patterns within patterns
“Traditionally, the Moontime is the sacred time of woman when she is honored as a Mother of the Creative Force. During this time she is allowed to release the old energy her body has carried and prepare for reconnection to the Earth Mother’s fertility that she will carry in the next Moon or month. Our Ancestors understood the importance of allowing each woman to have her Sacred Space during this time of reconnection, because women were the carriers of abundance and fertility…”
“As Grandmother Moon is the weaver of tides (the water or blood of our Earth Mother) so a woman’s cycles follow the rhythm of that weaving. When women live together in a common space, their bodies begin to regulate their menses and all will eventually have their Moontime concurrently. This natural rhythm is one of the bonds of Sisterhood.”
“Women honor their sacred path when they acknowledge the intuitive knowing inherent in their receptive nature. In trusting the cycles of their bodies and allowing the feelings to emerge within them, women have been Seers and Oracles for their tribes for centuries.”
~Jamie Sams from Sacred Path Cards: The Discovery of Self Through Native Teachings
Harmonizing with your cycles
If you do not menstruate but want to work with these tools you can use the moon to guide you (ie; New Moon would be your Menstrual Phase/Winter and Full Moon, Ovulation/Summer or vice versa… see what feels good for you).
moon time // Menstrual // winter
This is a time of deep inquiry and REST. Review your accomplishments this month. What areas need more attention? Think of as a 2nd stage 6 line.
The Collective: Dive into all the journaling prompts throughout and see what comes up. Reflect. Sit in silence and tune in. Utilize the deconditioning practices to support releasing what is no longer in alignment.
Food: Soups and stews topped with 1/2 an avocado, foods that are easy to digest and assimilate, low glycemic + red foods.
Movement: Easy walks or, ya know, napping.
Practice: As much as you can schedule time to rest and restore for at least day 1 but if you can the first couple of days. Wear loose fitting clothes, especially around your mid section to give your body some space to do her thing.
If you can't take the first day off, at least take some time within it for quiet solitude.
Meditate. Journal. Soak in a warm bath with epsom and herbs and gemstones. Scream into a pillow. Have a cup of nourishing tea. Have an orgasm. Sit amongst the trees, feeling the sun warm your face and your womb space. Dance it out. Read prose. Bring beauty into your space with fresh flowers. Connect with your intuition, your deep inner knowing. The veil is thin during our moon time so pay attention to signs and inner knowings, get creative, ask questions and listen for the answers. Make + eat nourishing food.
Let yourself bleed out. My switch to period underwear many years ago was the best move!
Make a gratitude list.
Tune in to your intuitive gifts.
Subconscious work + deep level problem solving.
Make time for reflection.
Notice. Does your cycle tend to coincide with a particular phase of the moon?
cramping
This practice from one of my fave ND’s
Anti-spasmodic herbs like catnip, rosemary, motherwort, raspberry leaf and ginger as teas.
Tincture of cramp bark.
Golden Milk (full fat coconut milk (or other alternative milk + spoon of ghee… the fat is important) warmed on the stove, with 1 1/2 tsp turmeric, pinch of black pepper + sweetened with monk fruit to taste)
Hot water bottle, warm bath, or hot shower
food + herbs
When it comes to healthy cycles we want to really nourish ourselves. Pay attention to your Determination AND also listen in for what serves you, many of us are really under nourished in many ways. Eating nutrient dense food and supporting ourself with minerals will help create balance + well-being in our hormones.
Eating a healthy nourishing breakfast within 30 minutes to an hour of waking is key for hormone health, even if a smoothie. Let it set the tone for the rest of your day. Skipping meals creates imbalance in the endocrine and nervous system.
Eat seasonally when you can (especially my Open/Closed Determination folks). You can check out Spring for lots of good tips on eating whole foods and what we typically want to leave out of our diet (hello PUFA’s!). Eat or supplement with whole food vitamin C. Eat healthy fats like avocado.
I eat quite a bit of fruit but avoid processed sugar for the most part (though I don’t restrict myself times when I really want it, and when I do indulge I try to do so in healthier and/or in decadent ways rather than on processed crap that doesn’t really scratch the itch).
Stay hydrated with coconut water, green juices, infusions and high quality spring mineral water that is preferably structured.
Drink an infusion
Put a tbsp each of a few herbs in a large mason jar, pour over some hot water and let them soak for 4 hours. Strain and enjoy. Some of my favorites for a healthy MOON TIME are: raspberry leaf, nettle, oat straw, lemon balm, motherwort, red clover, ginger, chamomile + burdock.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
We were born to make manifest the glory of {spirit} that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”
cycles cont…
Supporting yourself all month will help nourish + create a healthful menstrual cycle. A healthy ovulation is key for a healthy cycle so what we do throughout influences how our moon time plays out.
