I can still remember how I felt when I got my first period. I was scared, confused and really not sure what was happening to my body. My mother took me aside and explained that I was becoming a woman.
She taught me how to use a sanitary pad, but emphasized that this was a deeply personal experience to be kept private. As an obedient daughter, I didn’t share my menstrual matters with anyone – not my siblings, not my friends, not my father, no-one. It was my secret to bear silently.
Young girls are taught from their first period that menstruation is taboo and dirty.
They are taught that however natural it is, it’s also shameful, disgusting and a source of impurity. I learnt early that menstruation was not to be discussed openly, and I understood that no-one should be made aware of it.
All of this appears deeply illogical when you consider that nearly half the world’s population will go through menstruation in their lifetime. How has modern society managed to convince us all that menstruation, a natural bodily process, is a social and spiritual abomination?
As a woman in her late twenties, it is only now that I have decided to change my perspective regarding menstruation.
The emotional and spiritual work I have been doing in last two years has helped me realize that menstruation is something beautiful, sacred and worthy of celebrating. This realization has required a process of unlearning the beliefs and ideas I held about menstruation. It has also required me to embrace my body and love it in all its phases and manifestations. I’m learning to tap into the sacred power of menstruation and to understand what it means to be divinely feminine.
Menstruation is a gift. Think about it.
It is a process that allows us to give birth to new life. It’s a function of the wondrous uterus, a self-cleansing and purposeful organ. Menstruation is an experience that unifies women across the world. It reminds us of our great feminine abilities. How can we not celebrate this? Menstruation is deserving of more recognition and appreciation.
In many ancient cultures, menstruation was seen as a sacred and precious time. Due to the connection of the cycle to the moon phases, menstruating women were believed to harness great ‘shamanic’ and spiritual power. Anthropologists suggest this may explain the use of menstrual huts in certain cultures, originally intended as safe spaces for women to retreat at the ‘height of their powers’.
In honouring menarche, different cultures celebrate a girl’s first period. They view it as a right of passage in to womanhood and mark the occasion with a ritual or cultural practice. Menstruation is given the respect and the regard it is worthy of.
What if we chose to look at menstruation differently?
Let us remove the stigma and shame. We have an opportunity to embrace and acknowledge something beautiful and fascinating. Beyond the biology, menstruation is a spiritual time that allows women to connect to a deeper part of themselves. It’s a time to release old and negative energies, and begin a new phase of self-growth and reflection. To me, that sounds like something worth celebrating.
14 Responses
thank you for this
Beautifully written
Loved all the information, thanks!
This is great 👍🏾
great article! I am researching the benefits of cycle learning this lets me know it is beyond being cranky feeling bloated and in pain. Our bodies are sacred and it should be spiritual for our greatest good and desires.
Thank you for this article. I’ve had such a transformative experience this cycle. That I’m so grateful for the change in my hormones. It’s truly been cleansing. I was almost on the verge of getting antidepressants because I have felt so low in mood over past few months. Being aware of my menstrual cycle and the connection to my body and environment has kept me centred and in control where I was feeling I had lost control. It’s been a humbling experience that brought me back to myself and made me feel connected and intuitive again.
Connected to the love of the Most High that surrounds us daily.
I connected to this article. I too have begun to remove the negative outlook and shame that is attached to women being niddah. With coming into knowledge of self and now understanding, this is a precious gift given to us by the MOST HIGH. It’s a time of purification and renewel.
I am inspired by your beautiful journey of a deeper level of self love connected to removing shame from this sacred process of initiation! I have created a Subliminal to help other feminines get back to their menstrual oasis! You have a huge role to play in this! Thank you Universe& thank you God for allowing me to find this beautiful work of art!
Hallo Moon Rose,
Thank you for taking time to read this article. It warms my heart to know that it deeply resonated with you. I would like to learn more about your Subliminal. Please do share a link so I can read more about it.
You mean thank you Goddess 😘 see your mind is programmed to thank a man….You don’t even recognize your power…. Understand you are a Goddess. And there is a God and there is a Goddess. Men are Gods and women are Goddess. So thank your self. You are a Goddess who can control and manifest anything😘 remember to cut your cords from the matrix programing and you will see the truth…. That you are your own God. And you are in heaven now …. By dieing to ego that is freeing your self from the hell in your mind. Once you are free from ego…. Then you are finally living your best life ever.
Great read. You’ve inspired me to take my step into entrepreneurship to get young women to feel emancipated about their body’s function
I want to start by apologising for a delayed response. I do thank you for reading the article and I appreciate your kind words. It’s motivating to hear that this has inspired you to step into entrepreneurship. You have inspired me to continue writing so I thank you for this as well.
Hi Tariro loved your article. A Zim mom here