SACRED MOONTIME HARMONY

I am blessed to sit where the view of my world is an ocean, snuggled by mountains on either side, a river that meanders down from somewhere and empties into the ocean that is bordered by a beach lined with simple, open air restaurants whose roofs are palm fronds, and where motor boats are parked in the on and off empty lagoon that fills up from the river overnight and empties in the morning. Tides and rhythms sway before me every day. Egrets, cormorants, and seagulls fly and walk, some perched on one foot. Flocks of white birds gracefully fly over the lagoon and then swoop out over the ocean searching for fish to eat. The sun rises over the mountains casting a pale, yellow light onto the dark beach below me every morning as Gaia awakens for her new day. Every evening the shadow of darkness descends. First onto the mountain across the bay, then it creeps along the beach as the sun sets in back of the mountains behind me sending Gaia to sleep as Luna wakes up. Living in an open dwelling immerses and connects one to these daily rhythms. You are part of them because they are part of you. Like downloading your music into your Ipod, you ‘sync’ the natural world around you into your being. You flow with the rhythms of light and dark, the moon and sun, the elements, the wind and tides. Changes without become reflected within. You need only become aware of how the two are connected. When you take the time to be still and quiet this awareness downloads into your mind, emotions and being and you realize how nature is part of your internal rhythms and cycles.

NATURAL RHYTHMS

I have discovered that when you live with nature, you flow with the rhythms of the natural world. When I first wrote my book, The Moontime Harmony Workbook, over 25 years ago, I lived in this quaint fishing village down the coast from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for 6 months each year. It didn’t have any electricity, phones or cars. It still doesn’t have any roads or cars and you have to take a boat to get there. What I realized is that each season my being-body, mind and soul- would gradually adapt to the rhythms of nature. For example, the most obvious was the adaptation to the lunar phases and the changes of darkness and light. Then there was the pull of the ocean tides that would echo my internal, emotional changes and tides as well. The longer I stayed, the more my moontime, menstrual cycles, would unknowingly sync with the moon’s phases. Not only would my monthly cycles flow in harmony with the moon’s cycles, but the days when I bled took on these cyclic changes too.

There were alignments with the outer changes of darkness and light that my moontime mirrored. New moon darkness reflected my inner states of feeling like going within and being still as if in a womb. Full moon brightness stimulated ease with an outer, more social flow. I became aware that my moontime flowed with the moon’s phases. Mine was in harmony with the new moon cycle. Around the new moon, I would begin to observe an emotional need to ‘take cover’ and nest and then my bleeding would begin. Once my menstrual flow began, there were recognizable energetic shifts that imitated the different lunar phases. The more I paid attention to the outer lunar phases, the more I became familiar with my internal ones. Physical changes were able to be tracked, emotional changes repetitive patterns. Often there were similar patterns of changes, both throughout the month and throughout my moontime. I realized that the key to flowing in harmony with this cyclic pattern was to honor my body’s voice, needs and wisdom. And then an inner light went off when I discovered that a psychic and Sacred component would surface each month. This awareness I cherished and looked forward to. It was what I recognized as flowing into the ‘garden of the Goddess.’ BODY NEEDS- Listening and Honoring A woman’s body is her temple. It is her physical and emotional compass that guides her to wellness or reflects dis-ease. When this temple isn’t cared for with love, showered with health or paid attention to, negative results are incurred. Pain replaces pleasure, upheavals replace harmony. And often these reflections are intensified during one’s moontime, but when you understand that these situations can access healing wisdom during one’s moontime, you begin to flow in a creative harmony.

FLOWING in HARMONY

Flowing in an energy of harmony means you are in tune. You are in tune with your body and her needs, you are in tune with how to be prepared, you are in tune with how to nurture your Self. When you flow in harmony with your Self and your lunar cycles, you look forward to your moontime. You welcome this Sacred gift and cherish a ‘coming home’ to your Divine Feminine self who has the ability to enter into the realm of the Goddess where the veil thins and you are closer to her wisdom every month.

CHARTING AND CODING

Eventually, I became familiar with my reoccurring monthly patterns and decided to keep track of them. No one had explained this process to me, but my awakening Feminine awareness instinctively knew what to do and understood the value of following my monthly physical and emotional needs. Knowing that my changes were predictable allowed for preparation, acceptance and familiarity. Honoring this created harmony. If you aren’t familiar with charting and coding, it’s very simple. Basically it is a way to document your phases, body and emotional changes, and needs that re-occur each month. A calendar is the most useful way, but a notebook or journal works too. First make a chart. List the changes and experiences you would like to follow each month. Then create a code for each change. Your code can be a color-low energy=gray, a letter- LE, or even a symbol like an emoji with a thumb pointing down. Every month write down your code on the days that you experience them in your calendar or journal. Keep track of the corresponding lunar phase and the days you bleed as well. Say May 25t h you feel bloated. It is 2 weeks before your moontime. Now you see that every 2 weeks before your moontime you get bloated. This is a recurring pattern that is part of your rhythm. Can you do anything about it? What if you try avoiding certain foods? Does that help? Maybe if you include ginger in your diet you eliminate the discomfort? Once you know what to expect, and find a solution you can avoid the problematic or uncomfortable situation. You are taking charge and creating harmony. Over the course of a year you will see how these situations occur at similar times of the month and at similar phases of the moon and at similar times in relation to your moontime. The value of knowing your Self and needs is that you can be prepared, plan ahead, do what you need to do, take steps to be top of your rhythms. You will be in harmony with you. And don’t forget to follow these changes during the seasons. Winter might vary from summer.

FROM the CURSE to the SACRED

Once I began to follow my phases, I discovered that there were four changes of moontime energies I could identify. Eventually I could slip into them effortlessly. When I did, pain disappeared and a Sacred flow of energy replaced it. Like four seasons in the outer world, each moontime passed through four distinct phases and changes. I called this my moontime medicine wheel. Before my blood would flow often seemed to be a more frenetic, internal energy. A quickening, sometimes sexual energy, sometimes a scramble to get things done. Once my blood began to flow that all changed. There was a need to retreat from the outer world, slow down, rest, be in my own world to drift and dream, stay warm, nurture myself and honor my blood.

I might bleed onto Gaia if possible, create a ritual, take a walk in nature, write in my journal, bath in sweet scented essential oils, or cuddle up in bed and watch a movie. There was always a pull to listen to what my body was wanting to do or not to do. Often there would be a still point where my internal world surfaced and answers to situations gripping my life would become clear. This phase was the garden of the Goddess and her wisdom flowed into my consciousness. It seemed that once I heard or felt what was needed, I could move out of that phase and my body would feel healed, energized, stronger, renewed and ready to go back into world and resume my life. Like a snake, I had shed my old skin and the new one was ready to be worn.

BECOMING MOONTIME EMPOWERED

We all know that moving through life can be smooth and/or bumpy. But when a woman honors, adores, listens and learns from her moontime, harmony begins to flow within her. She becomes the mistress of her being and not a victim. She creates harmony with her Self, in her body and with her emotions. This creates a balance that leads to a path of harmony. This essence is the blessing of a woman’s moontime. It is a gift to be honored and cherished. When you understand how to navigate your Sacred compass, you find an avenue into your Divine Feminine self and she will gift you with wisdom, knowledge, and blessings to be grateful for. This is the essence and soul of the moontime and the beauty of her Divinely Feminine wisdom gifted to all women each month. I hope this article is helpful and feel free to contact me any time.