Reclaiming Your Menstrual Cycle As Your Superpower
- Rock Collage
- May 31, 2024
- 11 min read
Updated: Jun 2, 2024
Reclaiming Your Menstrual Cycle As Your Superpower
How many of us women have been taught to hate our menstrual cycle, especially our periods?
At school, or at least in the US, they teach you a little about sexual maturation and reproduction in biology class followed by a lot of giggles and awkward moments as well as Sex Ed in P.E. class or some other elective if you’re “lucky”. The information is very superficial, they pressure abstinence, and NO ONE talks about how the menstrual cycle works. All they mention is that at some point adolescent girls will get their period and end of story.
As time goes on, women are taught by our patriarchal society that periods are gross, they suck, it’s normal to have lots of period pain, and that as a result being a woman sucks. Long gone are the rites of passage when a woman gets her first menarche in which important women in a girl’s life share their female wisdom. Instead, most moms shove a box of pads at their daughters and tell them to hope for the best.
No one teaches their daughters the mystery and magic of being a woman— that the menstrual cycle unlocks a whole new set of creative energies that can be very powerful and transformative.
Our Menstrual Cycle is our Superpower
My goal is to reframe the menstrual cycle as a woman’s superpower and not something that we should be ashamed of or hate. Here are a few thoughts I have about the menstrual cycle:
It is our fifth vital sign. Problems with the period and the menstruation cycle, in general, mean that there is a hormonal imbalance that should not be ignored.
Regular ovulation reflects good female health. Physically speaking, ovulation is the most important event in the cycle because it’s the only way women can produce progesterone, which is our calming female sex hormone that helps balance out estrogen.
The menstrual cycle helps us to be more creative, productive, and powerful.
The menstrual cycle reflects our cyclical nature. Women are connected to the rhythms and cycles of nature and our menstrual cycle is a physical reflection of that.
The body is always working for us, not against us.
Without periods we wouldn’t exist! As women, we have learned that periods are a burden that women have to suffer. Well, I’m here to tell you that it is NOT normal to suffer during the period or the premenstrual phase. I want us to change our mentality about periods and the menstrual cycle, that it is not a pain in the ass and it is not just to have babies. If we embrace our cyclical nature and work with the unique energies of each phase we can access our superpowers. The belief that women are crazy, especially before menstruation comes from the ancient Greek philosopher Plato who believed that hysteria was caused by a mourning womb when a woman was not carrying a baby. We now know that hormonal changes during menstruation cause changes to the brain which affect our creativity and productivity, and synchronizing our lives with these hormonal changes can be our superpower.
Women are cyclical by nature
The menstrual cycle can be broken down into four cycles: the follicular, ovulatory, luteal, and menstrual which have traditionally correlated with the four seasons, lunar cycles, and four major female archetypes: the Maiden/ Virgen, the Mother, the Enchantress, and the Wise Woman/ Crone.
An archetype is a typical character, action, or situation that appears to represent universal patterns of human nature. Each of these phases has a unique energy that women can work with to increase their productivity and creativity.
Unfortunately, we live in a male-dominated society that’s more linear and requires a do, do, do mentality. Women’s cyclical nature causes ebbs and flows in energy levels and creativity that are often discordant with the male-oriented way of doing things that can cause hormonal, energetic, and spiritual imbalances. For example, many women suffer from burnout thinking that they have to do it all and be everything to everyone which can result in fatigue, depression, low libido, PMS, and a loss of connection to themselves. Learning about the four female archetypes as they relate to the four phases of the menstrual cycle can help womxn have more ease and flow in their lives.
What is creativity?
Creativity is much more than creating a work of art or having kids. Other types of creativity include:
Problem-solving
Self-expression- clothes, way of talking, way of being and living, etc
Way of thinking and looking at the world
Relationships
Psychic abilities
Art in all of its forms
Ability to create opportunities (jobs, networking, travel, adventures, etc)
Decorating your home and gardening
Cooking
The Four Phases of the Menstrual and Lunar Cycles
Just as hormones change during your cycle, your creativity also changes and that's one of our superpowers. The first two phases are more about building energy and creating while phases three and four are more about reflecting, being intuitive, and slowing down. When a woman doesn’t recharge her batteries and doesn’t create time for herself, hormonal problems can arise such as PMS among other symptoms. That is because our minds and emotions directly affect our hormones. If our energy is off, our body will sense it and our physiology responds accordingly. Like I always say, our bodies are always working for us, not against us. We just have to slow down, listen and course correct.
• Phase 1 (days 1-6 more or less): It is a good time to create a very clear vision of what you want to create and attract.
