Moon Cycles: Welcome to Wise Moon

Welcome to Wise Moon!

This blog is a space in honor of the modern woman and her relationship to herself, her menstural (moon) blood, her womb and her creative force. Wise Moon explores topics such as: ancient herbal wisdom, modern day rituals, woman as shaman/priestess as well as women's herbal remedies, books, resources and links. Many are beginning to reclaim this wisdom and to understand the gifts of menstrual blood in new ways.  

For ancient people the moon was a mysterious and ever changing presence in the sky.  They observed that the moon would wax and wane from new to full to new in a consistent pattern and began to mark the passage of time by the phases of the moon.

People from the very early stone age, around 3000 B.C.E would mark these phases of the moon with red ochre on animal bones and believed that the moon created society.  Words for wisdom, knowledge, spirit, soul and time were always similar to or derived from the word 'moon'.

First drawing
of moon surface 1609
by Thomas Harriot

Our modern word ‘menstruation’ comes from the latin mens or mensis which means ‘month’. Mene is Greek and means ‘measure of time'.  All of these words also have etymological roots that mean ‘moon’. 

People used to live in deep harmony with the moon and the most ancient moon cults were menstrual cults. They believed that moon blood was sacred and powerful and within it lay the spirit. They would paint their dead with red ochre within their womb-like burial chambers. The red ochre represented the color of rebirth from within the earth (mother).

Today, for many women, the moon still represents the cyclic rhythms of women’s energies. The moon is seen as a source of inspiration for creative energy and expression. One's 'moon time' is often also a time for ritual, self reflection and rest.

The moon's pull is a palpable and present force: “What is happening in the sky I feel in my deepest body”. By attuning to rhythms, our own and that of the moon, we feel the gentle connection of our modern bodies through time, cycles and blood to those of the ancients.

The moon is a source of mystery and awe. Its reflection is a reminder for us to tune into our own subtle, enigmatic and intuitive realms for guidance. Through its light and presence we are encouraged to tap into the inherent wisdom contained within our bodies and menstrual cycles.



All reference materials used in Wise Moon are listed under 'Books About Menstruation'

**All information contained in Wise Moon is for educational and informational purposes only. The information is NOT intended to treat or diagnose any condition. Please check with your healthcare practitioner for advice.