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More essays and some poetry including the writer's "Why I am opposed to menstrual suppression."


Female Mystique: The Three Phases Of Eve

Maiden, Mother, Crone ­ which one are you? You are all three every month!

Whether you are a hormonal teen, menstruating woman or menopausal crone ­ you will pass through each and every phase once a month!

By Leslie Botha-Williams

That hormone cycle that you have been taught to ignore/dismiss/cover up/hide actually is your foundation of being; the definition of who you are, your connection to yourself, to other women, to your partners, children, to your life!

Women's hormone cycles are not just a cyclical pain; they are our integral link to all the other cycles in life. They are so much more than hormones "raging" through our body. Your hormone cycle earns you the right to be a healer, a spiritualist, and wise woman, respected by all. Living with that cycle instead of against it or by denying it gives you the freedom to "be"; to laugh, to cry, to change your mind, your career, your relationship or lifestyle and to know the reason why! Understanding the influence this cycle has will open your eyes to a life that makes sense; that is filled with hope and will do more for you than all the self-help books that you could ever possibly read in your lifetime.

There was a time in our long-forgotten past when the first correlation between human life and the universal life was the recognition that women's menstrual cycle followed the same pattern as lunar cycles. Simply put, before the advent of electricity, the moon played as much a role as the sun in defining cultural activities at night. When the moon was waxing, nightly activities increased. When the moon became full, those activities intensified until the waning moon ceased to light the nighttime sky and activities became more subdued.

Somewhere in your mind is still a seed of remembering. Remembering the power that was associated with women's roles and lunar cycles. The new moon - the time for our monthly bleeding. When the moon was full, so were we; filled with the power to nurture and love all around us. And then with the waning moon, our energy ebbed, as the light of the moon became less in the evening sky.

It was the recognition of the relationship of women's cycles to lunar cycles that gave women status, respect, self-esteem; all those values that we now have scotch-taped to our bathroom mirrors, and repeat 10 times a day; because we have forgotten from whence our inner strength comes. In the bottom of our hearts we all know that shopping, chocolates, alcohol, drugs, soap operas, clothes, exercise, relationships and sex are only quick fixes for our ailing spirits.

According to Barbara Ehrenreich and Deidre English, "Women have always been healers." We were the unlicensed doctors and anatomists of western history, abortionists, (not like abortionists of today), pharmacists, cultivators of herbs, and midwives. For centuries women were doctors without degrees, barred from reading books and attending lectures, instead learning from each other, and passing on experience from mother to daughter, neighbor to neighbor. We were known as "wise women" in our communities; witches or charlatans by authorities. The practice of medicine is a part of our heritage as women; it is our history, our birthright. During the transition of medicinal practice to male professionals arose one of the darkest times of women's history: the "witch burnings," where many writers estimate that millions of women, men and children were killed. Women made up 85% of those executed.

Today, however, the health care field is the property of male professionals. Women are still the majority of health care workers; approximately 70 percent; but we have been incorporated as employees into an industry where the top administrators and directors are men. (1)

How do we change the paradigm? By listening to our bodies; remembering the knowledge that was passed down from our grandmothers; honoring our bodies and saying "no" to a practice that looks at us as "deviants"; the "second sex"; abnormal ­ because we do not fit into the male medical model.

The Three Phases Of Eve

To help women understand their monthly passage as Maiden, Mother & Crone I will explain these phases that we pass through every month.

New Moon

Pre-Ovulatory

Maiden

As the moon begins its journey into the sky, there is also a pull for a renewal of life and activity. It may be a pull that consciously we are unaware of, but nonetheless, it is there. Just as the moon influences the tides and causes the ebb and flow of all bodies of water, so it also pulls at the ebb and flow of the energy in our bodies. The new moon pulls at the water rushing to the shores of the earth in the formation of a wave that begins its outward curl, reaching out to life.

Mythologically, characteristics given to the new moon are: new beginnings, renewal, independence, socialization, sexuality, and emergence. These characteristics are not unlike what a woman feels 3-4 days after she begins menstruation. Her hormones begin to surge and whereas she might have felt unsure of herself the week prior to the start of her period, the resurgence of the estrogen and progesterone gives a sense of renewal and increasing energy.

My research has shown that in fact, because of this renewal in energy, women are also more independently active in this phase of her cycle; we are prone to start new projects, and become more socially involved. In terms of work, whether in or outside the home, projects, deadlines, appointments, all seem easier to cope with, especially in comparison to the feeling of hopelessness that was experienced the week before. Once again life becomes manageable and exciting if one becomes aware of new possibilities and opportunities that also arise with new beginnings.

