Re-Program Your Inner Patriarchal Repression, Opt-out of Overworking, & Embody Ease and Pleasure (Part 2/2)
In Part 1 we talked about opting out of the dominant paradigm that keeps us all overextended and stressed. We covered why you’d want to de-program the patriarchal repression you’ve been carrying by fully reclaiming your cyclical feminine power.
Today I’m going to break down exactly how to relax into your feminine flow, how to organize your life using the “seasons” of your cycle, and how to invoke the unique powers of each phase.
Make sure you download your free PDF guide Moon Cycle Magic after you read this! In it you’ll find a quick reference sheet for the seasons of your cycle, a moon cycle tracking mandala, and all of the lunar phases for the rest of 2020!
The Archetypal Feminine Cycle
This information is about an archetypal female hormonal cycle. Your cycle may differ and that is perfectly ok. No cycle is perfect, and there are endless variations. See this as a stepping off point for exploring and understanding yourself and your own rhythms more fully.
Not every woman / womxn has a hormonal cycle. There are so many reasons why a person might not have a hormonal cycle, from menopause, to health issues, to personal choice, and more.
If you do not have a hormonal cycle for whatever reason, that is perfectly ok and this information is definitely still relevant for anyone who wants to live in a more cyclical, feminine* and embodied way.
If you do not have a hormonal cycle, you can use the phases of the moon to organize your life in a cyclic way, as described below.
As an archetype, this is also a way of conceptualizing the cycles of your month, year and your life. As within, so without… the archetypal feminine cycle is reflected like a holograph from within our own bodies and individual cycles, to the cycles of the moon, to the seasons of the year as the earth turns, and probably even to the cycles of the universe.
(*Remember when I use the term “feminine” in this context I’m referring to energetic principles that are present in every human – it’s not about gender! You might also have heard the terms yin/yang or shakti/shiva to describe this.)
Working with Lunar Cycles
It makes perfect sense that the moon also waxes and wanes on approximately a 28-day loop, just like the female hormone cycle. The phases of the moon correspond to female hormonal phases, with the full moon corresponding with the energy of ovulation, and the new moon corresponding with the energy of menstruation.
As you go, consider where you are in your cycle in relation to the energy of the moon. If you are ovulating around the time of the full moon, the energy might be very powerful for you. If you are bleeding at the full moon, you might experience something different.
If you don’t have a menstrual cycle for any reason, you can work with the energies of the lunar cycle in the same way as you would work with menstrual cycle phases. You’ll want to pay attention to how your own energy is during each lunar phase. Do you find yourself more introspective around the new moon? Do you have trouble sleeping when the moon is full? You’ll begin to notice patterns as you pay closer attention.
The Seasons of Your Cycle
Winter
Menstruation represents the winter of your cycle. This corresponds with the new moon in the lunar cycle.
Day 1 of your cycle is the first day of true bleeding. There may be some spotting prior to the onset, but count day 1 as the first day of heavier bleeding.
Menstruation is a phase of release, as your womb sheds the lining she has been creating in preparation for a fertilized egg. Like Mama Earth in the winter time, your body tears down everything she has created and goes inward for a period of rest.
This is the time of quiet, drawing inside, less energy, and more introspection. Think about how all of life draws its energy down and in during the winter. This is the death before the rebirth.
If you can surrender to the energy of winter, and set down everything you are carrying, even if just for a moment, you will have more juice and creative energy later on in the spring and summer of your cycle.
You might also find that the difficulties of PMS and menstruation are less when you allow yourself to go deeply into their inner winter and truly release and rest.
As you begin to design your life around the energies of your cycle, you can plan for more downtime when you are bleeding. Of course, there will always be commitments and responsibilities that can’t be avoided during your period. But maybe you can push a social engagement off until the following week; or perhaps you can do some yin yoga that week instead of cardio; or maybe you can enlist someone’s help to get a reprieve.
Any small ways you can allow yourself to rest and be overtaken by your winter will pay off in fewer menstrual challenges and greater magic in the weeks to come!
This is the same winter energy that is present for the new moon, so whether you have a cycle or not, pay attention to when the new moon falls and plan for more space, downtime, and introspection around that time.
Spring
Once your period is over, your body is refreshed and renewed, ready to start again. This is your inner spring, corresponding to the waxing moon.
Spring is the time of pre-ovulation. During this season, your energy is waking up. Seeds are just sprouting, and new growth is beginning to emerge. There is a rising wave of energy, motivation, and desire.
This is a time for planning, fresh ideas, experimentation, imagination, and possibility. It’s perfect for playing in the energy of potential and curiosity, without the pressure of needing to produce an “outcome” (that comes later!).
Spring is a good space for planning a vacation or creative project, writing the outline for your book, or envisioning a kitchen makeover. There’s a lot of juice and energy waking up, but it’s delicate and tender, like fresh grass just beginning to pop up into the sunlight, so you can go gently into your spring.
