Happy New Year!

Many blessings for 2012!

Thank you for all your support in 2011.
Wishing you all a very merry New Years Eve!

Keep on keeping on!

Cat xx

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, 'press on' has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race."Calvin Coolidge

Posters are ready for SALE!!

AND!!

Every poster will come with a FREE GIFT! I like small and practical, so I have designed a small yet very practical tool to help you through each month!

Here are the details!!

A business card sized calendar for 2012. Double sided, full colour, based on ‘The Secret Feminine Energy of the Menstrual Cycle’ Poster by Cat Stone.

On one side, a mini replica of the Feminine Energy Cycle Mandala.
The card includes cycle days, phase and season reminders and a few ‘key’ words to act as a quick reminder of where you are in your cycle.

Carry in your purse or pin to a notice board, as a handy reference guide.

On the other side, a mini 2012 calendar, with marked dates of Full and New moons.
Please note these dates are approximate depending on time zones.

Mark day 1 each month with a pen to keep track of your periods.

SEE a the whole years period dates in one view. SEE how your cycle corresponds to the moon.

From me to you, with love ♥ xx

Book List

I have compiled a list of books around the subject of the Divine feminine and the powers of the menstrual cycle.  Some of these books I have read (there are a couple of favourites!) and some are on my 'to read' list!

If you know of a great book I haven't listed, please leave me a comment!

If you're quick you might be able to stick them on your Christmas list!

http://naturalshaman.blogspot.com/p/book-list.html

Full Moon rising.

It's only a couple of days before we see another powerful Full Moon.
It's also a Lunar Eclipse, which makes for a very potent time.

Gemini Moon, Lunar Eclipse, December 10th 2011, 2.36PM.  Gemini/Saggitarius

The Mercury retrograde has caused me a few headaches, that and entering into my 'autumn', but I have managed to keep some momentum and I can feel the energies building for this Full Moon.
I have a Gemini ascendant, so am feeling quite wired.  I usually bleed a few days after Full Moon.  It's like, with the waxing energies and the culmination in the Full Moon, I find the energy to give work and life that final push, before descending into my 'winter' time with the waning moon.  This month, I really am planning on taking it easy when I hit that phase.

I'm planning on taking rest from all the frantic design work and poster prep I have been drowning in, and just... have.... some fun!  It's been a LONG time since I felt I could enjoy Yule, but this year is just SO different.  I am not scared!

A lot of things happened before mercury went retrograde, and the pause, although frustrating at times, has been a bonus.  I have had time to get things right.  To make sure, to check and re-check.

With eclipses bringing all manner of changes, opportunities, and shake-up's, and Mercury goes direct again on the 13th.. so as soon as we are done with the Full Moon and lunar eclipse, hopefully everything will start moving forward, and I have a hunch, this will be at speed.   


This is the LAST Total Lunar Eclipse we will experience for the next 3 years, so I imagine it will be, like me, giving everything a final push to get us moving into and through 2012.

I am hoping to work with these energies while I bleed....  Dive into the unknown and see what comes back with me.

2012 is a whole new year.. and it's just around the corner!

Oh yeah... and the poster?  It's now available for PRE-ORDER.  Just click the advert on the right!

The Moon is set to turn blood red during this eclipse.... very apt!

In honor of ovulation...

... I unveil and release to the world something that has taken a few months to get to this stage.

The drawing was completed during my first natural cycle since coming off all medications and birth control.  I had been reading and studying about the menstrual energies for around 6 months.  The next couple of months were spent getting to grips with what I've learned and experienced.  This was accelerated by the workshop with The Women's Quest.

It seems appropriate that the final push to get this poster printed and on sale has come along with this month's ovulation/summer phase.  I am looking forward to sharing this labor of love...

 

Hopefully, all being well, this will be online for sale before Yule 2011.  Please check back for details of how to buy.... SOON!

Following the rhythm

I've been connecting to my cycle in a much deeper way than ever before.  I've had 4 natural cycles since removing the Mirena coil and life is going much more smoothly.