 

Full Moon

Ovulation

Mothers

As the moon increases in its fullness, so it also sheds light and energy that gives rise to night life. It is at this time that wave comes crashing to the shores, resounding with an energy and life of its own. Mythologically, the full moon is the "mother," nurturer, and bearer of the fruits of life.

In synch with the pull of the moon, women hormonally blossom, with creative energy. We are prone to nurture life that surrounds us, whether it is our children, partners, animals, gardens, homes or work. Subtle changes take place from the pre-ovulatory phase of the hormone cycle where we are socially active, to the ovulatory phase where we embrace life for its fullness. It is a time when we are free to create, weave and have the power to bring those new beginnings to fruition.

So instead of being out at meetings or socializing night after night, we may be more content to remain at home and nurture that which is important to us. Sexuality, though historically associated with the full moon, is not necessarily a trait at this phase. The desire to become pregnant, yes, is powerful at this time; however, "sexuality" is more often associated with the preovulatory and postovulatory phases ­ an innate sense of birth control, if you will.

 

Waning Moon

Post-Ovulatory

Crone

As the moon begins to retreat into the sky, so does the wave that has crashed into the shore begins to retreat and curl inward. It is the same for cultures that were active in the full moon. Without the moon shining around them, activities also slowed down and people retreated to the warmth and safety of their fires.

Attributes given to this phase of the moon are: reflective, inward, mysterious, secretive, and yet so very powerful. The same characteristics also hold true to this phase of a woman's hormone cycle. Instead of being outgoing, or nurturing, we retreat, become quiet, reflective and yes, mysterious.

Yet it is this phase of the hormone cycle that has been most threatening and frightening to ourselves as well as those around us. Because we do not understand this change, we doubt ourselves, undermine our efforts of the past three weeks and become self-destructive.

We have been taught that this phase is a "syndrome," an imbalance. "Take two Valiums and go home, Honey," type of behavior. In fact, women are known to be more psychic and magical at this phase of their cycle than at any other time. Yet, how many of us self-destruct, attempt suicide, binge, drink and take drugs, leave our partners, homes and jobs and then a week later ­ when those hormones once again rise ­ we look back and say What did I ever do that for?

Instead of fighting our bodies as they slow down, we need to trust that instinct and structure our lives accordingly. I can already hear you say, "But how can I do this?" as your list goes on with things to do. A friend of mine once said, "There is time for everything in the universe." And if you begin living with your cycle, all those things will get done when you are active and able to achieve them easily. And then it is time to rest and reflect on not only what was accomplished in the last cycle, but also what needs to be done in the next cycle. And the surprising thing is that no matter how much we may struggle to do things when we are premenstrual, it all becomes so much easier after our bleeding ceases or for menopausal women with the new moon as our hormones and energy levels resurge.

How can we be effective politicians, company presidents, or even good parents? Let me ask you this: Are you effective now? Don't we all know that a woman does not have a chance to be elected president because she will become premenstrual and in a fit of "rage" hit the "red" button and blow up the world? (Remember what happened to Pat Schroeder when she shed tears at her press conference announcing that she would not run for president?) Don't women in the corporate world hit a glass ceiling? The perception is that women are too emotional, unstable, etc. Traditionally, mothers and childcare providers are considered to be at the low end of the work structure. And when one of us kills our children, husbands or partners in a disturbed act of violence, we are all looked upon as potential threats to each other and ourselves.

I believe that learning to live with the hormonal and lunar cycle is the only way that women will become whole, healthy and effective. Women's hormone cycles are the foundation of our power, collectively and individually. Each cycle that you pass through is a progression of understanding and becoming.

Fulfill your dreams ­ become the woman that you have always wanted to be. Remember that our hormones are holy ­ and to forget is to deny the sacred. For more information about the Female Mystique; The Three Phases of Eve, go to Botha-Williams' Web site, www.holyhormones.com


1. Ehrenreich, Barbara, English, Deidre, Witches, Midwives, and Nurses ­ A History of Women Healers, The Feminist Press, 1973.

More essays and some poetry including the writer's "Why I am opposed to menstrual suppression."

news | first page | contact the museum | art of menstruation | artists (non-menstrual) | belts | bidets | Bly, Nellie | MUM board | books (and reviews) | cats | company booklets directory | costumes | cups | cup usage | dispensers | douches, pain, sprays | essay directory | extraction | famous people | FAQ | humor | huts | links | media | miscellaneous | museum future | Norwegian menstruation exhibit | odor | pad directory | patent medicine | poetry directory | products, current | religion | menstrual products safety | science | shame | sponges | synchrony | tampon directory | early tampons | teen ads directory | tour (video) | underpants directory | videos, films directory | washable pads | LIST OF ALL TOPICS