bloody fab period pics

“By taking menstruation as a natural time for stillness and quiet in a woman’s life, we can begin to relearn the rhythm of sitting in peace with ourselves, and then we can begin to reap the benefits of a closer relationship with our inner beings.

Menstruation can be a deeply grounding and centering time, in which a woman is naturally put directly in touch with her center of gravity: her womb. Thus there is actually a greater capacity for stillness at this time; for listening, for receiving from the cosmos. The awareness that is available to us during menstruation cannot come into our consciousness if we are rushing about fulfilling the exterior demands of our everyday lives.”

“What PMS Might Be Telling Us

When we are menstruating without consciousness, we are depleting such vital energy. So we end up feeling depleted, frustrated, disconnected, grumpy, we have heavy periods, cramps and become irrational – the exact symptoms of PMS.

I believe the pain associated with our bleeding time is actually a huge signal that our bodies are literally screaming at us to stop, slow down and listen. We are so conditioned to be constantly ‘doing’, from such a lack mentality, that there is never ‘enough’ – that we are so disconnected from our inner abundance.

We are sold the idea we always need more, and so we are always working more and harder to get there. To take rest, many feel guilty. This is the sad reality of the masculine dominated society we live in.

However, as the feminine rises we see through this illusion. By taking at least the first day of bleeding to stop, retreat, rest and feel what our body is trying to tell us…we may be surprised what true abundance begins to manifest, in the form of new ideas, creative projects, inspiration from a calmer place versus rushing, or working from a place of lack.”

- Nadine Lee on pravayama.com, Period Talk, How to Embrace the Sacred Power of Menstruation

“If there is a river / more beautiful than this / bright as the blood / red edge of the moon

If there is a river / more faithful than this / returning each month / to the same delta

If there is a river / braver than this / coming and coming in a surge / of passion, of pain

If there is a river / more ancient than this / daughter of eve / mother of cain and abel

If there is in the universe such a river / if there is some where water / more powerful than this wild water / pray that it flows also / through animals / beautiful and faithful and ancient / and female and brave”

- Lucille Clifton, Poem in Praise of Menstruation

“There is so much more to the menstrual cycle than the biology lesson given to explain it, in the same way that there is so much more to sex and childbirth than the mechanics. The menstrual cycle is a cycle to base your life around, in fact your life is based around your menstrual cycle whether you realise it or not, whether you pay attention to it or not.”

- The Spiritual Practice of Menstruation, a blog post on Moonsong.com.au

“Menstruation is a peak moment of initiation.

You go through a dismemberment,

a time of unknowing,

a time of remembering,

recovering and

revelation of who you truly are.

Finally you’re reconstituted into a more integrated and embodied expression of yourself.”

- Alexander Pope and Sjanie Hugo Werlitzer, Wild Power

get some fresh ginger

grate a tablespoon of it into a mug 

add 1 ¼ cups of water

heat that shit in the microwave for 2 ½ minutes

What I’m actually like when I’m on my period: