3 different ways to connect to your menstrual cycle

Image: Frank Flores via Unsplash

Menstrual cycle awareness is all about understanding your lived experience of your cycle and the beauty of it is, there are many different ways to do it. Frameworks provide a great way to find structure around your cycle and connect with it in different ways. Here are three I love:

1. Inner Seasons

The inner season framework is one of the most common in menstruality because it’s universal. We all know how it feels to experience the warmth and expansion of summer, or the cool, slowness of winter. The inner seasons can help you to align with the energies of the cycle in a way that fits the physical, mental and emotional experience. The seasons are allocated to your cycle in the following way:

• Inner Winter — Menstruation: is a time to hibernate, slow down, regenerate and incubate ideas/creativity
• Inner Spring — Pre-ovulation: is a time to re-emerge, re-integrate and sow the seeds for the coming cycle
• Inner Summer — Ovulation: is a time for full self-expression, connection, cultivating your plans and indulging in pleasure
• Inner Autumn — Pre-menstruation: is a time for slow withdrawal, turning your energy inwards and preparing for Inner Winter

2. Archetypes

Archetypes can help you to connect with the embodied, often more subtle, energies of your cycle. Archetypes are aspects of the human psyche that have been embedded in our consciousness over generations, and there are many different ones relating to both women and men.

They work because we’ve been fed images of them in stories, and experienced some ourselves in the people around us. The menstrual cycle uses four main archetypes with different energies for each. Think about them as different characters in the play that is your cycle, with different vibes and aspects you can connect to, embody and/or work with.

Here’s a brief overview:

• The Crone — Menstruation: The Crone is all about inner wisdom and clarity. She’s usually represented as an older woman, perhaps the wise grandma, oracle or tribal elder. She has the answers to your questions because she’s lived a full life, has experienced all there is to, and knows the outcome.
• The Maiden — Pre-ovulation: The Maiden is about freshness, experimentation and dynamism. She can represent your teenage and/or early 20’s — the years of exploration and finding your place in the world. She’s able to bring a fresh perspective and energy to your life and cycle, because she’s a virgin (i.e. hasn’t been jaded by the world yet). For The Maiden, everything is possible.
• The Mother — Ovulation: The Mother energy is all about nurture, whether that’s your Self, family, friends, career or the world at large. Whether you’re a mother or not (or want to be, or not) the mother energy holds tolerance, empathy, stamina and compassion — all things that are needed to take care of the things and people we love.
• The Wild Woman — Pre-menstruation: The Wild Woman energy is about creation for the pure pleasure of it, with truth. This energy asks you to be your most authentic, wild, primal and true self, with the focus on what you want to feel, experience and achieve. It can be a tricky energy to navigate, with a loud critical voice, but like most wild things, it can also be tamed.

3. Projects

The project framework is fantastic because it can provide a broader perspective of your cycle. Projects have a full life span that’s important if the project is to succeed. In the hectic rush of our modern world, we can tend to jump from idea to delivery, ignoring the crucial stages in-between. This framework can be used for literally anything with a creative aspect:

• The idea stage — Menstruation: An idea is formed, or a creative download is received. Using your own inner process, you let it percolate until the right conditions (energy) are there to set it in motion.
• The planning stage — Pre-ovulation: Your idea is put to the test with planning — essential if it is to succeed. You scout resources, investigate to see what’s possible. You need an open, fresh perspective to see the completion of your end goal.
• The doing stage — Ovulation: The actual work begins and your creation is birthed/delivered. This takes gumption, strength, determination, connecting with others and staying power. In some cases, it may come at the expense of your own self-care.
• The review stage — Pre-menstruation: Your project is up and running, or completed, and now its time to analyse. Is it working as you imagined? A critical eye is needed to see if any changes are needed to keep it running, or if it’s worth repeating in its current state.

These are just three of many different menstrual cycle frameworks. I recommend choosing one or two at the most, and sticking with them for a few cycles to find the one(s) that resonate most with you.

This article was first published on www.nataliekmartin.com on 21st January 2022.