Follicular // Spring
The time directly following your moon time. A good time to prepare, daydream, brainstorm, research, get clarity, take classes, set intentions for the month, actualize ideas, marking tasks off yoru to do’s. Getaways + adventures. Planning, think 1 line energy.
The Collective: Make a plan for what you want to focus on this month inside The Collective. Get clarity on what you’d like to call in.
Food: Fresh foods; lightly sautéed or steamed + sauerkraut daily.
Movement: Fun Cardio
Practice: Visualization from Actionable Steps and/or thinking about what you want to create while meditating on gratitude and open hearted/good vibrations + coherence.
+ Listen to something inspiring.
Ovulation // Summer
A good time for creativity and community. Collaborations, socializing, first dates, self love, beautifying, leading events, asking for a raise, having an important convo, going on interviews, writing copy, recording content are all highly supported during ovulation. We typically feel our most extroverted, magnetic and confident selves. Go have some fun! Think 4 line energy.
The Collective: Focus on the actionable steps inside Manifest | Create | Align; utilize this time when you are most magnetic to be in a high vibration to align with your desires as well as whatever you’ve chosen as your focus this month.
Food: Think summer salads and fresh raw ingredients. Limit the grains and heavy carbs.
Movement: Get in your more intense workouts + cultivate flexibility.
Practice: Dry brush to stimulate lymph as well as lymphatic massage and/or gua sha. I’ve linked a couple of my favorite resources.
LUTEAL PHASE
A good time for getting shit done! Nest, clear, tidy. Tackle the things you’ve been putting off. Finish up a project. Knock stuff off your to-do list. Concretize manifestations. Connecting to synchronicities and magic. You may find as you move through your luteal phase you begin to retreat a bit more, this is normal. I tend to record less videos during my luteal phase ;) Think 2 line energy.
The Collective: Shadow work + deconditioning or deep diving in The Meeting Ground, emotional hygiene.
Food: Think fall vibes lots of root vegetables, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, hearty greens and well-cooked cruciferous vegetables. Your body needs more calories at this time so make sure you are getting enough. Support estrogen detox (see below).
Cut back on sugar, salt, alcohol, dairy and processed foods to cultivate an easeful cycle.
Movement: Yoga, pilates and gentle forms of movement, walking, gentle rebounding to get circulation moving, the SPC.
Practice: Castor oil packs to support your liver, infrared saunas, red light therapy and getting good sleep!
red tent
“The great mother whom we call Innana gave a gift to woman that is not known among men, and this is the secret of blood. The flow at the dark of the moon, the healing blood of the moon’s birth - to men, this is flux and distemper, bother and pain. They imagine we suffer and consider themselves lucky. We do not disabuse them.
In the red tent, the truth is known. In the red tent, where days pass like a gentle stream, as the gift of Innana courses through us, cleansing the body of last month’s death, preparing the body to receive the new month’s life, women give thanks — for repose and restoration, for the knowledge that life comes from between our legs, and that life costs blood.”
― Anita Diamant
frequency support
These are some suggestions based on the Healy + the MagHealy.
other practices
Get out in nature
Get good nourishing sleep.
Say no. It’s a full sentence.
Keep a journal of your cycles, even just one sentence a day on how you are feeling and watch for patterns.
Support your liver with castor oil packs + tea of burdock, dandelion root, and yellow dock root
Support your moods with teas of rose, lemon balm and tulsi
Get your eyes in the sunshine first thing in the morning. Get 30 minutes of sunlight daily on your bare skin. Use blue blocking technology at night. Replace your bulbs with incandescent ones, put a red or orange bulb in your bedroom, use flux or other blue blocking technologies on your screens at night. Watch this on environmental injuries.
Prioritize a good bedtime.
Support your Nervous System (see 30 days of support saved to my IG highlights - NS❤️)
Chew. Your. Food. More than you think.
Connect to the Moon + your unique archetypes associated.
This Is The Space for balance.
experiment with Seed cycling:
Days 1-14 // Pumpkin Seeds + Flax
Days 14 on Sesame + Sunflower
- Check out my favorite garnish Gomashio in the Sacral Workshop.
Detox excess estrogen
if they agree with you, eat beans regularly to help flush out toxins and excess hormones. You can also add other insoluble fiber to your diet like psyllium husk to smoothies or drink husk first thing in water (add chlorella for a boost).
raw carrots are another one that is said to help flush out endotoxins and excess estrogen. Enjoy a carrot salad (coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, sea salt) daily or a raw carrot (chewed well).
Resources and References:
Books:
Taking Charge of Your Fertility (for tracking)
Additional: