The menstrual cycle contains the experiences of Maiden, Mother, & Crone within itself. These primordial archetypes of Goddess enliven and inform us of different phases of women’s creative power. Each cycle we are Maiden, made new with the development of possible egg-babies, and with pheromones and fertile mucus for attracting a mate to fertilize them. We are Mother after ovulation, in the phase that prepares and maintains the nurturing womb. And we are Crone when our hormones plummet if pregnancy doesn’t occur, with the emptying of juice and form while filling with subtle, intuitive heart potential.
By bringing awareness & care into the menstrual cycle, we also gain in experience that will serve us if we ever become pregnant. Healthy nutrition, maintaining energetic balance, nurturing herbs, adequate exercise & rest, relaxation practice -- all serve in both situations.
Pregnancy, then, is the fulfilled form of that Mother/luteal phase, when sperm has successfully merged with ripe egg and developing zygote has implanted firmly into receptive uterine lining. It is the long time of nurturing the dream. Even if pregnancy was not planned or desired, it is still the animal dream of the body to reproduce.
This extra juicy, growing pregnancy phase fills the body with more blood, more heart, more weight, and bigger feet. An actual inner ocean of amniotic fluid forms within the amniotic sac and our evolving babies swim in it until they are born and land on solid ground. The intimate physical connection between mother and baby is mediated by the amazing multiple functions of the placenta.
The last month of pregnancy is often a time associated with discomforts of being full to overflowing—just as premenstrually many women experience the heaviness of their engorged womb, dropping downward a bit from the change of their hormones.
The emotional changes of the fertility cycle can prepare us for dealing with pregnancy feelings. Women who listen to themselves with awareness and care for themselves adequately find that heightened emotional sensitivity is not necessarily a call to bitchiness (although that too can be useful). It can be an opportunity to hear themselves more clearly in respect to what in their lives serves them & what does not. More alone time is a common need that women easily overlook at other times of their lives which may become more pressing during pre-bleeding & pre-birthing.
Giving birth is an enhanced form of the menstrual phase, when what has been grown inside is now ready to be released, even pushed, out into the world. Women who have experienced the inward, downward pulling of energy during moon bleeding will be familiar with that feeling in its greatly intensified form during labor. Healthy menstrual practices help preserve the balance of this key energy for pregnancy & birth. Those who have experienced menstrual cramps and found ways to come to terms with them will recognize the early labor sensation of the cervix beginning to open as a familiar one, not so scary. This brings the relaxed familiarity to early labor often considered possible only for those who have already given birth.
Allowed a deep inwardness, our instincts can guide our posture & movements and provide safe passageway for our creation, just as women guided inwardly during menses can find the right physical and emotional attitude to menstruate with more ease and grace. As the baby and placenta are released, a great emptiness is created in our body, even as our heart expands with instinctual, hormonal love. We flow with so large a postpartum “menses” as part of that huge emptying and flow with milk as part of that heart expansion.
Learning from and cultivating awareness during our cycles thus prepares us for pregnancy and birth. It increases our creative potential as Maiden, Mother, and Crone, whether we ever give birth physically or not.
No comments:
Post a Comment