Life is full of synchronicity again and the Universe is certainly providing me with lots of opportunities and keeping me busy.  Planning around my cycle is slowly becoming second nature and I'm making much better use of my time.

SAD is threatening to scupper my busy schedule, but I'm prepared...

I have got many projects on the go, and one of them is very special.  Keep an eye on this blog or my website for details of a brand new and original poster that illustrates the energy of the menstrual cycle. 
If you've ever found it difficult to get to grips with the different energies we are blessed with, this will hopefully allow you to observe and understand your cycle better.  It can help those around you to understand how your energy ebbs and flows, and act as a handy chart to refer to at different times of the month.

All will be unveiled soon!

I have also been working on the website design and hope that you like my new look!

With love...

(Photo taken on a late afternoon walk in November)

Bleed on it...

Our menstruation is the most powerful experience a woman can have. We renew, we delve into our own darkness, and if we are not in tune with this, it can cause us so much pain, physically and emotionally. The run up to our period is an unstable time, our inner critic raises it's voice, we become critical of ourselves and others. This voice should be ignored, or quietened... underlying it though, is a message trying to get through, a truth that may be hard to hear.

Maybe it's because you are denying something in yourself or life, you are avoiding your life's path, or are in an unsatisfying situation in life. Past issues that you haven't dealt with properly may come up, underlying the anger you feel towards someone at work or home. We all know it is hard to know which way is up during this time, especially if we lose our centre, start spinning in the madness and lose control...

It is at this time we need to retreat, to dream, rest and go within. Any big decisions should wait till after your period... I offer to you the idea of 'BLEED ON IT' Any choice you have to make, any doubts you have, any life changes you aren't sure of, go into yourself at bleeding time, learn, accept.. LOVE YOURSELF... find the answers. Always wait till after your bleed to make a decision.

Some bigger issues may need deeper exploration or longer 'bleed on it' times. You may need to seek help from a counsellor or therapist to deal with life long or very traumatic times in your life. TRUSTING that you DO know what you need, want and are capable of is important to holding onto you womanly power. Our instincts are amazing, our inner guidance is always talking to us, we just need to listen. By healing our past and our present, we can calm the pre-menstrual rage, we can take control.

The Critic robs us of our self esteem, our confidence, our sanity, we believe we cant make decisions or take on too much. It DIS-EMPOWERS us. It doesn't have to. GET STRONG, feed the good, starve the bad. TRUST yourself. Take time, go with your cycle, don't let others rush you. BLEED ON IT ♥

What do you think?

Creating Menstrual Health Workshop with Alexandra and Sjanie

Last Saturday, I attended a workshop run by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer. The workshop was about 'creating menstrual health' and as I have been reading The Womans Quest workbook for the past 8 months, It seemed like a good opportunity to meet the author and other women who were also interested in the menstrual cycle's energies. I feel like I am a world away from the state of mind I was in when I first contacted Alexandra... a plea from a desperate woman, to someone who might be able to understand what I was going through. We chatted via email, I downloaded the thought provoking workbook, and joined her community site.

I was around day 18 of my cycle, so heading into unstable territory, so I arranged for my partner to drive me to Fulham in London and get me to the venue. I don't cope on trains and tubes very well, especially alone and in the second half of my cycle.

The venue was beautiful. It looked like a converted church and had the most beautiful stained glass rose windows. Everyone was welcoming and open. It is always a daunting thought, meeting lots of strangers all in one go, but there was a lovely energy in the room, and as women do when they get together.. lots of chat and laughter. The whole building was beautiful, clean and calming. As we moved into our work room, yet another stunning stained glass mandala faced me.

The day consisted of a lot of chat and discussion on the menstrual cycle and where we may have issues. We explored the similarities between out menstrual phases and the seasons experienced on the Earth. I am in my element with correspondences and symbols, and loved widening my thoughts and knowledge of this divine code.

Our inner Spring, is very similar to our outer spring. This 'Springtime' represents pre-ovulation, when the fog of our period lifts and our light and energy returns. Many of us (PMDD sufferers) will call this 'one of our good weeks'. We feel like ourselves again, we have energy, we want to get on with life again. There is an innocence about this time, and it is a time we should spend nurturing our ideas and making plans. New shoots are growing, life is returning to the earth... and you.

Inner Summer relates to ovulation. The Sun is high in the sky and everything is fertile and blooming. We are 'out there'. We can be social, we can enjoy life. It is a time for manifestation. Another 'good week' for many, although this too can bring a difficult time for some. If we are not fulfilling the things we want (on the most basic bodily level this would be getting pregnant), there becomes a fear of summer's end, of missing the chance, of the wheel turning all to quickly.

Inner Autumn is pre-menstruation and is when PMDD sufferers will hit the 'bad times'. Most will start losing a grip on reality during this season. The Earth is retreating, leaves are falling, the cold winds pick up. It is an unsettled and unstable season, flitting from late balmy sunny afternoons and bright crisp mornings, to stretches of dull grey rainy days, storms and more rain. Our energy and flow begins to slow down, we get forgetful and easy to enrage. Women with PMDD need to really try and understand this season, and learn how to harvest it's fruits and develop and awareness of what is really going on inside them.

Our inner Winter is connected to our menstruation. Our whole month is connected to how well we bleed and deal with our period. Just think to days gone by, when we had to harvest as much as we could all year to just survive the winter. If we are careful and look after ourselves, we will reach the Spring. If we have been smart and resourceful, we may even reach Spring still strong and healthy, rather than starving and weak. If you allow the natural need to retreat and hibernate, if you honour and listen to what your body needs, if you get enough sleep and good food, you have the potential to reach the Spring, empowered, full of anticipation rather than dis-empowered, full of guilt and stress.

There is much more I could say about each season, in fact, I could write a couple of posts on each one!! So I will leave that there for you to digest and contemplate. I am obviously describing a cycle, but everyone's cycle may be different. They will most certainly feel different things at different times and for different reasons. Interpretation comes down to the individual, and you cannot forget the different life stories of each individual and their own reactions to each season. How do you feel about each season? Do you have favourites? How do you cope with each season?

As above, so below, As within, As without – A Witches saying.

What goes on outside us, is often a mirror to what is going on inside us. I'm sure it's no coincidence that I have a hard time through my inner Winters, and also suffer from SAD during the outer Winter. Maybe if I learn how to love the inner Wintertime, I will also heal my SAD?

We followed a guided meditation spoken by Sjanie, and stopped periodically (through each season) to write and draw down our visions. We discussed with partners our experiences and feelings.

We then got into groups and each discussed a season. The rest of the day was unpacking all the words we had thought of to describe how we feel about each season. It was very enlightening and heart warming to hear other people's stories and to feel so connected to other women. It was also re-assuring and exciting that other women understood these concepts and each and every one of us felt that we all knew it anyway. 

We have all had this potential, this inner knowledge, like a glimmering, ornate, gold box full of our inner strength and power, full of the words of our ancestors and subconscious. Alexandra and Sjanie gave us all the key to unlocking this magic box, and I'm sure that every woman there will be sharing this knowledge with anyone who would care to listen for many years to come.

There is a revelation to be had in exploring these ideas, there is a REVOLUTION to be had by every woman, to educate, to share the knowledge, to break down all the stigma and hatred that has been pointed at our menstrual cycles. To reclaim our menstruation as our sacred time, to be allowed to become whole, rather than living the half life we are all supposed to live because it is socially acceptable. As a woman, I will demand respect, from myself and others during my bleed. It is a magical thing to bleed as we do every month. We get a new chance every month to heal and learn and understand ourselves.

