Menstrual Cycle Awareness (MCA)
I first learnt the idea of The Inner Seasons of the menstrual cycle from Maisie Hill, but it was originally Alexandra Pope (founder of The Red School) who conceptualised this ancient knowing. To summarise it, the four distinct seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter can be looked to as a guide for which energy and powers we find are available to us during the four phases of the menstrual cycle; the Bleed, Follicular Phase, Ovulatory Phase and Luteal Phase.
This is my interpretation of how it works. Remember that there is no ‘should’; follow your unique cycle and what it is telling you.
The seasons within, as without
As in the world so in our bodies, Spring time comes. In spring seeds start sprouting, we start planting, buds start preparing for opening. The air is fresher, the birds are singing, and there’s a sense of excitement in the air. This can be experienced in our Inner Spring, as the sparking of ideas, a feeling of buzzing feeling of coming back into the world after our bleed. This is a time for planning, dreaming and manifesting. Nurture the buds of your ideas and keep them close to you.
Inner Summer mirrors the Summertime energy of blossom, heat and long pleasure filled days. In the world Summer is a time of outwardness; fruits are ripened, bees are buzzing around pollinating the plants that lay their petals wide open. In our Inner summer we may feel more sensual, external and focused. We may want to go out with our friends, meet new people and have the confidence to take more risks. Our power may lie in unleashing our ideas, putting dreams into action and celebrating our unique contribution to the world.
The shift between Summer and Autumn can be uncomfortable for some; I include myself here. In the world the sense of life drawing back and leaves beginning to drop can bring a sense of sadness, of nostalgia and loss. In our bodies, the shift from an outward energy to a more internal focus can be tricky to navigate. It is here that we might experience a sudden lack of interest in the things that we were so excited about in Inner Summer. Here we find the power of Autumn; pause, reassessment and a chance to take stock and celebrate what is going well. Without Autumn, we would continue barreling on, never taking a moment to focus in on our internal needs. Autumn gives us the power to reflect and return again stronger. When we work with our inner critic we can see it as a friend, that helps guide our decisions and edit out anything unnecessary.
Finally we come to our Inner Winter, our bleed; a time of deep rest and detoxification. As in the world, nothing grows, the soil gets a break, and fertile ground can rejuvenate itself in preparation for Spring. In our bodies we are releasing the endometrial lining of our uterus, but this also comes with the power to release stagnant energy, thoughts and ideas that we do not need anymore. Soil that is constantly ploughed and planted in becomes nutrient deficient, and the plants that grow are weaker and undernourished. This is not something that we want when it comes to our ideas, our plans and our desires. In our Inner Winter we have the power to release anything that may be holding us back, and deeply connect with our inner desires in order to begin spiralling into our next cycle a fraction clearer and more intentional once more.
How to practice MCA
Attuning to the Inner Seasons can help us to live more in sync with our cycle, plan our month around the times when certain things come easier, and nourish and move our bodies in a supportive and sustainable way. To get familiar with the flavours of your own cylicality, take a moment at the end of each day of your cycle to note down the main feelings, thoughts and emotions that coloured your day. Cycle Day 1 is the first day of your period, and so on. You can even note down physical symptoms and the quality of your sleep or conversations for example. By committing to this for at least 3 cycles, you will see – in looking back over your notes – patterns and a rhythm emerging. You may see that certain phases of your cycle or even specific days bring with them a similar hue or challenge. You may start to recognise where you have susceptibility for a wobble, or in which season you find certain things easy. With this self knowledge, you are set up to take ownership of your energy and emotions, rather than feeling shipwrecked or washing-machined by them each cycle. It also connect you deeply to something larger than you – the ebb and flow of the tides, the waxing and waning of the moon, the great inhale and exhale of the universe herself.
The symptoms of menstrual denial
For me, grasping the idea of the Inner Seasons gave me a new perspective on the time that I find most challenging; Inner Autumn. It struck me that, just like the formation of nature’s seasons, nothing is there without reason. The falling, dying and contracting of Autumn plays a vital role in maintaining equilibrium on the planet. It is not sustainable to continue at the pace of Summer. I realised that it isn’t me that is ‘wrong’, it’s the way we relate to Autumn, to introversion, and rest that is extremely flawed. It reminds me constantly that my symptoms are a reaction to patriarchy.
As the Founders of The Red School say in their book Wild Power; ‘our whole society is geared towards menstrual denial, and our symptoms have a way of disrupting or interrupting the status quo’. Menstrual cycle awareness brings us into right relationship with the only three things that are certain: change, death and our essential lack of control. It offers us a pathway to faith, surrender and trust, through our very real and material bodies.
Two poles of menstruation
Additionally, The Red School share the idea of the two ‘poles of menstruation’, ovulation and menstruation, as breaking the cycle into just two distinct energies. That of Via Negativa and Via Positiva.
The first half of the cycle, as the inward looking period of bleeding ends, until ovulation, we call via positiva. The second half, shifts us into the via negativa which lasts from after ovulation until our bleed ends.
“The creative energy or tendency of the half of the cycle, the via positiva, is the way of the masculine, and it gives you an ability to go out and do things, set goals and set agenda, to impose your agenda on the world. It’s one way of creating. And it’s a super energy.
The creative energy or tendency of the second half of the cycle we all the via negativa – is the way of the Feminine. We don’t know how to celebrate this creative way in our society. It’s about the power of the encounter, the power of co-creation. Not about imposing your agenda but rather unfolding what wants to come through. To work in collaboration. In this way we birth new ideas that have never been known before. This is subtle, it’s about courting something, listening and responding. A fabulous skill to have because it helps you to be able to work with the Unknown. It isn’t about one Way being better than the other. They both need each other for each to have their full brilliance.”
As Alexandra says, our society is not supportive of the via negativa, of existing in a more inward, non-linear, feminine way. In our premenstrual phase we find ourselves here suddenly, thanks to an immediate hormonal shift after ovulation, or gradually falling into it, feeling the external world slipping out of focus. It can feel overwhelming and unbearable when we are still trying to keep up with the hyper masculine world.
How many times have you said ‘yes’ to going out, meeting a friend, completing a task, during your premenstrual phase or your period, when really you wish you’d said no? Your no is key to finding the power in all phases of your cycle. It’s vital for honouring yourself, your Inner Autumn and the via negativa.
We are the earth and the earth heals through us
How would our world look if we looked forward to our personal time of pause and self reflection? Instead of seeing our symptoms as proof that a womb is a curse, what if we turned our dissatisfaction on society, and demanded that our ‘no’ be heard and that our need for rest be respected?
Instead of wishing away Inner Autumn, what if we questioned whether or not we feel supported by the structures in our life at this time? What if instead of ploughing on, disregarding the energetic shift, we let go and allowed it to do its work?
My question to myself was this; Who’s voice is it, that tells me I’m lazy, irrational, hysterical and pointless when I’m in my premenstrual phase? And the answer was clear. It is the structures of a patriarchal and capitalist society that tell me I’m not allowed to stop. That I have to be the same every day, keep going, producing, working, progressing.
Is social withdrawal still a ‘symptom’ when it’s also a sign that I am returning to the via negativa? Is my disinterest in my work purely a sign that it’s time to slow down and take a break, not that everything is wrong? And maybe my sadness is a clue that I gave too much in my Inner Summer, and didn’t save anything for myself.
It’s not easy inhabiting a cyclical body in a patriarchal world. But when we start to see that there isn’t anything wrong with us – in fact quite the opposite – we begin to change the culture of shame and denial around being cyclical.
And that is a world I would like to bleed in.
No matter how short, how long, how irregular your cycles are, every single day is an opportunity to celebrate and support your body’s natural rhythms, and the beauty and intelligence of the cycles of life all around us. Thank you, for paying attention.
