You may not have noticed it…but there’s a revolution happening…. “Is there? A revolution? What kind of revolution?”
A Menstrual Revolution….menstruation, periods, cycles, pads, moon cups…they are being mentioned everywhere! Menstruation is finally out of the closet!
And what a relief…..because, I for one, don’t want to hold the shame, discomfort, embarrassment or DISEMPOWERMENT of what not speaking about it means.
Yeh, I know…there’s still lots of people who find it ‘disgusting’… I’ve been dealing with them for over 20 years….rewind yep, about 20 years ago, I’m at a “green fair” selling my pads (this is before the internet…remember those times?!)…showing them to women, explaining how they work and I get a quip “ugh, thats disgusting”….. I was so shocked I just didn’t know how to answer…but a few weeks later..I’m armed with a come back…another fair…another “ugh, how disgusting”…I reply …LOUDLY- “Don’t you know throwaway pads take up to 500 years to decompose? I’d say THAT was disgusting…especially since every woman will use about 12,000 during her life. That’s a lot of plastic pads piling up!” SHAZAMM Take THAT!
Needless to say, they didn’t buy anything! But I got a point across…!
Interestingly my wares still don’t sell that well at fairs…women seem to like to buy discreetly, on line…but girls, the girls LOVE to see what pads look and feel like, the love to have a sqidge on a menstrual cup and finger a sponge! They are fascinated and interested. This is what the up and coming generation are in to!
May eldest daughter…in her late 20’s told me last week her house mates are “a menstrually aware group of girls”- wow, I don’t remember anyone saying that about their house mates before!
And then I read a thread on a Facebook group about washing moon cups “do you have a separate pan for washing your cup?” the thread had a fascinating discussion from washing cups, to using sponges and pads, to drinking your own blood (don’t try it…unless your diet is green and clean…it’s part of your bodies detoxifying system) and using it in ritual…wow…all that on a Tuesday morning!
So you see..once we start the conversation…it seems we all LOVE to talk about menstruation…it’s a relief to talk about it, and often, once you start, you find can’t stop!!
Menstruation is making in to papers, magazines, it’s all over social media… there are days I just can’t get away from it! And because it’s all over the place…the consciousness is changing…..but there’s still a way to go, we all live in a very linear world where living cyclicly goes against the grain.
So how do we keep the flow going, keep making change, keep the revolution alive?
So, the next step….the next part of the Revolution….are you ready women? Is to LIVE YOUR CYCLE! Yes, take time to tune into the subtle (and not so subtle) changes your body goes through each month, notice how you feel, really acknowledge what you need and take care of those needs. Follow the callings of your cycle, take quiet time for deep refection and use those super powers at ovulation at get shit done!
And once you’ve got the hang of it…spread the word! Tell your husbands, boy friends, kids, and most of all your women friends, suggest a “Period Policy” at work….Get other women living their cycle, gather together, start a Red Tent or Moon Lodge group- share your cycle awareness stories, affirm each other, celebrate each other….lets get everyone on board with this stuff! The time is NOW!
It’s time to step in to the POWER of Your Cycle! (for full instructions I recommend reading the new book by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer- WILD POWER)
VIVA LA REVOLUTION!