As happens with many adolescent girls, I found myself at 15 years of age with terrible acne and was swiftly put on the contraceptive pill, which I stayed on for over 10 years. At 26, once I’d really cleaned up my diet and lifestyle, I intuitively felt that in order to feel aligned with my values of health and wellness, I’d need to stop taking this little pill every day. So I came off it.
And as I’ve shared here on the blog before, my period took an entire year to return. I spent this 12 months yearning for a flow, trying to figure out what I could do to bring it back. After so many years of complaining about my period and even skipping it for months at a time, I was desperate to get it back.
And with patience and self care, it returned. (You can read about my period party here!) It took another 12 whole months to become regular again and pain free, but I didn’t mind, I was just so thrilled to feel in the flow again. To have a cycle. To learn more about these different sensations and new states of being I was experiencing at various times of the month.
You see, while on the contraceptive pill, a woman does not ovulate. And as I had only experienced a short year of menstruating before going on the pill, this was a whole new, wild world to me when I began to truly experience a natural cycle for the first time. I could feel my sexual desire and sociability increase at ovulation and my mood become erratic leading up to menstruation. I marvelled at how my breasts and abdomen changed shape over the course of the month and realised with excitement that I could harness the intense burst of energy I consistently felt right after the release of my menses.
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So what has our menstrual cycle got to do with the moon?
What really fascinated me at this time, was the synchronisation between my menstrual cycle and the lunar cycle. In fact, my period had initially returned after that year of no bleeding, on a full moon. And as it began to regulate itself, it consistently came back to this pattern of bleeding at a full moon and ovulating at a new moon. I had heard about this happening to women before, but experiencing it myself was a totally different ball game. I felt so unbelievably feminine and open and wild.
Digging a little deeper, I discovered that a women’s menstrual cycle is the same length as a lunar cycle, around 28 – 29 days.
In fact, it’s been said that before electricity, the light of the full moon would trigger ovulation and women would bleed at a new moon. In Healing Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: An Ancestral Guide to a Modern Woman’s Dilemma, holistic nutritionist Dr. Kate Callaghan shares that sleeping with the curtains drawn at a full moon, may actually help to encourage a woman’s natural flow. (You can find more about that eBook here).
Unfortunately in the western world, we have somewhat lost our connection as women to both nature and the moon. Traditionally in many cultures, the moon holds sacred significance to the goddess and the female. For thousands of years we lived in the open, amongst the trees and the stars and the earth and the ocean, so it’s easy to see how modern society has become so detached from this wild, natural way of living.
Imaged sourced from Pinterest. Artist unknown.
The moon is symbolic of the birth, emergence, death and rebirth cycle. Every month the lunar phases follow the self-renewing, cyclic and creative pattern of life, as do our own menstrual cycles. And with this cyclical nature, comes the ebb and flow. As each phase is different to the last, so too are our energy levels and capacity for creativity. Learning how to flow in harmony with these patterns and use the most appropriate amount of energy that is available to us at each phase is far more sustainable and efficient, than expecting ourselves to be at full throttle all month.
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So how can you use your menstrual cycle and the phases of the moon to enhance and nurture your creativity and wild nature?
Let’s take a closer look at the lunar cycle by exploring the new moon and full moon phases. You might already know that the moon has a gravitational pull on the earth and that this is strongest at a new moon and full moon, when the moon is closest to the earth.
A new moon is the beginning of the lunar cycle. It is the perfect time to set new intentions and dreams, goals and plans or begin or launch new projects. A new moon is also a yang time, so it is great for taking action. Each yang phase is always followed by a yin phase, which are times for receptivity, rest and turning inwards.
It has been said that traditionally in many cultures, women have gathered together at a new moon – when many women menstruate – to use their collective energy to tap into their divine feminine power. I have a new moon circle with three of my closest female friends, and we use this time together each month to share and set new intentions and celebrate our sisterhood. We burn what we’re ready to let go of, we laugh and feast on good food and nothing is censored. I always walk away from these evenings feeling recharged, reconnected and re-inspired.
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Now let’s take a look at the full moon. A full moon is the peak of the lunar cycle. Everything in our lives becomes illuminated and it too is a time for expression and release. My Mum is a nurse in the emergency ward of a hospital and she would always tell us that on a full moon, they’d increase the amount of staff on a shift because of the unpredictability of patients. Many people find that this erratic energy actually helps to amplify their creativity! I’ve read of songwriters using the entire 3 – 4 days of a full moon phase to get most of their writing done and then spending the new moon compiling, editing and revising their work.
Personally, I have found that full moons are a time for rest and retreat, for looking inwards and moving a little slower. This is also the time when I am menstruating, so I am extra gentle with myself, knowing that a burst of energy is on its way. In fact, I always get a surge of clarity and energy right after a full moon, so I find that the more rest I give myself at the full moon phase, the more creative energy I have throughout the rest of the month. As I personally ovulate on a new moon, there is a lot of new-ness then and a strong desire to co-create – in more ways than one!
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Let’s break the menstrual cycle down even further!
In her eBook Let’s Go Menstrual, Miranda Gray (who is also the author of Red Moon: Understanding and Using the Creative, Sexual and Spiritual Gifts of the Menstrual Cycle) divides the menstrual cycle into four phases, or four seasons. The Winter phase is day 1 – 6, when we are bleeding and feeling withdrawn and reflective and want to do very little. The Spring phase is from day 7 – 13 and this is when we have more energy, feel great in our bodies and more likely to take action.
The Summer phase is from day 14 – 20, when we are ovulating. We feel loving, empathetic, warm and most likely want to get out and be social. Finally, the Autumn phase is from day 21 – 28, which takes us right up until the day before we start bleeding again. Again, we begin to turn inwards and feel more tired and emotional. You might also feel really creative in this time, but more in a reflective way than outward and expressive. Gray shares that allocating her most creative week in her cycle purely to writing, resulted in having her first book published! I love love love that we can tap into this power.
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Remember, it is important to trust your intuition and be mindful of how your body responds creatively, hormonally, emotionally and spiritually throughout the month and with the natural cycles around you.
Can you see how we can never, ever expect our mood and emotion and energy to be consistent and calm and linear all throughout the month? It just ain’t gonna happen.
We are cyclical beings and whatever your cycle looks like right now is perfect. I find that jotting down the current lunar phase and day of my menstrual cycle in my journal helps for reflection, observation and discovering creative patterns within my self.
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This post is an excerpt from my very-soon-to-be-released eCourse Wild, Well & Creative: Fearlessly & Deliciously Create From The Heart. Think audio and video training, planners and tools and tutorials and an amazing community of like-minded souls. If you’re ready to embark on an adventure devoted to nurturing and expressing your unique creativity, I’d love for you to join us! Click here to join the VIP list and get first dibs on early bird pricing and bonuses. We’re launching so-super-soon!
And tell me in the comments below, have you noticed a connection between your menstrual cycle and the lunar phases? I’m so interested to know!
Claire x
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Hi,
Reading this resonated with me so much, I went on the pill at 16yrs and stayed on it for 15 years! I have had problems with my cycle for the last 6-7 years of my life, and I have been off the pill for the last 2 of those but the doctors have no idea what is wrong. I have still not settled back into a cycle. In fact I have not had a period for almost 3 months now. I am desperate to try and get it back, but feel lost. This article has made me think about the up’s and down’s of my energy and emotions, and maybe I can read these to see if my body is still going through its only monthly cycle.
Thank you xx
Hi Tessa, thanks for sharing your story here. It does take time and for some people, quite a long time. I really found that patience is key – and taking the best care of your body that you can. I also saw a Dr. Chinese Medicine/acupuncturist who really helped too. All the best! x
And yes – as you say, tuning into your emotions and energy and listening to your body… A beautiful place to start! For more reasons than one 🙂
THANK YOU CLAIRE! Loved reading this article, it is so true everything you wrote. My cycle has always been consistent with the moon but last year I went through a terribly traumatic time with my partner and my cycle went crazy lasting 20 days at a time with only 1 week break before starting again. For 8 months I tried herbal remedies through my naturopath, to no avail. I went to my doctor and decided to go on the pill for 6 months to try and realign my cycle (I was desperate). I’ve just come off the pill and I feel very flat but my cycle has happily returned. I look forward to feeling like myself again soon.
Hey Nicole, wow! Aren’t our bodies amazing?! Thrilled to hear your cycle has returned and all the best for from here onwards! x
Love love love this post, I too suffered ammenhorea, for 9 years, and throughout this time longed for the cycle I once hated so much to return. I was so delighted when I realized that the first period I had after this time was on the new moon 🙂
Ooohhhh LOVE THAT! I used to think it was some kind of myth that we synced with the moon, but noooo way. It’s amazing! x
Great Read and yay for putting it out there. The pill never agreed with me, and from a young age I had to steer clear, I was sick a lot of the time and never felt right, I was about 19 when I decided I was never going to go down that road again and have been pill free since then… probably why I have four beautiful babes 🙂
I have always been moon aligned, usually with the new moon but over the last few years I had been having issues and the grief I would feel about 4-5 days before bleeding was – Oh my gosh!!! I experience that same kick of wonderful, sparkling energy the day after my period begins and it is amazing but when I am bleeding it’s like I turn to a soft, squishy, melty thing – which has always frustrated me until recently when I decided to listen to my body and rest when it told me too, be gentle when I felt gentle and a fiery over achieving goddess when I felt like one…it’s actually such a great feeling to harness that power… to allow yourself the freedom to be a girl 🙂 you are right!
I love the analogy to the seasons… That is something I will forever reference…spot on!
Thanks for writing about this Claire, it is something I think so many beautiful women go through and struggle with but rarely talk about so openly! Love ya work x
You are so very welcome Kerry. For some people it might be “too much” to talk about periods and whatnot, but I actually love it. That hasn’t always been the case though! Thank you for sharing your beautiful story – you’ve created four beautiful humans, how amazing! – and I’m glad you like the season analogy, it is so spot on for me. Big love! x
Awesome post babe!! I love that idea of the four phases of our cycle… Makes SO much sense!
I need to get myself a copy of that ebook. Thank you for sharing gorgeous. xx
Yeah, it’s SO good! Today I began my autumn phase and I can really feel that desire to retreat start to build… I find it much softer than saying ‘I am getting PMS!!!’ hahaha. Love you x
Really enjoyed reading this post Claire. I haven’t had my period back since having Andie May in February and this has made me realise not to fear because I’m sure to feel more feminine again once it returns which I’m now looking forward to! It has all made a lot of sense to me now why I might be feeling a bit flat. Loved learning more about the moon too as I always thought the phrase “strange things are happening, is it a full moon tonight?” was just a joke but this was actually super interesting. Sending love x
Hello lovely!! So happy to hear you got something out of this post, we can only begin to imagine the “balancing” and also deep wisdom that is occurring in our body after giving birth. Big love to you too honey, miss you guys xo
Great post Claire! I have pcos and my cycles vary widely, but I’ve been interested in the moon cycles for a few months now, especially as were trying to pro-create a baby, so this has inspired me even more. Thanks so much for sharing lovely xx
Most welcome!! All the best with your baby making adventure, how exciting! xo
Great read!
I’m going through that process of finding/creating a natural cycle after being on the pill for 13 years. Like you, I’m completely fascinated by the process. Watching my body change at the various stage of the cycle and seeing what happens when things actually work has been completely enthralling for me.
I’m not yet at the point that my cycle follows the moon, but I love that explanation you shared about seasons and stages of the cycle. Really interesting! Thankyou for writing about your journey with the pill and finding your cycle – I keep coming back to your posts to read during my own. x
I always seem to find things just as I need them. I’ve been craving to find some more info that is beautifully written and succinct, so thank you so much for this Claire! I think i may need to start paying more attention to my menstrual cycle and the moon cycle I’m about to hit Winter dead on and I was wondering about the full moon and my cycle x
LOVED this post Claire!
Menstrual cycles + the Moon = MY favourite topics!! 🙂 🙂 Haha!
I also now have three other tabs open with the links to those books you mentioned. I’ll be diving into those!
Our menstrual cycles are one of the most magical, insightful gifts and tools. I hope the women of the future don’t have their’s repressed and hidden away like ours were (by the pill) and thus get to experience them in their entirety.
I sometimes get a little sad that I didn’t have access to all this information in my teens and early twenties…but I’m so grateful it’s here now and the lessons are all the richer!
Thank you again for sharing your magic xoxo
Beginners Guide: How to start living your life by the moon
[…] lunar cycle (This is a whole other topic in itself – I love the way Claire Baker sums it up here). Which is why accessing and exploring the various stages of the lunar cycle can be so much more […]
Thank you so much for your posts and keeping us updated with your post-pill issues. It has given me so much hope. I stopped the pill on April 2015 so I’m on the 11th month after stopping and even though I have gotten periods, I have been very sad that they are all irregular from 35 days to 72 my longest 🙁 I never had irregular periods before the pill and I can tell you it is so far the thing I regret the most in my life, specially because I want to have children asap. You gave me hope at your periods finally regulating. I truly hope mines do soon.
All the best.