If you are interested in The Woman's Quest and Alexandra Pope's and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer's work, please visit these websites:

http://www.womensquest.org/Home/Index

http://www.wildgenie.com/

My Healing Journey

It's been a long time coming, but I finally feel like I am really figuring out the root causes of my PMDD. I have always believed that illness is as much in the mind as it is in the body, and PMDD is very much a disorder that can start in the body and create a difference in the mind... HOWEVER... it would then be just as possible for the illness to start in the mind and manifest itself in the body.

I am now 34, and since being diagnosed at the age of 27 I have tried every medication offered to me. I have dabbled with many different alternative therapies, and I now find myself out of options in the traditional sense.

Along my path I have used:

Prozac, citalopram, valium, zoladex, lithuim, copper coil, Mirena coil, St Johns wort, 5HTP, Quiet life tablets, rescue remedy, evening primrose oil, starflower oil, homeopathy, yoga, counselling, art therapy, aromatherapy, vitamins, B6, zinc, magnesium, cod liver oil, meditation, 5Rhythms dance, massage nutrition and exercise.

The past 18 months has brought about massive changes in my life. My home life has changed dramatically from one of pure hell and stress, to one that is supportive and much less stressful. My children are now that much bit older, and at 6 and 13 are at school and able to do a lot more for themselves. I have an understanding and loving partner, and a wonderful dog that gets me out of the house even when I don't really want to go out!

I have been medication free since July 2010 apart from a Mirena coil, which I then had taken out this August. I currently regularly take evening primrose and starflower oil capsules, hormonal balance vitamins and rescue remedy. I watch what I eat (but there is room for improvement) and exercise regularly.

I am 4 cycles into my medication and synthetic hormone free life, and I can honestly say I feel much more in control of my PMDD. The journey I have been on, has made me appreciate what it feels like to be free of all medications and hormonal treatments. I still have the odd crazy moment, or feel depressed and hopeless, but I am learning new ways to deal with these times AND on how to view my whole cycle.  I am learning that these are different states of mind and being, and I need to change the way I am in the world to use these changes effectively.

For the past 8 months, I have been following information and advice given in The Woman's Quest by Alexandra Pope. I have also delved into deeper research and study on female shamanism and the energy of the menstrual cycle. Last Saturday I met Alexandra during a 'Creating Menstrual Health' workshop she was holding in London. I had a really enlightening time....

On a spiritual level, I would describe my PMDD experience as having a spiritual death and rebirth every month. Just like a Shaman when they go on an inner vision journey, when they perform soul healing on their clients. This then got me thinking. What if the distress I was experiencing was because I was having a shamanic experience. What if, I am so sensitive to the psychological changes that I am actually symbolically going through a death and rebirth every month? Once I saw it this way, I wanted to embrace those times and see what I could learn from them.  Women were the original Shaman, with awesome changes flooding her body every month.  Changes to be respected and honored.

I am now learning to ride the wave. To use the different qualities I have throughout the month to benefit me, rather than hinder me. When you begin to work WITH your cycles energy, you uncover something magical and empowering. I am now excited to be blessed with having periods, and every one that comes, I learn something new. I still have some degree of fear regarding the dark times, and I also have a new fear, of how I begin to live my life when I have been so ill for so long. I am having counselling again and working on my shamanic and spiritual practice

I am reminding myself that healing is a long process, that nothing is set in stone, and that the only way to keep on getting better is to keep on learning about myself and TRUSTING that I know what is best for myself.

I no longer hate being a woman, I no longer fear my period.

You would not have heard me say that 2 years ago. For over 10 years I hated being a woman, I hated my bleed, I couldn't understand what I had done wrong, why was I being punished? I didn't understand. Despite studying and practising Paganism and The Craft (all Goddess walks of life) for many years, I still had a block and fear regarding my own feminine self and my cycle. I think I was desperately trying to find a connection to the feminine, to the Goddess, as my own natural connection had been severed.  All I have to do is re-learn and re-connect to my bleeding time, to my natural rhythm.  When I stopped my spiritual practice, I became more ill.  Disconnected from the source.

