mental health was attended to. A certain type of etiquette in terms of communication was followed, it being one that led to the highest respect for the grandmother, but also never being less than respectful to the youngest.
Wisdom was shared, insight was given, burdens were laid down. The idea, focus was one of coming back to the centre, the center of ones being. Finding the balance in the things that seemingly were out of balance while affirming the divine energy that balances all, at all times. The moon cycle, universally, collectively, and individualy speaks to that balance. The gathering of energy, the releasing of energy, illumination/shadows, the seen, the unseen. The feminine force of the universe as it manifests itself in this plane of duality and understanding it's power, can best be known by knowing oneself. We as women are tied to the universe like no other, through our personal moon cycle.
In order for a caregiver to give, they must be filled with something. If the caregiver is tired, irritable, exhausted, angry, frustrated, anxious, stressed, wounded, the care that they give will be tainted by those emotions, consciously, or unconsciously. There are those Women who have feelings of humiliation and shame tied into their moon cycle who have suffered, just because they are women. How do we overcome the negative conditioning of our womanhood and embrace the Goodness of the Goddess?
When so many of us are at jobs or in other uncomfortable environments while our bodies are making us equally as uncomfortable what do we do?
It may take many years until we can make the changes in our society so that women are comfortable and not merely trying to fit in, or make do in a "man's world". In order for society to change, we first have to change our attitudes about our femininity and figure out what we need to do to honor ourselves. We can't possibly expect someone else to respond to needs that we don't acknowledge exist. We have to stop being the round peg trying to fit into the square hole. We as women are the "whole" in more ways than one, that all others should be trying to fit into.
The simplest definition of honor is "to show respect for."
How does one respect oneself, spiritual, emotionally and physically as a woman. Who are we as women, independent of our ethnicities, cultures, careers, relationships?
This blog space is a place to examine those things. To examine ourselves and the way we feel about the things in our lives that have made us who we are.
Allowing ourselves the time that we need to be whole should be respected by all, but mainly by us. It is my belief that we need to bring those "Days of Compassion" back into our lives. I have started by deciding that during my moontime I will not cook, unless I want to. I will take that opportunity to be served, by eating out, ordering in, or allowing someone else to prepare a meal for me. This is my way of being compassionate to myself. By being compassionate to myself I feel it will give me what it takes to be more compassionate to others. This is just the first thing that I've decided on for myself. There are many ways that one can choose based on your individual circumstances. I encourage women to find ways to honour themselves during their moontime each month, even if you are no longer bleeding.
The (internal)call to redefine "woman" or "Womb-an" feels like the voices of generations of female experiences and wisdom finally being listened to, for they have been speaking all along! Consider "The Red Tent" (a book by Anita Diamant) which is so very popular right now, as it gives the women of the Bible center stage, not just as mothers or daughters or wives of powerful men, but as primary sources of nurturing, empowering and connecting to other women, having our own ceremonies and sacred spaces and intergenerational wisdom. Consider the lighting of a red candle on the first day of your menstrual cycle, to honor those women who have bled for generations before you, those who will come after you and to access the generations of their wisdom that is there for us, connecting us directly to the earth and to the moon and to the cosmos...and creating a place and time monthly to honor the fact that our bodies embody the rhythm of the universe...What has, in an attempt to disempower us, been negatively described as "PMS-ing" can also be recognized as that heightened connection,the unique and powerful sensitivity that prevents us from speaking anything other than our personal truth on those days of the month!Those menstrual days are when we are most powerful, and also most vulnerable...signaling a time when it may be appropriate to retreat as much as possible from external distractions and focus on the self, honoring and nurturing and resting and creating, doing what gives us pleasure and comfort, remembering who we really are inside and thanking the wombs we came from, as well as preparing our wombanworld for the wombs that will come after us, for we must speak to them so they know themselves as powerful...Our Womenpowerment is essential to restore balance and harmony, internally first, then...?
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