the menstrual lodge
"How might
it have been different for you,
if, on your first menstrual day your
mother had given you
a bouquet of flowers and taken you to lunch
and then the two of you had gone
to meet your father at the jeweller,
where your ears were pierced,
and your father bought you your first pair of earings,
and then you went with a few of your friends and
your mother's friends to get your first lip colouring;
and then you
went,
for the very first time,
to the Women's Lodge,
to learn
the Wisdom of the Women?
How might
your life be different?"
(From Circle
of Stones - by Judith Duerk)
reusable cloth menstrual
pads
Menstrual Lodge Contents:
- Rites
of Passage - The Menarche Ceremonies of initiation for young women as
they commence menstruation.
- Last Night I Became
A Woman recounts how we used the rituals in DeAnna L’am's inspiring
book Becoming
Peers – Mentoring Girls into Womanhood to
celebrate our menarche 30 years after the event!
- Menstrual charting
is a powerful tool to help you understand and nurture yourself as your body
moves through her different phases. Jane Collings has developed two very valuable
aids:
- Thirteen Moons
will teach you how to chart and journal your cycles, and
- The Spinning Wheels
is an innovative tool which offers valuable insight into the combined
effects of the moon and the earth's seasons on any given day of your cycle.
- What have I done to
my womb? - A personal story written during my battle with very heavy bleeding
(menoraghia) and my struggle to avoid a hysterectomy.
- Temple of the Blood - Katherine
Cunningham presents her first CD guided by her vision to empower women to
'bleed well and strong'. Containing guided
relaxation and meditation as well as beautiful Moon time chants, this CD is
designed to be used during or just before our bleeding time and to help us
re-access the Wisdom of the Blood.
- The Goddess is Alive
in Every Woman - The true story of How She Came to Be, How She Disappeared,
and How She Returned by Susun W. Weed .
- The Keeper
- Discover this woman friendly, environmentally friendly, reusable alternative
to tampons and you'll wonder what you ever did without one. It is a small
flexible cup made from natural gum rubber which is worn internally to collect
your menstrual flow. I cannot recommend this product enough - owning a Keeper
has certainly changed my life!
- A Story about a Girl
- This story by Amrita Hobbs responds eloquently to
Judith Duerk's question of how our lives might be different. It is a touching
and powerful vision of a celebration of a young woman's menarche.
- Girls Growing Up!
- Amrita's workshop for girls approaching menarche and their mothers is designed
to to encourage a more accepting and empowering set of beliefs surrounding
menstruation than is prevalent in our society today. The workshops help to
prepare and welcome young girls as they approach their passage to womanhood.
- Shekina Morgan's Moon Diary
and Menstrual Calendar - Since Felicity Oswell stopped producing her wombmoon
calendar, we have been searching for a suitable replacement. We are delighted
to be able to offer Shekinah's products, such beautiful tools to assist us
in keeping in touch with our emotional and physical cycles and their connection
with the moon's phases.
- Wemoon Natural Menstrual Pads
- Susan Powell's concern for the environment and women's health has led her
to develop a range of washable menstrual pads. She reports that by connecting
more with her blood at this special time she has become more attuned to her
body, the earth and to the wisdom of women through the ages. Her pads are
available for sale through the yOni goodies
catalogue.
- Tampon Health Warning
- Serious information from Roni Bregman.
- Blood - An inspiring
poem by Shana.
- Chamomile, the Mother
Herb - How chamomile can aid in relaxion and the relief of pre-menstrual
tension and period pain.
- Gift to Kali
- Kristina's story of a past life memory that has helped her in her struggle
with endometreosis.
- Charting your Cycle
- Felicity Oswell writes about the value of recording our cycles and moods
and watching their relationship with the phases of the moon.
- The
Lunar Fertile Cycle - Research has shown that women can be fertile at
a particular phase of the moon that corresponds to the phase of the moon at
their birth. Felicity describes how to discover your 'Lunar Fertile phase'.
- Menstrual tips - An ongoing
list - add your favourite tip!
- Cloth
menstrual pads for women who are allergic
to the chemicals in conventional pads.
Members only contents: (click here
for subscription info)
- The
Void - Powerful reflections from a woman practising moontime isolation.
- Hang
your womanhood on the line - Make your own washable moon pads with our
easy pattern and full instructions.
Menstrual links:
- The
Art of Woman - Beautiful photography intended to
'give women a positive image of their bodies, especially menstruation.'
- Virtual
Moon Lodge - Intended as a gathering place for women's voices concerning
the cycles of their lives, the Lodge represents a coming together for renewal
and visioning. Some great articles!
- Apache
puberty rite - In Apache eyes simply having a period
doesn't make a girl into a woman. She must satisfy herself, her tribal elders,
the community and the spirit world that she has earned the right to be recognized
as a woman.
Recommended Books:
Sweet
Secrets - Stories of Menstruation
by Kathleen O'Grady and Paula Wansbrough.
In her diary, Anne Frank describes the coming of her period
as a 'sweet secret', a step toward womanhood she anticipates with wonder, joy,
confusion and fear. Girls today often experience this time of their lives with
the same mixture of emotions. Focusing on their concerns and questions about
menstruation, and supplemented by clearly articulated health information, this
unique collection of short stories aims to reassure and enlighten. Coming from
different generations and cultures the characters in the stories ask questions
all girls ask, such as 'What's going on with my body?', 'What does menstruation
feel like?', and 'How will my friends react?'. Unlike the standard 'just-the-facts'
approach, this book of short stories and factual information provides the reader
with her very own confidantes, others who share a common experience. This book
is particularly ideal for initiating discussions between parents and their daughters
about sexuality and growing up. It dispels the myths with current, up-to-date
health information about menstruation. A unique and reassuring collection, it
empowers young women to celebrate this rite of passage with informed confidence.
Curse:
A Cultural History of Menstruation.
Janice Delaney, M. J. Lupton, & E. Toth.
This book provides invaluable information
for women and men. It takes you through the history of menstruation from culture
to culture, detailing the superstitions, myths and eventual understanding of
all phases of menstruation.The latter part of the book dwells on our current
perceptions, as seen not only socially and culturally, but through literature
and film.The authors also evaluate current feminine products, from douches to
pads and tampons, providing an actual analysis of their usefulness and dangers
that is rarely discussed in other forums.
Blood
Magic: The Anthropology of Menstruation
edited by Alma Gottlieb & Thomas Buckley
Listed by Choice magazine as one of the ten best books in anthropology
for the year in which it was published, this book is a collection of articles
by (mostly) anthropologists about menstrual practices around the world, from
Beng farmers in West Africa to Yurok people of native California to peasants
in Portugal.
Check out more books on menstruation
from the yOni bookshelves!
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