I am now actively honoring my cycle, my inner divine feminine. I am learning shaman techniques for working with 'other worlds' or my subconscious self, and I feel the inner strength again, I feel the reassurance that this is the right path for me. I have been lost for so long, and now I feel I am walking with the flow, I am learning better ways of dealing with myself, looking after myself and how to get support from those around me.  

The future doesn't look bleak any more, It looks exciting. Every cycle is a new chance to learn and change, and I want to make the most of it.

Wheels in motion

I know it's been quiet here of late, but it takes a while for these things to come together!
I have been paying close attention to my cycle, as I have learned to do over the years.  Back in August, I had my Mirena coil removed, and I am currently expecting my third, natural period in the next week or so.
Knowing that I have nothing inside me to play games with my natural cycle, I am finding easier to take notice of the changes.  The general feeling I get during days 4/5 to day 18/19 is so different to my premenstrual phase. 

Next month, I am attending a workshop with Alexandra Pope.  It is a day of learning about the menstrual cycle and how to use the energies more efficiently.  I am really looking forward to it, and can't wait to share my experiences.  I am hoping it will help me fit it all together in my head, so I can really find practical ways of using my crazy changing energies.

I am also now a member of Indie Shaman, a lovely little website for independent Shamans to come together.  I am working hard on my spiritual practice, and learning how and when to fall back on it.  With support from my counsellor and pagan/shamanic elders, I feel I just might get somewhere...

In between posts about the Divine feminine and our blood mysteries, I will post about the current astrology and share links to great articles I find.

Bright Blessings!

Cat x

Aries Full Moon - October 2011

Full Moon Alert!!

Tuesday 11th October 2011  22:06 EDT

(Weds 12th Oct 2011 02:06 GMT)

Full Moon in Aries - The Ram - Fire Sign

Other current powerful aspects are Sun and Saturn in Libra - The Scales - Air Sign.  The current Sun position opposes the Moon so we have a tense Full Moon that will shine a light on decisions, relationships, finding and creating balance, urges to act quickly fighting against a need to make considered long term changes.

"There is an opportunity for insight and progress inherent in the FULL MOON. People often react emotionally during the days of the Full Moon due to a feeling of helplessness.  They become aware of the distance between the way they want their life to be, and the way it currently is.  Often, when they see this gap, they become upset.  Jan Spiller"

Over the next 3 days, we will feel the effects of this Full Moon more strongly, but the current 'issues' are one that have been with us for a few weeks now.  Something may have happened around the time of the New Moon  on September 27th 2011, that is now coming to a head, or end, or fruition....  or it's just time to re-evaluate and see if you're still on track.
Aries acts impulsively, not seeing any point in mulling things over, where as Libra likes to weigh up all the options before making a move.  You also have the mix of fire and lots of air.. what does that result in?? hot hot hot situations, explosions, and destruction.  Fire is a transformer though, and with the destruction, it leaves us  fertile, reborn, transformed into a new state.  The slate is clean and we are given a chance to start over.

With the Air energies about, we may find ourselves thinking lots, weighing up everything.  If you find yourself going round in circles, maybe you need to let a firey impulse sweep you away, or if you find you are acting too rash and impulsively, now may be a good time to hold back and curb the fire.  Go for a good long walk to work off the Aries energy and in the process, you will give yourself time to think situations through before you act or commit.  It is all about balancing the things in your life and making decisions.  Maybe some things, people, need to be removed from your life, maybe you need to change things within a relationship.  This Full Moon will bring those issues back into your mind.

If you feel any 'narkiness' in your life, whether that's from inside you or from people around you, try to rise above it all and let it go.  Spats, quarrels, arguments, disagreements could all get out of hand at the moment.  Let it go, your shit, their shit... all of it.  Just LET IT GO!  channel the argumentative energy into exercise, or a hobby.  Avoid people who are looking for a fight, don't entertain them.

Find the peace within and STAY WITH IT...  Good advice at anytime of the month, but ESPECIALLY, during this Full Moon.

