Artist: Thalia Took, Ix Chel Mayan Moon Goddess
Ever since my meeting with the circle of midwives, healers and teachers a memory of my wombyn-self has been awakening. I remember that I once followed the cycles of the moon and every year I would get these moon phase cards to chart my cycle. In western society (and some other societies as well) many of us have been taught that our cycles are a curse, a hindrance, an embarrassment but in reality it is the most powerful time of our lives. It is said that a woman's cycle follows the phases of the moon. Imagine we are interconnected with the Moon just like the waves of our Mother Ocean. In many societies it is known that a Sistah is most powerful during her cycle so she is excused from certain ceremonies and duties during this time because nothing is more spiritually important during this time. She is given time away from the everyday mundane to sit with herself, reflect, made plans, divine, create art and commune with other women on their cycles. In some other societies this practice was twisted and women were shunned, banned and considered cursed during this time. Really it all boils down to the fact that WE ARE MOST POWERFUL DURING THIS TIME. The first part in being healthy is self acceptance and self love. You can't love anyone else properly if you believe any part of yourself is unworthy and unlovable - so Sistahs we got to learn to LOVE our Cycles. What if we changed our relationship to our cycles? I think we would see a change in our lives. Here's some Moon Time knowledge I am passing along for your further investigation.
Phases of the Moon:
Yesterday, I got a message from one of the midwives that Saturday (yesterday) was the Dark of the moon and with it comes a time for rest, inner reflections and introspection. Ten-and-a-half to fourteen days after the full moon. The dark moon is a time for ridding oneself of bad habits, for exploring our darkest recesses and understanding our angers and passions. Also a time bringing justice to bear.
Next is the New Moon (today) it is a time for starting new ventures, new beginnings. Also love and romance, health or job hunting.
Seven to fourteen days after the New Moon is the Waxing Moon. A waxing moon is good for growth and development. A time to learn something new, take a class work on relationships, work on yourself.
The next phase is the Full Moon. From fourteen to seventeen-and-a-half days after the new moon. A full moon emphasizes maturity,fertility, and abundance, "full fillment". It is a time to bring forth those things that you want in your life, to manifest.
The Waning Moon is from three-and-a-half to ten-and-a-half days after the full moon. It is a time to rid yourself of unwanted characteristics, a time to weed out what is not working.
More on our Moon Time
You can keep record of your cycle using Lunar phase cards. You can order one from Snake and Snake Productions or get a calendar from Luna Press
Do you know that many conventional products for your cycle are filled with chemicals and are an environmental disaster for the planet? Here are several natural alternatives you may want to consider...
The Diva Cup
Want to use a natural tampon? Try sea sponge.
What about natural washable cloth pads? Check out Luna Pads
Do you know switching to a washable, re-usable product you could save $$$200. to $1000 a year, you also could eliminate the possibility of toxic shock or exposing your sacred womb to chemicals and foreign substances that may effect your fertility. You also save the earth! A cotton pad is said to last anywhere from 3 to 9 years...
Lastly, if you have a girl that is ready to become a woman consider making her first day on her cycle a day of celebration. In some African traditions the new woman's mother would make her waistbeads. The women of the community would spend time with her and tell her about womanhood, teach her ways of women and pass on their wisdom. Today, some mothers (and fathers, too) take time off and spend the day with their daughter, give her jewelry and/or take her out for a special meal. What ever you do, it is a time to celebrate your young Sistah Goddess. Set her on the path of positive self image so that she can grow up loving herself.
Much Peace and Light,
Sistah C
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5 comments:
I learned a tremendous amount about women when I was married, primarily because a lot of the issues I dealt with her really required me to do deep research. I can tell you the education I got was profound and gave me great respect for my sisters and the processes that make them different from me. This is important information. The fact that our society routinely kills the intimacy between mothers and sons @ puberty, between daughters and their fathers @ puberty is the first and foremost result of the chasm that exists, waiting to create a disaster, once we leave or parents and try to create lives with each other.
The fact that this critical education is missing for young men unless they actively and near doggedly pursue it and the fact that men rarely know enough about their own physical processes to become adequate partners for women is the true source-not only of our difficulties with relating to women, it is the reason for violence, illness and even insanity that occurs too frequently among us . The fact that women seldom understand the physical processes of men creates a double whammy certainty that they too will participate in the ignorance that kills somany of our relationships with each other.
