A Woman’s Moon

By Mother Maya

According to Ayurveda, a woman’s magic is irretrievably linked to the moon. The ancients called the dark days of the moon “woman’s moon” and “resting moon,” linking a woman’s physical, emotional, and spiritual state to the lunar wheel. The dark moon provides a cozy climate for a woman’s sadhana of rest, reprieve, and replenishment. Mother Moon takes to recharging her Shakti during this time, when a woman is advised to create a gentle space to conserve her feminine powers and inculcate her creative potential. The sight of the fresh new moon stood for the Mother’s act of resurrection—a metaphor for the woman’s menstrual cycle.

The Vedic culture recognizes that a woman’s blood preserves her Shakti—primordial feminine energies—and that this blood carries the Divine Mother’s potential for bringing new life and rebirth. When Shakti-prana (lunar life force of the womb) is strong, it acts as a magnetic lodestone, drawing the energy of the moon to revitalize the womb. For this reason, the blood ves­sels within a woman’s vulva carry the magnetic energies of the moon. How strongly is a woman affected by the constantly changing rhythm of the moon? The rhythm of the Shakti-prana also causes a woman to discharge her uterine lining at the appropriate cyclical time during the new-moon phase. As a result, her hormone levels are naturally reset. The process we call menses does not consider the far-reaching magic and miracle of a woman’s blood.

In the past, a woman marked the passing of the months by her monthly cycle, and the number of children to whom she gave birth roughly marked the annual cycles. Native cultures guided their daily affairs by the appearance of the moon. Individuals, families, and communities marked their calendars by the crescent moon and then again by the full moon. The visibly changing shape of the luminary in the night sky may count every moment of life. The moon itself was their sole calendar, and each culture named its nocturnal turn with names that sustained memory of their sacred relation to Mother Earth.

The time of the menstrual cycle is a very sacred and yet vulnerable period for a woman. Women who are menstruating are required to go at a slower pace and to allow the body to cleanse itself; you are also advised to pare your activities to the bare essentials so that body, mind, and spirit may experience the least degree of intrusion. Ayurveda recommends a mini­mum of bodily cleansing at this time. Quick, cool showers or wiping down of the body will do. Refrain from sexual activities and from all cooking activities. The latter mea­sure is to prevent the energies from the powerful menstrual blood to pervade the foods. Maintain a light, wholesome diet of salads, fresh juices, and light grains (basmati rice, millet, couscous, ama­ranth), pasta, tofu, leafy greens, and fresh fruits. Herbal teas such as raspberry, organic rose-flower peppermint, ginger, lemon balm, hops, and chamomile are also revitalizing during this time.

Mother Maya is an extraordinary spiritual teacher who has transformed thousands of lives with her healing presence during the past 30 years. Mother is also the spiritual head of Wise Earth School of Ayurveda—the first school for Ayurveda in the United States. Mother (Maya Tiwari) is the best-selling author of Ayurveda: A Life of Balance; Ayurveda: Secrets of Healing; the Nautilus-nominated The Path of Practice; Women’s Power to Heal through Inner Medicine; and her newest book, Abundance: From Feast to Fast.

For up-to-date information and locations please visit www.wisearth.org or www.motherommedia.com