The Power of the Menstrual Cycle
The Feminine body is blessed by a huge gift that only few women are really aware of. This gift of The Menstrual Cycle!
During the cycle, a woman is four different women who change according to the phase of the cycle. In each phase, she has different ways of thinking, different ways of expressing emotions, and using her energy.
All these phases are affected by the secretion of various hormones and the influence of the Moon on her!
The phases bring out from the woman’s physique different archetypes. In order to describe those archetypes, I love using the Greek Goddesses:
ARTEMIS, APHRODITE, HECATE and GAIA.
When a woman learns how to honor and give space to those Goddesses she can reach her full potential and live life on her terms!
Below you can see the phases in a cycle of 28 days (if the cycle is smaller or bigger the days of each phase are slightly different)
1st to 7th day
What happens in your body: The first day of your period is the 1st day of your menstrual cycle. This is when the menstrual cycle hormones are at their lowest levels. Due to the low levels of estrogen and progesterone, the lining of your uterus (endometrium) is destroyed and eliminated from your body through the vagina, in the form of blood.
What happens in your mental and emotional world: It is a very sensitive phase which brings you very close to your intuition! The archetype that appears in this phase is Goddess Gaia.
Goddess Gaia: She holds the keys to our true transformation. She is the Priestess, the Shaman, the Therapist! Her blood is the Nectar of all Goddesses.
She knows how to create a deep death and rebirth by helping us let go of the past and create space for the new. If this archetype is unhealthy, we reject our blood, have painful menstruations, do not have any connection to our intuition, and live as victims of the Patriarchal system.
Her magic words are: “I am your inner therapist, I am your inner Priestess, I am the Earth within!”
7th to 14th day
What happens in your body: In the second phase of your menstrual cycle, your ovaries begin to produce more follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), causing your period to shorten and eventually stop. This hormone signals to your ovaries that it is time to start preparing a follicle – a small sac filled with fluid in your ovaries containing an egg. The endometrium acquires greater thickness during this period as it prepares for a possible pregnancy.
What happens in your mental and emotional world: You are full of energy and use a clever strategy to manifest everything you desire in your external world. You are dynamic, active, full of energy and you fulfill your goals with determination!
The archetype that appears in this phase is Goddess Artemis!
Goddess Artemis: This Goddess is responsible for our actions in life. She loves setting goals and fulfilling them without self-demanding but with discipline, presence and love.
She is the Goddess of our Mission in Life! She knows exactly the purpose of our incarnation and what we can do to accomplish it.
She steps Mother Earth with respect and love; she is extroverted, sociable, and loves making things happen! If this archetype is unhealthy, we get stuck in life without being able to act. We are lost, waiting for the handsome prince to come and save us!
Her magic words are: “My mission is to fulfill the goals of the Spirit”
14th to 21st day
What happens in your body: On the 14th day of a 28-day cycle (or 14 days before the next period), peak hormone levels cause the follicle to release a mature egg, a process known as ovulation. The egg travels along the fallopian tube. If a sperm, which is the male reproductive cell, fertilizes the egg, a baby will begin to develop.
What happens in your mental and emotional world: In this phase, all the externalized energy that you had last week relaxes and gives way to relaxation and passiveness. The archetype of the Goddess Aphrodite appears! Your body opens like a beautiful flower that magnetizes pleasure! It is the phase of creativity, celebration, sensuality and absolute surrender into the present moment!
Goddess Aphrodite: She loves doing nothing! She is the Goddess of our sensuality, sexuality, femininity and self-worth. She is like a beautiful flower that opens her colorful petals and spreads her aroma all over the place. She can attract in her life anyone she wants without doing anything and just being! If this archetype is unhealthy, we live a stressful life with lots of preoccupations and a tendency to use more of our masculine energy.
Her magic words are: “In the depth of passiveness, my Action begins. It is a Sacred Action called Sacred conception!”
21st to 28th day
What happens in your body: On the 21st-24th day, progesterone levels peak! After that, if the egg is not fertilized, progesterone levels begin to fall, signaling the body to begin to destroy the lining of the uterus, as it is no longer needed. In those days, some women may begin to experience symptoms of PMS (premenstrual) syndrome).
What is happening in your mental and emotional world: At this stage, the woman is introverted and needs to go deep into introspection to see what needs to change in her life, to add, remove or even develop. It is a very constructive period for those women who are on the journey of personal development, while on the contrary, it is a very irritating period for those women who refuse to see the truth within themselves and then enter PMS. The archetype of this phase is Goddess Hecate, the one who is not afraid to see the truth.
Goddess Hecate: If we tend to lie to ourselves, this is the most challenging week of the cycle! One of PMS’s reasons is the conflict between the powerful voice of the truth that awakens in this week and our resistance not to listen to it. Goddess Hecate is responsible for transparent and honest introspection. Whenever she is unhealthy, we are not advancing in life but only doing circles around the same spot! We create a fake reality trying to convince ourselves that is true. Her magic words are: “I am always there for you when you look inside!”