If you would like to read more please visit these excellent links...


http://astrologywithjanspiller.com/2011/10/08/full-moon-reminder%E2%80%A6-tuesday-october-11th-1006-pm/

http://celestialspace.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/full-moon-in-aries-on-october-11th-2011/

Natural Shaman on Facebook

For those of you on Facebook who want to join me in a small group, to share experiences, grow and learn together....

CLICK here to go to Facebook Group

xx

The Spiral Goddess

The Spiral Goddess represents our internal feminine power.  It is quite common to find statues or pendants of a goddess shape, with a spiral in her belly.
This spiral represents the creative power within, that rises from our sacral chakra, the chakra that corresponds to our menstrual cycle, our desires, our sexuality, and relationships.

Spirals can rotate two ways, similar to the direction a chakra spins.  If a chakra spins constantly and at a good, even pace, it is functioning correctly.  If it slows down, stops, speeds up, or spins irregularly, the chakra is dis-functioning and this can lead to problems in this area i.e. menstrual/sexual problems, creative blocks, relationship difficulties.

When our inner spiral is spinning out, it is ever growing, ever expanding.. it is infinate.  This is when we feel good, when we smile because we are alive and a beautiful day awaits us.  This is when we create, paint, draw, cook, spend a day just being.. and being fine with that.  The outward spiral wants us to connect with others, share and absorb new information.

When the spiral turns inwards, and spirals into the centre, we are knocked off balance.  This can happen with the changes in our cycle.  The spiral inwards, should be a healing journey, a journey into who we are and what we want from life.  It is when we begin to feel deeply, all the energy is heading inwards.  We disconnect from life, become spacey, get ratty with people because they want the same of us all the time, when we actually need some quiet time.  Many women, become disorientated, and the inner spiral brings up all our past mistakes, or guilt, or negative thinking.  We can become obsessed with the past, and bleak about our future.
The inward spiral is is difficult for some.  Especially women who are sensitive to their bodies changes, on a spiritual path, or if the sacral chakra is blocked or dis-functioning.

Learning how to use these energies, so they benefit us, rather than hinder our development is the key to living life more fully.  As women, we have had a lot of mixed messages and persecution over the years.  The balance between male and female has been weighing far heavier on the male side for far too long.  Women's cycles, even in 2011, are still a taboo subject... menstrual problems are still being overlooked and misdiagnosed.  Women all around the world have never thought to be aware of the different energies during their cycle, but this was very different during older times and in tribal communities.

Native American women had Moon Lodges, where all the women would stay together during their moon time.  As women all living together, they would have probably menstruated at the same time.  This was sacred time.  The women would share stories, create, sew, craft.  They would support each other and tap into the psychic visions.  Far from the popular belief that they were banished there by the men because they were dirty, the menstruating woman was seen as a huge source of power.  The natural female Shaman, or Shamanka.  Imagine the power of a group of women all menstruating at the same time...  Imagine the visions, insights and creative power they tapped into, in a collective way.  The life blood was honored, women's power was sacred and something that could never be matched by a man.

I have suffered menstrual problems from the age of  13, when I got my first moon.  I have PMDD - Pre Menstrual Disphoric disorder.  I write a blog about it, which you can find HERE.
I have cursed it, I have hated it.  I have wished I was a man!  I have been dealing very badly with my inward spiralling, and have been 'ill' for so many years.  I have tried lots of different medications and even seriously considered a hysterectomy (I even began the process by trying out a chemical menopause - not nice).  This year, however, after a long and drawn out winter (I also have SAD) I began reading more and more about honoring the menstrual cycle, about the different energies we experience, and how to use them more positively.  Something clicked, and I am feeling better than I ever have.  I feel like I can improve my life, my disorder, and all it takes it seeing it differently, thinking differently and learning how to love my cycle rather than loathe it.

I hope you will join me on my journey, and start thinking about how you are honoring your femininity, your cycle and getting the most out of being a Woman.