Interestingly enough there is a wealth of information available to us but we have to search for it among Taoist writings and schools. Taoism is by far the most comprehensive and accurate resource for education about men and women, their energies, how those energies flow and how they are affected by the larger physical systems.
Start-if you are interested by searching the works of Mantak Chia.
His discussions of male and female sexuality-respectively are classic and very accurate resources for healthy being, even beyond sexuality. The link is here:
http://www.multi-orgasmic.com/
I learned late in my existence the relationship, for both men and women, between sexual exhaustion and violence, mental disorders and other physical disabilities through the works of Dr. Linn. Too often warring couples miss the underlying truth of what is happening.
When we make love to each other in ignorance of the underlying physical processes involved many, many imbalances can and do occur. Some are immediately discernible, others manifest over longer periods of time.
Dr. Linn's research is devastatingly accurate and may shock you but it may also save your relationship, your marriage, your life, or give you understanding of some of the things that destroyed a relationship. Understanding will give you courage to try again. This site will become invaluable to you: http://www.actionlove.com/
I love women. The more I learn, the more important I love. We must begin the process of recovering the ancient wisdom destroyed or carried off by the ongoing assault against African peoples. It is important for all of us to stop relying on peer knowledge about each other and start educating ourselves completely with the true knowledge.
And please, do not think for one second that this knowledge originates in China and the east, so you should dismiss it. This knowledge along with Kung Fu, Buddhism, Taoism and much more represents a few of the mystical paths of knowledge described as the 14 parts of the body of Osiris in the ancient Kemitic spirituality. In ancient Africa, before war destroyed a civilization The West is loath to admit, this was the education all African children received.
Thanks, Ken. It is funny that you bring up Mantak Chia. I remember reading is books while I was a lil' bit in college. Yes, his work is valuable and really I should read it again - with different eyes. I also remember finding the information in How Cultivate Male Sexuality more "interesting" than the How to Cultivate Female Sexuality".
Men and Women - Sistahs and Brothas need to understand each more. We need to re-remember the sacredness that is inside each and every one of us. I believe we do this well when we can look inside of ourselves and see how sacred and precious we are...I advocate the teachings of the Taoist - they are balance, very wise. I have come to a point were I can take the good out of every teaching.
What I want to encourage in Sistahs (and Brothas, too) is the re-activation of our Ancestral Knowledge. For we are those 14 body parts of Ausar - when they (Set) cut him up and dispersed him around the world that was us (our people, our Ancient Wisdom, our culture) on those slave ships-being sent to far away lands. Inside each and every one of us is all the knowledge of our Ancestors. This is our technology - we can tap into it at any time. It can "possess" us, make us receive the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues. This knowledge swims just below the surface and can be re-awakened at any moment with the right stimulation.
I think peer education and formal teachings all have their place AND I think inside of us is the greatest wisdom of all. We just have to hear it and believe it.
I think we experience violence, illness and insanity because it is a cry from our soul to return to our true nature - to love ourselves, our environment and each other.
I believe there are many tools for healing and I believe we all should have access to anything that will heal us.
I so appreciate your thoughts and deep understanding. Please share more about Mantak Chia. I will have to check Dr.Linn.
Peace,
Sistah C
Sistah C, I read both those books as well. I needed to read both as I am a man that loves women I needed to understand myself in total. The works of Mantak Chia assisted in this process. I am also learning more and more about the fourteen parts of Ausar being spread around the world and we with the power of Auset we are recovering those parts, slowly but surely.
Just a few words I learned when reading about the moon and words that derive for the moon;
Menstruation, Mensa, Memphis, Menes, Month, Mind, Mental, Mention...
Thanks, SupremeUltimate. I am remembering from one version of the story that all of the Shrines except for one did the bidding of Set. Jehuti (Thoth) was the only shrine that would and could reveal Set's weakness. Jehuti taught this secret to Heru and he defeated Set. I would be curious to hear Ken's and your take on who is "Set" , who is Jehuti and who is "Heru".
Peace,
Sistah C
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