The Demonization of the menstrual cycle

Have you ever stopped to think about just how much the menstrual cycle has been demonized over the years?

I have… a lot.

With just one word we can get a glimpse into just how systematically women and the feminine powers have been undermined and demonized by our patriarchal societies - and that word is WHORE.

In their book, Womb Awakening, Azra and Seren Bertrand explain how the word whore has nothing to do with how much sex we’ve had or how many people we’ve had sex with. Rather, the word whore comes from the root word "hor" which in Semitic languages from the Middle East means "cave" or "womb". In fact other common root words like "har", "her", "hara", and "hera" relate back to the meaning of womb. It's where words like harlot, heroine, harmony, chorus, and more derive themselves. What's even more special is that the source of creation, sometimes referred to as the Great Womb of Creation, was once known as the Great Whore.

Terms like whore and harlot have been thrown at women in modern patriarchal times as slanderous, harsh, deeply negative judgements of one's character, when in fact they were once the terms used to celebrate the power of creation that lives within and all around us. What breaks my heart even more is that we women often use these words to offend and negatively label one another - words that should uplift us, we've been using to break down our spirits.

This systemic undermining of the womb, her power, and the people that hold that power within their beings infuriates me to my very core. Imagine how different the world would be if we dared to value the womb space and those who hold her power with deep respect, admiration, and reverence. If we chose to flow instead of grind. If we nourished Mother Earth (the womb of our world) instead of ravaged and ransacked her. If we dared to see mothers as the source of power and life that they are instead of people who should "bounce back" into "reality" as fast as possible. Imagine. I'd like to see what that world is like.

This is all to say that while on the surface my work as a fertility awareness educator at Sauvage Wellness looks a lot like tracking menstrual cycles and talking about cervical fluid, it runs deeper. Reclaiming and reconnecting to our menstrual cycles is reclaiming our right to live powerfully and empowered in our bodies, to begin designing this different way of living that we dream of. Lifting the veil on the systemic demonization and undermining of the feminine wisdom starts with you and me and each cycle that we track, internal rhythm that we reconnect with, and our daring to rise up out of the haze of the hustle culture.

You see, long ago, women gathered in sacred spaces

In sisterhood + celebration

Of their bodies, their intuition, and their deep-rooted menstrual power.

These safe + sacred feminine spaces long ago existed for our ancestors, 

Only to be destroyed by the masculine fear of the empowered female.

Our menstruating ancestors were burned at the stake for harnessing the power of herbal medicine, celebrating their bodies, & connecting deeply with their primal wisdom (because, yeah, they weren’t actually witches flying on broomsticks).

Their bleeds were feared, labeled dirty & dangerous.

Their intuition was feared, labeled a tool of the devil.

Their medicinal ways were feared, labeled satanic witchcraft.

And we see the impacts of this feminine destruction and demonization still today in our modern world…

We’re taught that our periods are the painful, inconvenient curse of being a woman.

We’re taught to hide our “dirty, disgusting” bleeds at all costs.

We’re taught to ignore the natural rhythms of our cycling bodies so that we can operate at maximum capacity 24/7.

We’re taught that our bodies can’t be trusted to carry out our superpower of pregnancy and childbirth without the intervention of man (read: our patriarchal medical system).

We’re taught that menopausal women are dried up old ladies who should fade into the background of life.

This breaks my heart,

But it also inflames my soul.

I refuse to let this be our lineage, our legacy.

I refuse to let another generation of women go on believing that they are not a powerful, important, damn-near mystical being.

And, just how do I plan to do that?

Right here, with this work that I do at Sauvage Wellness - empowering women around the world to know the truth about their menstrual cycle, power, & wisdom. Empowering women around the world to take their fertility and their birth control into their own hands - to finally be the ones in control of our bodies and our cycles.