By Jamelle Zablow-Moloney
June 20, 2022
The female cycle changes a woman's entire being throughout its duration, influencing and reshaping her Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical bodies both throughout the month as well as from one month to another.behavior changeavior, energy levels, emotional response, and mood that we all experience are due to the changes outlined in the four menses phases. Although you may remember all you need to know about these stages of the cycle from Middle School Health, there are great implications for the connection between these four phases and the Sacred Timings of the Earth.
Menstruation Phase
The first phase of the menses cycle is when the uterine lining sheds and bleeding occurs for typically 2 to 7 days. During this phase, most women experience less energy due to the dip in progesterone, estrogen, and ATP, all of which go on to provide the body with optimal energy, strength, and vitality to carry out daily tasks during the ovulatory phase. The dip in these hormones contributes to more fatigue, which can then translate into bitterness and moodiness as she is required to repeat her days with a depleted energy source that needs to be resting and reflecting. During this time the capacity to reason and strategically plan is lowered as her bodies, physical and energetic, live in the rest and release mode.
Are you familiar with the Directional Wheels used by our ancestors from across the globe?
Which directional element does this phase line up with for you?
Which phase of the moon are you bleeding with?
Follicular Phase
The second phase of the menses cycle is the follicular phase when the follicles that carry the egg are being created. This is when the body receives a steady increase in estrogen and vitality, and when the mental and emotional bodies begin to come back online, metaphorically speaking, to realign with the woman's waking world. During this 10-17 day phase, the ability to take planned action and to create is reinvigorated and you may find yourself organizing your weekly dinner menu and cleaning up your pantry more consistently.
Which moon phase does this part of the cycle line up with for you?
Which element do you see represented in this phase's traits?
Ovulatory Phase
The third phase of the menses is when the woman is at her peak. The egg is being led to the uterus. It is peak fertilization time, and estrogen, FSH, and luteinizing hormones are shining their brightest. At this time, you have more energy and are ready to get the job done. This is the time to negotiate, take the risk, and complete the grunt work. You may find yourself cleaning more during this period of 1-3 days and would have the capacity to carry through with more physical tasks. At this stage in the monthly cycle, all four bodies, the Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical, are at their optimal health and working together in synchrony. The completion of goals comes into sight as we wrap up loose ends, preparing our bodies for ovulation and then eventually rest again. At the end of this phase and the beginning of the next, if impregnation does not occur, the body sheds the egg, making room for what is to come with the next ovulatory cycle.
Which element do you see represented in this phase's traits?
Which moon phase are you ovulating with?
Luteal Phase
The final phase of the mense cycle is the Luteal phase, the 10-17 day phase before bleeding again occurs. During this phase, progesterone and LH peak and the physical and emotional bodies come into their ultimate bond. For the next 10-17 days, we are feeling it all. This is a time to do shadow work and let the emotions flow out so that the mind, heart, and body are clear for the following phase of productive rest. During the Luteal phase, the woman's brain thrives the most in neuroplasticity, which makes this the optimal time for learning new things, getting those books read, looking into the past, and learning from our elders. A woman's energy then begins to wind down once more as it approaches the end of this phase, creating the perfect environment to begin contemplating how projects have gone, assessing what needs to change, and giving her many thanks.
Which moon phase does this part of the cycle line up with for you?
Which element do you see represented in this phase's traits?
Menopause
The beautiful thing about Menopause is that we still get to reap the benefits of lining ourselves up with a Directional Wheel and the moon phases without the intensity of the physical cycle. Because a woman bleeds for most of her life, the body will stay in the swing after the bleeding stops, just in more subtle ways. As the cycle of potential continues for women after menopause, the Directional Wheel and Moon Cycles hold their most important value. The synchrony of the female body is that as it ages, its intuition strengthens, giving the post-menopause female a bonded access to her body that she didn't have before. Studying the influencing traits of the seasons and moon phases on your body can provide you with a system of planning that is aligned to the planet if you are not already naturally hooked up to one. Through this planetary alignment, you are then able to access your full potential of creation. If you would like to learn more about how to sync your subtle cycles with the elements, join my Sacred Rhythms Circle each month!
The Earthly Cycles
Each of these menstrual phases will line up with the moon phases differently for most women, and each of them will speak to the Earthly elements in a unique way. Knowing about the influences of the Earth, Fire, Water, and Air elements, as well as the influences of each moon cycle, will help you understand your potential to harness your powers of manifestation at their greatest peak, as well as when to give your body the rest it inherently needs at the right time.
There are many different types of directional Wheels to look to, and if you already have one integrated into your life, I urge you to investigate how it lines up with your cycles and the timings of the planet. Personally, I use a wheel that follows the configuration of the Soul Quest Wheel shown below, which places Earth in the North, Fire in the East, Water in the South, and Air in the West. I was taught with this configuration and find it to be the most accurate when lining up the seasonal
cycles, the moon cycles, and the cycles of my own month. However, there are many different wheels that can be incorporated into your physical and planning cycles from all over the world. Perhaps your own ancestors followed a specific wheel for their ceremonies. http://www.drakeinnerprizes.com/shamanmw.htm provides a wealth of different wheels if you are interested in exploring.
Sacred Rhythms
In the monthly Sacred Rhythms Circle, we explore all of the pieces to this glorious feminine puzzle including how our cycles sync with Directional Wheels,
the traits of the elements and directions,
the Phases of the Moon, the benefits of energetic cleansing, physical cleansing practices, and how to harness each of these factors in order to:
1. create right timing for yourself and
2. tap into the hidden potential of the flame within!
We hope you'll join our monthly Sacred Circle, and in the meantime, Happy Healing!
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