Summer
Ovulation, around day 14, is the opposite pole & opposite energy of menstruation, and the other major experience besides bleeding in your menstrual cycle. This is your inner summer, corresponding to the full moon.
The energy of summer is full and bright, projecting out into the world, and all of life is lush and fertile and green. This is the time in your cycle to schedule dates, speaking engagements, working towards goals, and socializing.
This is a beautiful time to be in the thick of creative projects, to allow your self-expression to come forth with full force, and to be productive and have fun! If your work involves speaking engagements or recording videos, now would be the perfect time for it. Schedule any big, important meetings during your summer. Plan to socialize and be engaged in the world.
Now is the time when you have more energy to give openly to others. You are full of life. You may also be experiencing more sensuality and sexual energy. It’s a good time for reveling in the pleasures of your senses and desires.
This is also the phase for more intense workouts, if that is your thing!
Autumn
After ovulation, as your cycle is winding down towards menstruation, comes your inner autumn. This is a time of harvest and beginning to draw inwards. This corresponds with the waning moon in the lunar cycle.
For many women, this can be a challenging phase in part because it is misunderstood. It has a reputation for being full of moodiness and PMS, but consider that some of these symptoms are the result of not honoring the energies of this time. Instead of recognizing the strengths and needs of the autumn phase, we are expected to push forward on the same level of productivity and engagement, as if we were always in summer.
There is a strong pull during autumn to get really honest with yourself. To re-evaluate how things are really going, because you see through things more readily. You’re less tolerant of crap.
It’s a time to meet your shadow side, and to acknowledge where you are feeling neglected, what feelings you normally push away or override, and where you might have subconscious wounds or patterns that want attention.
The magic and beauty of this phase is being able to alchemize tension and reactivity into presence and self-love by truth-speaking, drawing boundaries, and initiating change.
You will find you have more powerful insight and clarity. You might have more discernment and honesty, more easily saying “no” or telling it like it is. This is a very perceptive energy, rooted in your inner authority and truth, that doesn’t tolerate anything not in alignment.
The energy in this season is ready to complete things, focus on tasks and details, and get things organized. It’s as if you’re preparing for your retreat when the winter comes again. It’s a good time for tying up loose ends, tidying up, and taking stock of things.
Working with the energies of your cycle
Over time, you will notice your unique cycle’s patterns and how your energy is at different points. You can use this information to design your life in a way that capitalizes on the strengths of each phase. You will begin to benefit from your cycle instead of being inconvenienced by it.
I like to sync my schedule for the month with my cycle + the lunar cycle as much as possible. For me, and for many of my clients, there are so many benefits. You can use the strengths of each phase to plan your focus for the week, and when you schedule certain activities during your month.
Invoke the power of your cycle in your life
Of course, you won’t always be able to perfectly line up your life with your cycle. Especially if you have young children or work outside the home, there will be times when you have responsibilities and commitments that fall during a less than ideal season of your cycle.
Even when you can’t change your commitments to align with your cycle, if you know what season you are in, it relieves so much pressure to show up in a certain way. It empowers you to bring forward the strengths of the phase you are in. You can allow and cooperate with the energy of your cycle instead of forcing yourself to be something you’re not in the moment.
Wherever you can’t change the realities of your situation, you can still bring the full powers of where you are in your cycle. For example, if you’re bleeding and you have to go to an event, perhaps you can lean into your depth, stillness, and intuitive powers even if you would normally be more animated and expressive.
What’s Different About This
When you opt out of the dominant systems and the masculine time stream…
You reclaim more of who you really are in the world.
You stop expecting yourself to show up at the same level and in the same way every day of every week.
You can begin to release the pressure of constant increasing productivity that leads to burn-out, overwhelm, overworking, and disembodiment.
You reclaim your feminine powers.
The wisdom of your body, your intuition, and your inner knowing grow louder and more clear the more you honor your body’s rhythms.
You utilize the strengths of each phase so that you’re flowing with your cycle instead of struggling through it or trying to control it.
You re-program the internal patriarchal repression that you’ve been carrying about how you are supposed to show up in the world and that characterizes your cycle as a chaotic inconvenience.
You embody more ease and more pleasure!
Next Steps!
This two part series really only scratched the surface of what’s possible! The next step is to begin to pay attention to your own cycle and see if you can organize your life more in alignment with the seasonal energies of your unique rhythms.
To help you with this, I created a free PDF download for you, Moon Cycle Magic! In it you will find a quick reference guide to the seasons of your cycle, a Moon Cycle Mandala, and all of the lunar phases for the rest of 2020! Click here to get this amazing content that I and my clients use to organize our lives in an embodied feminine way.
What is something you could change or rearrange in order to honor the energies of your cycle or the lunar cycle?
Can you see how resting in to your own body’s rhythms frees you into a more easeful and pleasurable way of living?
Drop a comment and let me know how this lands for you!