• Phase 2 (days 6-16 more or less): It is a good time to attract what you want. Then comes the incubation period. For women, it is very important not to launch your ideas and creative inspiration into the world always at once. This incubation period is an important stage of creativity and facilitates the maturation of ideas and prevents us from giving away all our creativity to others without receiving credit or being burned.
• Phase 3 (days 17-22 more or less): It is when you develop your creative vision or project and it is also a good time to be intuitive.
• Phase 4 (days 23-30 more or less): It is good to leave what you do not need or what does not work without remorse. It’s also ideal for being introspective and recharging your batteries.
As you can see in the image above and below, the phases of our cycle correspond to the phases of the moon which is another example of how the menstrual cycle is an intimate physical representation of women’s cyclical nature and women’s connection to nature. I want to mention that not all women have their period on the new moon and there’s nothing wrong with you if you have your period doesn’t correspond with any lunar cycle. It’s simply something that you can begin to notice if your cycle is synchronized with the phases of the moon or not. It is not a bad thing if it is not, but maybe if you start to notice the phases of the moon and connect more with nature, it may be that your menstrual cycle synchronizes with the phases of the moon.
The White Moon corresponds to menstruation that occurs during the new moon and is said to facilitate procreation that can be conceiving a baby or creating a project. The Red Moon corresponds to menstruation that occurs during the full moon and these women are said to be very spiritual. For what it’s worth, I got pregnant while I was a Red Moon bleeder so you can take the White and Red Moons with a grain of salt, but I think it’s something cool to notice.
Before I discuss the main female archetypes, I want to mention each phase lasts between 5 and 7 days or so depending on your unique cycle and hormones and they are fluid. You don't change from one phase to the other abruptly, but rather it’s a gradual transition.
Each woman usually has an archetype that dominates more than another that can cause an emotional, spiritual and/or physical imbalance, so it is important to recognize which archetype is dominant in your life which will likely change throughout your life. For example, if you’re pregnant, the Mother archetype will likely dominate for the next few years. I also want to emphasize that women are not limited to only these four archetypes and perhaps another archetype dominates during a phase that does not correspond to what I will explain and nothing happens. These four female archetypes are those that traditionally relate to the menstrual cycle.
The Female Archetypes
The Maiden/ Virgin
Superpower: manifesting
Follicular phase, Spring, Quarter moon
It is a time of rebirth, and of being very focused, independent, enthusiastic, a free, active, and social soul.
Increase in growth
It is when women are more playful and have a lighter energy
Sex: fun, but there is not necessarily an emotional connection
Goddesses: Artemis, Vesta, Athena, Diana, Aphrodite
Good for: starting projects, socializing, overcoming challenges, learning, physical activity, and getting very clear about what you want to create or attract.
The Mother
• Superpower: Communication and caretaking
• Ovulatory phase, pregnancy, and motherhood, Summer, Full moon
• Maternal energy, love, fertility, being receptive and a caregiver
• Sex: there is a strong emotional connection and physical pleasure, romance
• Goddesses: Lakshmi, Parvati, Ceres, Hera, Isis, Hathor
• Good for it is a good time to be very creative and make your creative ideas come true, it is also good to connect with the community and family, and support others
This phase is about not being selfish and the joy of caring for others. You can also have a more intimate connection with nature. If a woman rejects this archetype in her life, she is not aware of the deep bonds of sharing and caring for others. Conversely, if this archetype dominates, a woman may lack ambition or self-esteem in matters beyond the home and family. She may also become burnt out taking care of others if she does not take care of herself first.
The Enchantress
• Superpower: Execution
• Luteal phase, autumn, waning moon
• Intuitive energy and introspection
• Sex: erotic, you leave the need to care, more primitive or animal
• Imbalance: premenstrual syndrome, irritability, mood swings, anger and jealousy
• Goddesses: Lilith, the mermaid, or the “wild” woman
• Good for: self-care, alone time, resting and doing less physical activity, recharging the batteries, finishing projects, reflecting, creating rituals for yourself, sleeping and listening to intuition and seduction
This phase usually has a negative connotation as it relates to the premenstrual phase of women’s cycles which may not always be a pleasant time. The Enchantress is believed by many to be destructive and angry (and that comes from Plato's old idea of women and hysteria) when in fact it is a very powerful phase that can scare many, especially men. If we reject this part of ourselves and if we don't get enough rest, hormonal problems, fatigue, and mood swings that are associated with PMS often appear. They can also show up if the woman has repressed the creativity that needs to be released.
Interestingly, high levels of progesterone and estrogen during the luteal phase facilitate flexible and analytical thinking. But high mental activity can also end anxiety, restlessness, or lack of concentration if the woman doesn’t know what to do with her own thoughts or does not know how to relax and disconnect.
This phase also shows that each woman has an aspect of light and shadow and one is not better than the other. This phase and the phase of the Wise Woman are the darkest phases, which is why they are associated with autumn and winter. This time is about more self-reflection and letting go of what we don't need instead of putting all our energy out into the world, which is difficult to achieve in our patriarchal world. It is also a time to analyze our shadows, which are the parts of us that we hide or that remain in our subconscious and need our attention.
If a woman does not express this archetype, she could encounter destructive tendencies that can be mental or physical, such as violence, compulsive behavior, or little tolerance for others.
The Wise Woman/ Crone
• Superpower: intuition, reflection, wisdom
• Menstruation and menopause, winter and the New Moon
• The main creativity is more visionary than external in which you are better able to see patterns and gain wisdom.
• Sex: magical, sensual
• Imbalance: period like a lot of pain and blood, irritability, bad mood, anger, depression, being too lonely or living in a fantasy world
• Goddesses: Hecate, Kali, and any grandmother from folk tales
• Good for Recharging batteries, releasing physical and energy things, planting seeds for future projects, saving energy, reflecting on the past month, creating a ritual during menstruation, appreciating your intuition, having vivid dreams, enjoying time alone
During menstruation, you are naturally more tired and therefore it is a good time to rest and dream. Our society works more in a masculine world and therefore our society does not appreciate the importance of this phase because it requires us to slow down, reflect and be intuitive instead of putting forth a lot of effort and do, do, do constantly.
This phase is also associated with the circle of life and death. Many Westerns cultures are very afraid of death, but in reality, it is necessary for the circle of life to continue. In the case of menstruation, we continue with a new menstrual cycle after our period. Physically, it is the death of the endometrium in the case of menstruation, or the death of fertility in the case of menopause. Without death we have no rebirth. Wise women have a lot of experience and have already experienced the other archetypes and therefore carry a lot of knowledge about life with her. Or in the case of the menstruating woman, once you’ve gotten your period, you can take the time to reflect on what you’ve learned over the past month.
Rituals to make your period more sacred and pleasurable
Bath with essential oils
Teas with lavender, rose flower, passionflower, or chamomile
Write reflections, gratitude, poems, or mystical musings in a diary
Order food from your favorite restaurant
Prepare yourself your favorite dessert
Connect with your best friend
Yoga and gentle movement
Meditate
Create a menstruation playlist
Therapeutic treatments (massage, acupuncture, etc)
Tracking your cycle
There are many ways to track your cycle today thanks to modern technology. There are mobile apps in which you enter data such as when the period begins, menstrual and cervical flow, symptoms such as cramps, fatigue, libido, etc. and body temperature. It is a good way to be aware of some patterns and to know when your fertile window is. I recommend these apps for women who do not take hormonal contraceptives, are looking to conceive or just want to get to know their cycle and hormones better. These apps are also great for tracking patterns and seeing if something is awry or pinpointing diet and lifestyle factors that could have negative effects on your hormones like poor sleep, stress, lack of exercise, etc.
Another way is to write everything on a paper that you can download from the internet. Google Fertility Awareness Method cycle tracking sheets and you will find downloadable documents you can easily print and fill out. Day 1 is the first day of the period and every day you mark the menstrual or cervical flow, the basal temperature that you take before getting up, and when you see a temperature peak of around 0.3ºC for at least 3 days in a row you know that you have ovulated. Many women like the ritual of writing everything on paper and creates a good visual representation as you can see in the image. You can even get really fancy and color-code your menstrual phases.
Another way is called Moon Dial that was created by the author of the book "The Red Moon" Miranda Gray. On a piece of paper, you draw a circle with lines that represent each day of the menstrual cycle like pizza slices. In each triangle, you write down the day of the cycle, the date, the phase of the moon and your state of mind, and any other observation that you want to write down such as your energy level, dreams, health, and sexuality. You can also paint with four different colors to mark the different phases of the cycle. Pinterest also has a lot of other ideas and inspiration so let your imagination run wild!
I know that traditional paper methods take longer to do, but it is worth it because it is therapeutic and a very good way to get to know your cycle.
Benefits of Tracking Your Cycle
Better knowledge of your body and cyclical nature
More self-care
More mindfulness about your emotions and physical symptoms and how to take care of yourself
Better understanding of when to be productive
Empowerment
Appreciation for your menstrual cycle
Better understanding of women’s cyclical nature and how to flow more in your life
How to take advantage of your cyclical nature
Understand and appreciate the hormonal and energetic changes that occur in every phase.
Maintain a positive attitude about your cycle, especially during the premenstrual and menstrual phases.
Accept your cyclical nature as a woman.
Express your feelings, thoughts, creativity and desires freely.
Instead of judgiing yourself, reflect.
Start to organize your life around your cycle.
Write down your experiences and observations during your cycle and notice any patterns.
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