As if dealing with monthly bleeding isn’t enough of an inconvenience, the monthly menses also brings a host of annoying side effects. From bloating and wild mood swings, to painful cramps and heavy bleeding, the menstrual cycle can seem like a burden at times. While there are a variety of over-the-counter medications that can help relieve the cramps and bloating, these pills can be harmful to your body in other ways.

Research into menstruation has shown that certain vitamins can aid in reducing cramps, heavy bleeding and other symptoms,  giving more natural solution than downing pain relievers.

Here ís a list of the vitamins that seem to be effective in relieving the monthly discomforts:

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is considered to be helpful in alleviating cramps. Vitamin E reduces prostaglandins a hormone that increases during your period and causes the uterus to contract, causing cramps.

Vitamin E can also help relieve sore breasts and possibly help with the nausea and light and sound sensitivity that accompanies menstrual migraines.

Take between 150 to 800 IU of Vitamin E a day to help ease menstrual cramps. The richest food sources of vitamin E are vegetable oils, nuts, and eggs.

Vitamin B6

Considered a potent agent in treating cramps, Vitamin B6 has a relaxing effect on muscles throughout the body. Not only does this help reduce the uterine contractions that causes cramping, but also it can alleviate some of the lower back pain associated with menses.

Vitamin B6 may help with bloating as well. A natural diuretic, B6 can help flush out retained fluids.

Dietary sources of vitamin B6 include whole grains, beans, carrots, spinach, peas, potatoes, milk, cheese, eggs, fish and liver. Take at least 100 to 200 mg of

Vitamin B3 (niacin).

Vitamin B3 has been found to be 88-percent effective in reducing menstrual cramps. Niacin increases oxygen and blood flow to tissues and organs, which can help alleviate aches and pains. It can also help with mood disorders that accompany menstruation, as it has been shown to reduce irritability and fatigue.

Take 100 milligrams twice a day and 100 milligrams every two to three hours as needed during the menstrual period to help with symptoms. B3 is water soluble, so any excess will be flushed out. Excellent sources of niacin include mushrooms, chicken and tuna.

Vitamin D

If you have wild mood swings during your period, increasing Vitamin D intake might help. Vitamin D seems to help regulate hormones and neurotransmitters, both of which affect mood.

A high intake of vitamin D from food sources has been linked with a lower likelihood of experiencing PMS symptoms. Vitamin D can be found in fortified dairy products like milk, yogurt†and cheese, and in fatty fish like tuna and salmon.

Vitamin K

As the vitamin that aids in clotting blood, a deficiency in vitamin K can lead to heavy bleeding during your period.

To reduce the heaviness of your period, incorporate more leafy greens, like romaine lettuce, cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and kale.

Probiotics, like acidophilus, should also be a part of your diet to reduce bleeding. These can be found in foods like yogurt and kefir, egg yolks, fermented soy products (miso) and different fruits, such as pears, strawberries and papaya.

Vitamin B1 (thiamin) & B2 (riboflavin)

Researchers found that women who had low intake of vitamin B1 and B2 had higher rates of PMS than women who consumed greater amounts of these two vitamins.

These two B-vitamins are found in protein-rich foods like eggs, lean meats and beans and some leafy greens. By increasing your intake of these foods, you may be able to reduce your PMS symptoms.

Not only will incorporating these vitamins help your overall health, but they may help alleviate some of the unpleasant PMS and menstrual symptoms; however, while vitamins are a more natural way of treating period discomfort than over-the-counter drugs, keep in mind that overdosing or experiencing negative interactions with other drugs is possible with a high intake of certain vitamins. Consult with a physician prior to self-dosing vitamins.

Virginia Cunningham is a freelance writer from California whose writing covers several different health topics, including personal fitness, holistic medicine and supplements. She incorporates these vitamins into her daily diet to reduce any unwanted symptoms.

All products above are available from Moon Times

it’s now available WORLD WIDE from CreateSpace  and will be on Moon Times and Amazon very soon!! Do spread the word for me!

I have been blessed with some wonderful reviews:

“Rachael’s Menarche book is a veritable feast supporting any young woman on her menstrual journey. It is easy to read, full of stories and experiences from women of all ages and cultures, and a very welcome and beautiful tool which may inspire the maiden woman to celebrate her movement into womanhood. In a culture often lacking in knowing how to support teenage transitions, we must receive gifts such as this book with open arms and open heart. It offers practical self care of the menstrual cycle, tools for supporting the emotional aspects of a cycle with self-enquiry exercises, and a rich and diverse offering of lore of menstruation around the world, experiences, wonderings, quotes and wisdom. Any menstruating woman who didn’t feel she received the menarche celebration she wanted, or the wisdom she needed to bring health to her cycle, would benefit form reading this book as well as all young girls approaching menarche. Rachael has long held a place for transforming experience and perceptions around menstruation. Thank you Rachael.”
Dominique Sakoilsky author of Seven Secrets of a Joyful Birth, founder of Relaxed Birth and Parenting, Active Birth Teacher, counsellor and cranio sacral therapist.

“A practical, supportive and very informative book which shares women’s wisdom with girls embarking on their first periods in an accessible way. I love the way you have left space on its pages for them to add their own wisdom. That is really special.”
Lucy H Pearce contributing editor at JUNO magazine and author of Moon Time: a guide to celebrating your menstrual cycle and Moods of Motherhood.

“For any mother or mother and daughter wanting to welcome her daughter’s menstruation in a loving and positive way this book is a wonderful tool of focus. A lovely blend of creative ideas and practical knowledge, also the reader is encouraged to explore within themselves as to what feels comfortable for them. Rachael is very open about her experience of listening to her daughters wishes at the time of her first bleed and letting go her own desires of how best to welcome menarche. This is an inspiring book, a book that encourages us to question and discover for ourselves. I will be very happy to recommend this book to clients and students.” Amanda Rayment. Master herbalist and Practitioner.

“What a wonderful resource this is for young woman entering menarche.I wish that I had had access to such wise insightful information when I started my own menarche. Rachael weaves her insights and tips in a easy to read joyful way and offers young and older woman alike a refreshing new reference point on which to view this female journey. I will be sharing it with my nieces and grandaughter without a doubt. Thank you for sharing your wisdom Rachael” Louise Bennett, founder of Relaxed Birth and Parenting

I see PMT as a modern day disease/dis-ease. In cultures where women are more in tune with nature and their cycles, where they eat ‘real’ (natural) foods, where they work hard but not in offices, not in front of computer screens all day- PMT doesn’t exist!

So if we break it down in to simple steps perhaps we too can eradicate PMT!

Your Sacred Day…the first thing I strongly suggest is keeping your first bleeding day as SACRED! This is the time to retreat, ignore the outer world, switch off your phones, facebook, the TV, the radio, and instead go within yourself, ask yourself what you need. This is your time to GET CLEAR, RELEASE and LET GO of whats not needed in your life!

On the first day of your moontime your intuition is higher than ANY OTHER day of the month!

When we take this time out to go within, we tune in to our inner power, which then releases dreams and ideas for us to use later in the month.

After nurturing ourselves in this way we will feel replenished and feel as if we have a fresh start; a chance to begin again. We are so lucky to have this chance to rebirth EVERY MONTH! WHAT A BLESSING!

If every woman started to take this time out we will CREATE CHANGE IN THE WORLD!

So you may have to be ‘selfish’ to make this happen for yourself. Be clear that this is a day to REST and SELF NOURISH. You are being selfish now so you can be selfless later in the month!

At this time you are sensitive and vulnerable, you need this sacred day to protect yourself. Even if you only have 5 mins before you get out of bed, do something that nurtures you and helps you develop an inner attitude of rest and renewal for the rest of the day.

Some ideas of what you can do:

journalling

meditation

silence (allow your insight to come though the silence)

yoga

movement

tai chi

chi gong

Take this time to allow your body to detox and purify, by eating nourishing foods; root vegetables are grounding, leafy greens are detoxing, eat healthy fats- coconut, avocado, seeds and nuts.

Drink water and gentle herb teas such as raspberry leaf. (raspberry leaf gives strength and is beneficial even to menopausal, non bleeding women)

Avoid toxifying foods; processed foods, alcohol, caffeine, fatty fried foods.

Keep your diet simple to support your body to cleanse itself.

If you are no longer bleeding- perhaps because of pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, a hysterectomy, I urge you to still watch the moon, notice the gentle nudges she gives you. On the dark moon take time out, retreat and look after yourself. On the full moon; engage more in the world, do all the things that turn you on, get your creative juices flowing!

© 2013 Rachael Hertogs, All Rights Reserved

On the full moon in Feb 2012 I experienced my first Womb Blessing; Miranda Gray’s website had put out an offering to any women to take part in receiving this free distant healing- a ‘Womb Blessing’- the name called to me, I had no idea what it would be, but it called to me, as if speaking to my inner core, my inner woman- my inner womb?

I had decided to tune in to the evening blessing, and spent the day wondering what the blessing might bring up. I had also noticed myself being ‘aware’ of my womb and also looking at mothers with babies as they passed me in the town, and was feeling rather broody- but was also keeping an inner dialogue going of “oh no, I’m not having any more babies!”

When the time came to ‘tune in’, I settled on to my bed, with a tray holding a vase of flowers, a large candle, my 2 ‘womb bowls’ one holding a tea light and another filled with water. I wrapped myself in a shawl, my toddler was with me as daddy was at work, but she was absorbed in her own activity. I went through Miranda’s Womb Tree visualisation and immediately felt a ‘reiki like’ shift in my energy and the connection with the full moon, bringing its energy and light into my womb just felt so right, one of those sighs of relief ‘I’m home’ feelings. I felt a oneness with all women and connection to the Divine Feminine in such beauty! It blew me away and I wanted more!

Miranda soon posted on her site about up coming Womb Blessing training in London and I just knew I had to do it…there was one snag though- the info said it wasn’t suitable for pregnant women…and I had just found out I had conceived very soon after the womb blessing!! (Did you know you can ovulate when the full moon is in your sun sign?! I knew it but hadn’t ever put it to the test until that Feb full moon!) Luckily Miranda allowed me to decide for myself- she trusted me as I have been working with energy as a Reiki teacher and since I had attuned so many people during my last pregnancy, (including some pregnant women) I didn’t see a problem with attuning to the Womb Blessing energy, especially since this new soul had come in on the energy anyway!

At the end of the weekends training, I had such a feeling of completion, after years of working with Reiki and Yoga, following very male spiritual trainings, it felt like I finally had the missing piece, the feminine side of spirituality! All we learned I felt I already ‘knew’, so it clicked into place perfectly!

Miranda talked about how in male spiritual practices its all about ‘getting out of your head, reaching nirvana, enlightenment’, where as for women, our spiritual home is being embodied in our hearts and our wombs.

What could be more spiritual than bleeding, birthing, loving?

Once trained, Miranda named us Moon Mothers, and we were now qualified to give one to one womb blessings and healings, as well as offer groups and take part in her ‘World Wide Womb Blessings’ (which have grown from 3,000 participants in Feb 2012, to 45,000 in Feb 2013!).

Since training I have given many blessings and participated in many groups and world wide blessings and as a pregnant woman they have felt so healing, and such a gift to my unborn baby. At each blessing I have felt strongly connected to my female lineage, to women in my community and at times all women across the world! I have witnessed women healing old wounds through these blessings, from guilt around miscarriage, to eased menses, to deep connection with a womb that is no longer there. These blessings are doing powerful work- gently but deeply!

The Blessings after my birth have felt so different – although I had a beautiful home pool birth, as with most birth there is a residue of trauma that the blessings helped with and a hands on womb healing was a wonderful post natal gift!

I urge ALL women to participate in a Womb Blessing, find out if there is a group near you or sign up for Miranda’s free World Wide Womb Blessings here http://www.wombblessing.com/

© 2013 Rachael Hertogs, All Rights Reserved

“We are not eating food anymore, we are eating ‘food-like’ products.”

Ever wanted to change your diet…this film will inspire you to throw all the junk out of your cupboards! http://www.hungryforchange.tv/ available for FREE for the next 8 days.

For centuries women have used herbal teas to support their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of their families. There is something comforting for me in the thought that generation after generation of our sisters have honoured the cycles of menstruation, pregnancy and menopause by quietly sipping a herbal tea. At one time many women’s store cupboards were filled with both dried and fresh herbs ready to be offered to their family, friends and neighbours. A sip of chamomile for a restless little one, a cup of steaming raspberry leaf for a pregnant woman preparing to birth, a herbal compress for aching joints, always a remedy there ready in the home to be offered with love.

So what does this tradition of wellbeing, wisdom and healing have to offer women today? I hope I can inspire you in this short blog to stock your kitchen cupboard with herbal teas and bring the home herbalist back into the home. A wonderful way to begin using herbal teas is in connection with your menstrual cycle. You may love the thought of having time to retreat from daily life during your moon time and you may have the good fortune to have this blessing. For others it may be more challenging to completely step back from daily activities and the care of others during your bleed time, also some women may feel why would I want to retreat at this time? Of course there is no right or wrong way to respond to your menstrual cycle, simply the most loving way for you.

What I do know is that herbal teas can offer wonderful support which nourish and nurture women during their menstrual cycle. Just stopping for a moment to sip a steaming hot cup of herbal goodness can be delightful. I would love to share with you some of the herbs I would suggest and from this I hope you have a sense of the gifts available from a simple cuppa!

Ladys mantle, I love this herb known as a woman’s ally amongst herbalists. Using this herb is like wrapping a warm blanket around you. It reminds us of tenderness, warmth and security. So whenever you feel out of sorts as it were with your menstrual cycle, this would be the perfect herb to place in the teapot and make a brew, take 5 minutes out and sip your tea. Sometimes I prescribe to clients to make a strong brew, using 1 tablespoon of lady’s mantle in a tea pot and let it steep for 10 mins, strain and add to the bath water. Then relax in the bath immersed in this wonderful healing herb. This would be particularly helpful after experiencing a miscarriage or any genealogical operation. Lady’s mantle is an astringent herb so when there is an excess of bleeding during the menstrual cycle or after giving birth {always of course check with a practitioner if you are unsure of excess bleeding} this could be the perfect herb. This herb is also known by herbalist as a regulator, so we use it for both excess bleeding, lack of bleed and any spotting between periods. Often I add raspberry leaf to the tea pot as well; these two plants work well together. As well as this wonderful protective feeling being offered, Lady’s mantle strengthens internal tissue and assists in building uterine lining.

I couldn’t speak of the menstrual cycle without mentioning raspberry leaf; if I could I would encourage all women to have this wonderful herb in the kitchen cupboard. This plant has such affinity for women’s pelvic region. It supports and restores the uterus, also including the uterine lining. Raspberry leaf is also an astringent herb, so is helpful if there is an uncomfortable discharge or spotting in between periods. One cup of raspberry leaf is packed with easily assimilated calcium, iron vitamins C, A, E and B complex. How wonderful is that?

Of course there are many more herbs I would have in my medicine bag related to the menstrual cycle, angus castus, motherwort, oat straw and castor oil packs to name a few. Welcome World Herbal Teas offers the Moon Time tea formulated to be of assistance with the menstrual cycle and of course you could have fun producing your own perfect cuppa to enjoy.

©Amanda Rayment, Master herbalist and owner of Welcome World Herbal Teas. www.welcomeworldcafe.com

Starting in April Welcome World is launching an online herbal course, The Home Herbalist Apprentice, which is available in 3 different packages to suit all your needs to study home herbalism.

Moon Times® Cycle Charting Journal

For women who want to chart their cycle naturally: Includes information on your cycle, your hormonal changes throughout the month, natural methods to chart your fertility and has a 400 page journal to guide you through your cycle! Set includes a 2013 moon calendar and moon mala beads.

Tuning in and listening to your body is the key to self empowerment and well being!

This set including journal, cycle malas and moon chart provide an interactive tool to enable you to understand how your cycle and body are influenced by your hormones and the ebb and flow of the moons cycles.

This book is a ‘not for profit publication’- any profits made go to insuring free books, pads and information go out to schools, girls and women’s groups.

Cover design by Suzi Goose

I get asked all the time, “if I come off the Pill (remove my implant, IUD, stop my injections) what should I use?”

Of course, until your cycle regulates once more (which for some women can be as little as 4 weeks, for others over 1 year) then you definately need to use a reliable form of contraception. If you arent in a long term relationship- then you need to think about protection from STDs too.

My recommendations would be; condoms, the diaphragm or the honey cap.

Here is another contraceptive method you may have heard of…a sponge!

You can use Sponge Tampons during intercourse!!  A sponge tampon feels similar to the vaginal wall, so if your partner notices the sponge, it wont be of any discomfort. Of course you will need to remove your sponge afterwards and clean it thoroughly.

Your sponge may be higher in the vaginal canal after sex, so if you cant reach your sponge dont worry; when you relax it will come down naturally. If you have problems getting it out then try relaxing your muscles, squatting, or sitting in a warm bath.

Some women use their Sponges with a natural spermicide. (see this post on Sister Zeus for info on natural sperm killers)

Please note that I cannot not guarantee Sponge Tampons and natural spermicide as a method of contraception. 

Homemade Spermicide Recipe
20 ml pure Aloe Vera
4 drops lemon juice
Mix well and store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Yields about 4 uses.

Lemon Honey Cornstarch Recipe
14 drops Lemon Juice
1 tsp cornstarch
Mix with a bit of honey

Lactic Acid Gel
Lactic acid gel has a neutral smell & natural sensation and keeps for about 5 months if kept in an airtight container. This recipe should make approximately 100g of gel:

8 grams Amylum Tritici (wheat starch)
11 g Aqua purificata (distilled water)
3.5 g Acidum lacticum (lactic acid)
76 g Glycerinum (85%)
4 g Tragacanta albissim; pulverized
10 g Spiritus (90%)

Allow 8g wheat starch to soak for a least 15 minutes in 11g distilled water in which 1g lactic acid has been dissolved. Stir several times. Afterwards, add 76g Glycerinum and mix well. In a different receptacle, mix 4g Tragacantha with 10g Spiritus, stir thoroughly and add this mixture to the first mixture. Then heat the combined mixture in a boiling bain-marie and stir continuously until all the alcohol has vaporised completely (check by smelling) and the gel has thickened and become viscous (approximately 20-40 minutes). During this process and at the end, add water several times to supplement the vaporized share to make 100g.

My daughter has had her moon time for a year or so now, but experiences such pain she vomits. Do you have any suggestions to help her ease this?

Thanks for all your wisdom – Lou.

Dear Lou, I am so sorry to hear about your daughter, what an awful experience of her moontime.

Firstly lets address the pain issue- in Chinese medicine pain is usually a sign of stagnation and it is that which is causing rebellious stomach chi.  A woman’s normal cycle is one spent making blood in the month and then loosing blood. So anything that disrupts that cycle can cause problems.

What is her diet like? If the body hasn’t got enough good quality blood– menstruation can be very challenging. Also other things that can cause stagnation are emotions and stress.

Shiatsu, acupuncture, flower essences and homeopathy which all address the emotional side of things should help things flow a bit easier by balancing both hormones & feelings.

Dehydration can cause period pain, drinking extra fluids in the 2-3 days before your moontime helps enormously.

But diet is a big one too; sugar and caffeine can wreak havoc with a menstruation cycle.

Warm bath in epsom salt or mix 1tsp epsom salt in warm water and drink slowly, or take magnesium, hot water bottle, vitamin c, lemon and honey tea, finding ways to de-stress.

She could also try the pelvic rock exercise 

http://www.hala-hi.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Pelvic-Tilt-as-first-aid-for-Dysmenorrhoea.png

A high dose (500mg daily) calcium & magnesium supplement (ideally taken pre-menses but start now) hot baths or compress on the womb area with chamomile tea and lavender essential oil. Pulsatilla 30c . Raspberry leaf, Mugwort, Yarrow, Valerian, Black Cohosh, Cramp Bark – in whatever form you can find from health food shop.

Seeing a homeopath may help- they will discuss diet and other aspects of her life. So much going on for young people. Tampons, parabens, junk/processed foods, dehydration and stress impact on health especially fertility health.


She could also wear a little magnet called MN8 a day before and during moon time http://www.amazon.co.uk/PAIN-RELIEF-FOR-PERIOD-DISCREET/dp/B00545SJBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360750242&sr=8-1

Castor oil packs (between bleeds, not during her period) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVaCT80TzlY

Maya abdominal massage works wonders too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx41xADwuh8

Good luck and do let me know how she is.

Love Aunt Flo xxxxx

Thanks to the homeopaths, herbalists and chinese medicine practitioners on Arnica who helped me with these suggestions.

© 2012 Rachael Hertogs, All Rights Reserved

11th March, 7pm (film will start at 7.30) in the main hall, Maenclochog Community Hall, Bro mair, 
Maenclochog,

Clunderwen , Pembrokeshire 
SA66 7LA

Women only, babes in arms welcome.

To reserve a FREE seat please click the button below (apols but we have to charge 0.01p as paypal wont let us use a button for £0!!)

To buy a raffle tickets to win a copy of the DVD (1st prize), set of Red Tent Movie Cards (2nd prize) or a Jam Sponge (3rd prize)  on the night please click below. Proceeds will go towards room hire and support the local Red Tent group. (raffle purchase includes your seat booking)

I feel let down by medical contraception, doctors ‘sell’ it to you as a simple and convenient way to enjoy sex without getting pregnant, well that certainly hasn’t been my experience. If I asked my doctor about ‘Natural Contraception’ her response would be that the dose of hormones in the Pill would “just put my body into it’s ‘natural’ state (ie being infertile) just like my body was when pregnant or breastfeeding”- in other words the stage women are ‘meant to be in’-well I don’t buy it!

I knew that behind the pushing of contraceptives were the drug companies, doctors bonuses, ‘big brother’ wanting to keep population numbers under control, absolutely nothing to do with my health or wellbeing!

There’s also concern about the environmental impact of hormonal contraceptions leaking in to our water supply causing fish to become sterile, and evidence of exposure to environmental oestrogens causing a decline in sperm count, breast and prostate cancer, premature puberty and endometriosis.

I was shocked a couple of years back when I watched the film The Moon Inside You; it interviews the inventor of the contraceptive implant; he spoke about women like they were animals to be neutered, about our cycle as an illness. He wanted all young women to be allowed to experience their first period and then be issued with the implant so they never have to bleed again. Oh that made me angry!

I do wonder about the long term implications of hormonal contraception, especially when a friend of mine who had been using the contraceptive injection for many years went in to her menopause, her symptoms were so ‘extreme’ her doctor prescribed prozac!

But like lots of young women my age I went on the Pill when I started my first ‘serious’ relationship. My mother warned me that the women in our family were ‘very fertile’ so I wanted to be sure I wouldn’t get caught out! Well I did, I had 2 small children by the age of 20 because I was unable to find anything that worked for me. I spent the next 10 years trying every kind of contraceptive out there, if it had side effects, I’d get them! Repeated yeast infections from spermicide, condoms and the Cap (diaphragm). Depression, weight gain, nausea, loss of libido from all the different Pills I tried, cramps and heavy loss with the coil (IUD) and complete loss of cycle from the Mirena Coil (IUD with hormonal implant) along with a permanent state of PMT-mood swings, rage, depression, bloatedness and a longing to have the ‘release’ of my bleeding.

I was at my wits end, so I started to explore methods that women had used before the pill explosion; they ranged from ‘withdrawal’ the only one my mum knew- apart from ‘keeping your legs crossed!’ (but since sperm can be release before ejaculation withdrawal isn’t at all reliable) to the Calendar or Rhythm Method which was developed by a Catholic in 1930′s, to the Billings Ovulation Method which came out of the ‘fertility awareness’ / catholic natural family planning movement, herbs, and the Lactational Method- only for mothers who are exclusively breastfeeding! There’s also the Taoist practice for men of sperm retention – by applying pressure on perineum, at the point of ejaculation the sperm is retained- but if done incorrectly can cause a retrograde ejaculation (sending the sperm in to the bladder -which can cause infertility), the Taoists believed that the jing (sexual energy) traveled up into the head and “nourished the brain”.

I had learned a basic version of fertility awareness while on a ‘Healthy Cycles’ course in my early 20′s but I just hadn’t trusted my body enough to believe it could work for me.

I started with journalling and charting my cycle using a diary and a moon ‘dial’- ever since I started my first period I have put a P or * on pages in my diary or calendar on the days I am bleeding, and as someone who is regular as clockwork I found charting my cycle easy. I knew that women ovulated 11-16 days after the first day of their bleed, and I reckoned mine was around day 12.

The Billings Method teaches you the signs to notice when you are ovulating- by noting the change in your mucus. For about 6 months I combined this with using a Calista Ovulation Test kit- (which is really simple to use- you just spit on to a ‘microscope’ each day- leave to dry and then check the pattern) this gave me the extra security that I was getting it right.

I would also check my cervix position- this isn’t recommend by The Billings Method as it can change the mucus production.The Cervix moves up and down the vaginal canal during the month; while you are infertile- and certainly while bleeding it is low, firm to touch and the opening is small- almost closed and while ovulating it higher in the vaginal canal, soft (like your lips) and wide open. This method isn’t so reliable soon after child birth as your cervix will take time to resume its pre birth size and shape.

You can also chart your temperature to give you an accurate reading of when you are ovulating- personally I only tried this a few times- I found it more difficult to remember to do than other 2 methods.

Studying my cycle, cervix, mucus and reading books like the Billings Method I discovered I had about 16-18 days where I was ‘safe’ and about 10-12 when I was at risk of becoming pregnant

By combining these methods with journalling, after a few months I felt confident I could fully let go of hormonal and invasive contraceptives.

There is of course the question of what to do during your fertile days- this is something you’ll need to discuss with your partner. Many couples choose to abstain from full intercourse during fertile times, and experiment with different ways of love making.

Should you want to choose a more healthy form of contraception then there is the cap or the ‘honey cap’ – which is a small cervical cap with the rubber impregnated with honey and kept in honey while not in use- it’s unfortunately only available though private health care. Otherwise condoms are reasonably effective. If you are not in a long term relationship then condoms will protect you from pregnancy and many STIs.

There are also herbal methods of contraception, personally the only experience I have of using herbs is for ‘emergency contraception’. If I have taken a ‘risk’… it happens in moments of passion! I have sat in meditation, talked to my womb, and any energies I may feel around me and state very clearly whatever my reasons might be for not wanting to be pregnant, the timing might be very wrong, it may be health reasons, it may just be that my partner and I have decided we don’t want children, whatever the reason its valid.

I would also back it up with a day of drinking herbal tea made from Rue and Penny Royal. Rutin is the active ingredient in Rue (Ruta graveolens). Historically Rue has been used as tea to induce miscarriage by thousands of women in latin america. The leaves were also eaten daily in salads as a contraceptive to prevent pregnancy. According to herbalist Susun Weed Rutin can be used as a form of contraception or emergency contraception.

Should you wish to follow the herbal contraception route then I suggest seeing a herbalist – many herbs have contraindications- such as Rue and Penny Royal should not be taken by anyone with kidney or liver problems.

Other herbs that have been used for contraception/ emmenagogue (bringing on menstrual flow) are:

Angelica/ Dong Quai (taken as emergency contraception)

Apricot Kernels 
(taken as emergency contraception)

Blue Cohosh (taken as emergency contraception)

Cotton Root Bark 
(taken as emergency contraception)

Juniper berries (taken as emergency contraception)

Myrrh (taken as emergency contraception)

Neem Oil ((taken as emergency contraception and can be used as a spermicide)

Pennyroyal (taken as emergency contraception)

Pomegranate (taken to prevent pregnancy)

Queen Anne’s Lace Seeds (also known as Wild Carrot) (taken as emergency contraception)

Rue (taken as emergency contraception)

Rutin (also known as Vitamin P.) (taken o prevent pregnancy and as emergency contraception)

Smartweed leaves (taken as emergency contraception)

Vitamin C – Ascorbic Acid (used vaginally as spermicide)

Wild ginger (taken as emergency contraception)

Wild Yam (taken daily to prevent pregnancy)

Natural Spermicides: These tend to be made from foods that are very acidic, just like the vagina. Sperm need the alkaline fertile mucus to survive the hostile, acidic conditions within the vagina.

Neem Oil

Lemon Juice
Vinegar

Aloe Vera mixed with Lemon juice

Honey mixed with Lemon Juice

These mixtures can be used on a cap, or inserted into the vagina on a menstrual sponge.

If you are wanting to use a more natural form of birth control and are currently using a hormonal contraceptive, you will need to stop your pill our have your implant or IUD removed and wait and to see how long it takes to re-establish your normal cycle, start by charting and journalling your cycle.

Women react differently, some have their cycle normalise very quickly, for others it can take up to a year, be patient and in the mean time choose a gentler contraceptive, like a barrier method.

Recently my sister in law introduced me in to the world of Apps- there are many free cycle charting ones…you do need to have a few months of charting dates for them to be accurate, my favourite is one called Love Cycles, its easy to use, has lovely visuals and is very clear at showing your fertile and infertile (safe) days.

Of course nothing is completely 100% risk free, I have heard stories of women who have become pregnant while on their period, there are a few theories on this- the Billings Method says this can happen if you have a short cycle- say you ovulate on day 9, then from day 5 you will be ‘unsafe’ and this may still be during your bleeding phase. Other fertility advisors suggest that perhaps they were already pregnant, had a small bleed (this is quite common) and unprotected sex, then found out they were pregnant and thought it happened while on their period.

I have also heard that your body can spontaneously release an egg during a particularity passionate bout of love making- this doesn’t surprise me, our bodies are amazing! And that you can ovulate when the Moon is in your Sun sign -so its always worth charting the moons cycles along side your own! (one of my conceptions definitely occurred when the moon was in my sun sign- but also very close to my ovulation date!)

I have successfully used these methods for many years, and have been teaching, empowering and supporting women to tune in to the power of their cycles for 20 years through use of sustainable sanitary wear, workshops, cycle charting books and Moon Lodges. I’m a mother of 4, living the ‘good life’ in West Wales www.moontimes.co.uk

http://www.peak-nutrition.co.uk/calista_saliva_ovulation_tester.htm

The Billings Method by Dr Evelyn Billings (a clear guide for women whose cycles are regular or irregular, who are coming off the pill, breastfeeding or approaching menopause)

The Pill are you sure its for you? By Jane Bennett and Alexandra Pope (This book explores the physical and psychological repercussions of taking the pill – from side effects, like weight gain and depression to cancer, to effective alternative methods of contraception.)

The Selling of Contraception by Nicole J. Grant
(Nicole Grant does a good job of explaining how, during the second half of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, the state and medical experts usurped the management of female fertility, and then transformed ‘birth control’ into a lucrative business and a remunerative political proposition)

Hygieia: A Woman’s Herbal by Jeannine Parvati (This herbal is an encyclopedic work covering many aspects of of women’s health)

Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susun Weed. .(Includes herbs for fertility and birth control.)

suppliers and fitters of honey caps (and other types) www.naturalgynae.com and Dr Shirley Bond 144 Harley St, London

www.lovecycles.me cycle charting app

© 2012 Rachael Hertogs, All Rights Reserved

So I hope to keep in touch more, update my blog, Facebook page and tweet a bit more… so do choose which of these ways of staying in touch works for you! Facebook and Twitter will keep you up to date with any offers, articles, links to other fabulous things, where as the newsletters will be more of a bulk of info all at once

Womb Blessing 

Take part in receiving a FREE distant Womb Blessing this month by signing up here; http://www.wombblessing.com Miranda and other Moon Mothers will be sending out the divine feminine energy 4 times on Feb 25th , its an amazing opportunity to connect with over 35,000 women across the world and receive this healing attunement!

well thats it from me, I’ve done my work shift for today, off out to enjoy the sun while it lasts

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A billion women – one of every three women on the planet – will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. That’s ONE BILLION mothers, daughters, sisters, partners, and friends violated. V-Day REFUSES to stand by as more than a billion women experience violence. Join me in rising up to take a stand against violence against women this Valentine’s day! Watch the One Billion Rising short film – It will make you cry, or dance, or both! 

http://www.moontimes.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=37

what do you think of the photo for the new cover? (current cover picture below)

photo curtesy of Brigid Brightfire (photographer) and Ruby Sanger

What exactly are menstrual cramps?

In medical terms, menstrual cramps or period cramps are called dysmenorrhea. The common pains experienced by girls entering into the productive age are called Primary Dysmenorrhea and the pains that develop due to gynaecological problems are called Secondary Dysmenorrhea.

Common menstrual cramps have no identifiable causes. They just happen because of the body’s natural responses once a girl enters into the productive age. The pain can either be mild for some, but it can also be severe and painful for others that it becomes debilitating.

What is menstruation?

Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining through the vagina. During the woman’s ovulation cycle, the inner lining of her uterus called the endometrium builds up to prepare for a possible pregnancy. If no fertilization between the egg and the sperm takes place, no pregnancy will result. Thus, the current lining of the uterus is no longer needed and will become swollen along with the decline of the woman’s estrogen and progesterone hormone levels, which will eventually result to menstruation. The lining will then be replaced in the next monthly cycle.

As the lining of the uterus begins to break down, chemicals called prostaglandins are released causing the uterine muscles to contract. As these muscles contract, the blood supply to the endometrium gets constricted blocking the delivery of oxygen to the tissue that breaks down and dies. The uterine contractions push the old endometrial tissue to the cervix out of the body through the vagina in the form of menstrual flow. Menstrual cramps develop with the release of other chemicals which influence inflammatory responses.

There are actually several physical changes that take place in a woman’s body during the menstrual cycle which often takes 28 days to complete. All of them are largely due to the natural fluctuations in hormone levels and muscle contractions, also known as menstrual cramping involving the uterus which occur before or during menstruation. Some women may also experience emotional or psychological disturbance before or during their red days.

But why are menstrual cramps so painful sometimes?

Painful menstrual cramps occur during some periods when the muscles of the uterus, and abdominal muscles surrounding it, contract spasmodically to push clots or debris of bloody tissue from the uterine lining to pass through the cervix. The pain even gets worse when the cervical canal is narrow. When this happens, there are natural remedies and safe over-the-counter medicines that you can choose to relieve the pain.

To learn more about the different treatments for painful menstrual cramps relief visit our site PainfulMenstrualCrampsCenter.com

What is menstruation? What changes in a girl’s life when ”it” first arrives? Monthlies is a fresh film exploring the period with humor and sensitivity.

http://www.mooninsideyou.com/v2/en/

Monthlies represents a fresh view of a taboo impacting the world of girls (and boys) to a larger extent than it may first seem. With humor and sensitivity it discloses misbeliefs, prejudices and rules of the “menstrual etiquette“ that still persist not only in the remote parts of the world but also in our modern society.

Monthlies is a spin-off of our successful documentary film The Moon Inside You (IMDb 7.9). It is specifically made with teenagers in mind and for them.

Right now we are running crowd funding campaign on indiegogo to make this movie happen. Reaching the goal of finishing the film is only possible with you in the process. You can help making the film either by financial support, sharing this appeal with your friends and spreading the word on social media. Let’s make this movie happen together. We are happy to welcome you on our team!

The documentary film the Monthlies represents a fresh view of a taboo impacting the world of girls (and boys) to a larger extent than it may first seem. With humor and sensitivity it discloses misbeliefs, prejudices and rules of the “menstrual etiquette” that still persist not only in the remote parts of the world but also in our modern society.

You can pre-buy a double DVD (the original Moon Inside You and Monthlies) and other perks on indiegogo: http://igg.me/p/261602?a=1662453
follow us on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/menstruacion
or twitter: http://twitter.com/mooninsideyou

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D_9uV4XUcQ&feature=player_embedded

Beverly Strassmann at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor has spent years studying the Dogon people of Mali, west Africa. Women who practise the traditional Dogon religion, unlike those who are Muslim or Christian, spend five days a month around the time of menstruation in a highly visible “menstrual hut”.

Strassmann tested paternity in 1700 Dogon father and son pairs and found that those who practised the traditional religion were four times less likely to be raising someone else’s son than those who practised Christianity (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.073/pnas.1110442109).

The findings suggest that the huts make it easier for husbands to monitor wives close to fertile periods. No differences were observed between the Dogon and the Muslim group, perhaps because women are required to tell their husbands when they menstruate.

Strassmann suggests that these traditions may have developed as a way to boost reproductive success.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428684.100-menstrual-huts-protect-dogon-men-from-cuckoldry.html

We have a few new products to flag up and an exciting request…
please take the time to vote for us in the Green Directory PEA-ples Favourite Award 2013! See their webpage for more info, http://www.mygreendirectory.info/voting/pea-ples-favourite.php and do ask your friends to vote for us too- thanks so much!

So…new products!
COMING SOON- The Ruby Cup!

The Ruby Cup is a ‘one size fits all’ menstrual cup, and was created to give to young women in Kenya (and other developing countries) who where not accessing education due to lack of feminine hygiene products. They are a charity supported by the women who buy the cups here in the West. I have yet to trial the cup, but have been very impressed with the quality and design! It will retail at £25. Keep an eye out for it in our Menstrual Cups section.
We have added some luxurious Neals Yard Organic products to our range- there some gift bags and natural deodorants to be found here http://www.moontimes.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8
And some Neals Yard baby soap and bath foam here http://www.moontimes.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1

We also have our own range of Soothing Nipple Balm 30ml, and Bump and Bum Balm 60ml in our Baby Moon Section.

We heard from our wholesalers that the 2013 Earth Pathways Diaries will be completely OUT of stock in the next few weeks! We have ordered more so fingers crossed we’ll have enough for all our orders, but do order now so you aren’t disappointed! http://www.moontimes.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=63
We also have plenty of 2013 Moon Chart Calendars- see the Diaries and Calendars section. http://www.moontimes.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=5

Womb Blessing Take part in receiving a FREE distant Womb Blessing this month by signing up here; http://www.wombblessing.com Miranda and other Moon Mothers will be sending out the divine feminine energy 4 times on Oct 29th, its an amazing opportunity to connect with thousands of women across the world and receive this healing attunement!

well, I think thats all for now, oh, just to remind you that I will close for up to two weeks sometime at the end of October into November when my little one appears, so do think ahead and get any urgent orders in now! Thanks for being such amazing customers
Take care, much love
Rachael

Young woman sits and is blessed and honoured, her best friend stands with her

Women dance and celebrate outside afterwards

Hugs!

© 2012 Rachael Hertogs, All Rights Reserved

Red Tent DVD store
Things We Don’t Talk About: Woman’s Stories from the Red Tent is a groundbreaking 72-minute documentary film by award winning filmmaker Isadora Gabrielle Leidenfrost, PhD. Spontaneous and organic, a Red Tent is a red textile space where women gather to rest, renew, and often share deep and powerful stories about their lives. The Red Tent movement is changing the way that women interact and support each other by providing a place that honors and celebrates women, and by enabling open conversations about the things that women don’t want to talk about in other venues. Things We Don’t Talk About weaves together healing narratives from inside the Red Tent to shine a spotlight on this vital, emergent women’s tradition. The film provides us an opportunity to remember, to listen, to know, and to find what it is we need to bring back to our communities to help awaken the voices of women.

Hello Lovelies

Well, not much sunshine or feeling of summer here, but we are plodding on in hope it will arrive soon!

This is a quick newsletter just to highlight a few things!

We have a limited number of Jam Sponge purse mirrors, key rings, large badges and fridge magnets to GIVE AWAY with Jam Sponge orders www.jamsponge.co.uk 

We now have the 2013 Earth Pathways Diaries in stock- these always run out to get one now! http://www.moontimes.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=63

If you don’t follow us on Twitter or Facebook you may have missed July’s promotion- 10% off everything on the site- use code MT10%OFF at the checkout.

Danu Dance Camp is almost here!  Rachael will be running workshops at the Danu Dance of Life Camp…A weekend camp for women and girls over 10 (20-23rd July 2012) She will be offering a group Womb Blessing, a Menarche workshop for mums and daughters and a pad making workshop! There will be loads of other fabulous workshops on offer, see info below for details of how to book or this facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DanuDanceOfLife

Womb Blessing

Rachael was lucky enough to be one of 14 women who trained with Miranda Gray to give Womb Blessings and Healings. Take part in receiving a FREE distant Womb Blessing next month by signing up here;http://www.wombblessing.com Miranda and other Moon Mothers will be sending out the divine feminine energy 4 times on Aug 2nd, its an amazing opportunity to connect with thousands of women across the world! (see below for an article by Miranda- also there is a Womb Blessing Training in Bristol next month, see her trainings page for info http://www.wombblessing.com/eng-workshops.html )

We also wanted to highlight this amazing video last night- Gregg Braden on the Science of Miracles- he speaks about the power of intention and prayer- and apparently it could only take 8,000 people- all using their intention at the same time- TO CHANGE THE WORLD!! We are VERY EXCITED about the World Wide Womb Blessing (18,500 women all took part over the 24 hr period) – I think we are building up to make a huge positive impact on the world! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfTjlfLGBv0

Hope to see some of you at the Danu Camp – do introduce yourself if you are there

Take care, much love

Rachael and the Moon Times Team xxx

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Red Moon, White Moon and the Womb Blessing, Miranda Gray
In my book ‘Red Moon – Understanding and using the creative, sexual and spiritual gifts of the menstrual cycle’ I introduce two terms, the Red Moon cycle and the White Moon cycle.

The White Moon cycle is a menstrual cycle where our phase of ovulation is around the time of the full moon. The Red Moon cycle is experienced when our menstruation occurs around the time of the full moon, and our ovulation at the time of the dark moon. Many women’s cycles tend to be either a White Moon cycle, a Red Moon cycle, or a Transition cycle where the cycle is moving from one orientation to the other.
Because the Worldwide Womb Blessing events occur at the time of the full moon, women have been asking me if there is any difference if they are bleeding or ovulating.

Your phase doesn’t make any difference to the energy of the Blessing, but it does make a difference to how you experience the energy. Each of our phases has an impact on our perception, feelings, needs, desires, psychic abilities and spiritual awareness. How we feel during the Blessing and how we experience the meditation and the energy will depend on the phase we are in at the time. Experiencing the Blessing during bleeding can be deeply spiritual and we can naturally reach deeper levels of meditation at this time. Experiencing the Blessing while ovulating can be deeply loving and expansive and we can naturally feel connected to and loving towards all the women meditating at this time. For the ovulating woman, the ‘Sharing’ meditation at the end of the Blessing can be deeply heartfelt, connecting and soulful.
Those women who are pre-menstrual or menstrual at the time of the Womb Blessing may find that they feel tired and emotional afterwards. This is because our body naturally declines in physical energy in these phases and needs more rest. Integrating the Blessing energy takes physical energy, so we can experience an even greater need for rest in these phases. If we fight this need we may become irritable, more emotionally sensitive, frustrated and aggressive.

The menstrual phase is also a time of natural detox for us and the Blessing can also create a slight detox effect. If we are bleeding during the Blessing we can experience more of the detox symptoms, so we need to drink more water and eat healthily.
The Womb Blessing heals each of the phases of our menstrual cycle, but if we repress them or fight them we can overwhelm the effects of the Blessing.
To find out more about living in harmony with your cycle you can always read my books ‘Red Moon’ or ‘The Optimized Woman’.

You may wish to express your phase during the Womb Blessing. You may want to choose a red candle if you are bleeding, wear a red shawl, and have seeds or nuts to symbolise your withdrawn energies. If you are ovulating you could choose a white candle and wear a white shawl. Use white flowers to express your radiant energies flowing into the world. You may also place a crystal in the Womb Bowl holding the water. Put a Moonstone or Rose Quartz if you are ovulating, and Carnelian or Red Jasper if you are bleeding. If you can’t find crystals, you could add a little red fruit juice to your water as a symbol of your bleeding.

Have fun, be creative and enjoy your cycles and the womb Blessings! If you haven’t registered a time yet for 2nd August please go tohttp://www.mirandagray.co.uk/register.html

(Note: even if you have taken part in previous womb blessings, it’s important to register a time for the August Blessing so that you are on my list to receive the energy directly).

There are so many women living in disharmony and distress, unconnected to their female energies and the Divine Feminine; please help by spreading the Womb Blessing invitation, creating a Womb Blessing group or translating this text into as many languages as possible!

and heres an article By Emma Grey on Huffington Post website in response Huffington Post

It can be very stressing for couples to see that conceiving a baby is not something that can be easily, just out of a decision, like pushing a button. Besides, the more couples fail to make the baby, the more stressful the situation can get. The first thing you have to do is relax and understand that what you are seeking to create is a life, and so, the worst thing you can do is getting anxious. Just take things naturally, as being a parent is in your instinct, part of you. Here are some tips that can help you boost your fertility.

Know Your Cycle

You figure out when you may be at your most fertile day without even moving from home, by using an online ovulation calculator, or cycle charting methods such as those found at Moon Times.

Always keep in mind that ovulation predictors or calculators are useful as long as you know they are estimators, and don’t provide exact dates.

Watch your Weight

Excess body fat can result in an overproduction of the hormones that disrupt ovulation. Hormonal disorders that may translate into irregular cycles and ovulating less often could take place. On the other hand, this could also happen if you have too little body fat. Maintaining a healthy weight through exercise can help you increase the chances of getting pregnant. Remember, however, not to overdo it.

Avoid Stress

As we already mentioned, depression and stress could hamper your fertility. A recent study found that women are less likely to conceive during psychological distressing time periods. The regular practice of yoga or meditation can help you handle or even avoid stress, allowing you to be more prone to getting pregnant.

Watch His Health Too

The same things that may prevent you from getting pregnant (cigarettes, alcohol, a poor diet, etc) may harm your partner’s reproductive health. Important nutrients that should be added to his daily life are vitamin C, E and mineral selenium.

Remember that you and your partner are together on this life-changing journey, and so, you should be extremely supportive and understanding to each other’s feelings and fears. Even if these tips are very useful, love should be the key ingredient to bring a new life to the world.

Ivana Vitali

Since most women were never welcomed into womanhood, many consider their periods “nuisance,” “bother,” or “the curse.”
For men, the lack of a significant Rite-Of-Passage often translates into different “curses” in their lives.

An evening of inspiration, that will provide you with steps for healing discomforts from your adolescence, and inspire you to create a different experience for today’s youth!

With DeAnna L’am,
author of Becoming Peers – Mentoring Girls Into Womanhood Founder of Red Moon School of Empowerment for Women & Girls www.deannalam.com

Friday- 13/7 – 7:00 PM
Sägmühl, 93177
Altenthann, Deutschland
€ 15- 25 Sliding Scale (Free to weekend workshop participants)

For additional information please contact Ulrike Remlein:
ulrike_remlein@yahoo.de ~ +49 (0)177-811-51-36

Women are fed a diet of negativity about their menstrual cycle from a very young age.
Since most women were never welcomed into womanhood, their “Inner Maiden” is left inside often embarrassed, ashamed, or afraid. As a result, many women view menstruation as a “nuisance,” “bother,” or “the curse,” thereby giving way to the development of PMS symptoms.

Uprooting any negativity about menstruation stored in your body since adolescence –
is the beginning of an empowering and healing journey. It will help you make peace with your cycle, love & trust your body, and ultimately reverse any PMS symptoms.

Reclaiming your “Inner Maiden” is a necessary stepping-stone to empowering your girl as she enters womanhood, preventing yet another generation from suffering needlessly.

If you have ever been a girl – this journey is for you!

You will:
Receive the Welcome into womanhood you never had
Reclaim menstruation as source of solace & spiritual renewal
Dissolve PMS symptoms & learn to love your body more than you thought possible
Learn to be intuitively guided by your cycle, rather than at its mercy
Become an empowering role model for your daughter, or today’s girls!

Join us for a deeply nourishing weekend
and find the last missing pieces of your womanhood’s jigsaw puzzle!

Facilitator: DeAnna L’am (B.A.) speaker, coach, and trainer, is author of Becoming Peers – Mentoring Girls Into Womanhood. Her pioneering work has been transforming women’s and girls’ lives around the world, for over 20 years. DeAnna helps women and girls love themselves unconditionally! She helps women move from self-judgment to self-nurturance;
model self-acceptance, self-care, and self-esteem to their daughters;
and skillfully welcome today’s girls into empowered womanhood. Visit her at:
www.deannalam.com

When: July 13-15: Friday 7-8:30 PM ~ Saturday & Sunday 10AM – 5PM Daily
Overnight stay is an option!
Where: Sägmühl, 93177 Altenthann, Deutschland
Fee: Early Bird – € 230 till May 7 ~ € 260 thereafter ~ € 100 deposit required
Contact: Ulrike Remlein –
Email: ulrike_remlein@yahoo.de ~ Mobile: +49 (0)177-811-51-36

Another free event to join!
Does Your Soul Remember 
The RED TENT?
The Circles of Maidens, Mothers, Grandmothers,
and Ancestors…
This Is A Call for 1 Million Women
To Birth A New Paradigm For Our Current and Future Culture!
You are invited to a FREE Online event: RED TENT Activation 2012
http://www.deannalam.com/red-tent-activation/

Danu Dance of Life- A weekend camp for women and girls 20-23rd July 2012

Danu Dance of Life is a weekend camp in the Herefordshire countryside dedicated to women and girls. It`s our first year and we`re planning campfires, talking circles, singing, crafts, healing, dancing, drumming, sound healings, yoga, and many more wonderful activities. A space to be inspired, nurtured, and to deepen the bonds between us. A positive place to share all aspects of our women hood. To appreciate and accept all our stages from maidenhood, to motherhood, to wise woman. Come and join us! Bring your daughters, friends, sisters, mothers, grand-daughters, or come on your own, for a weekend celebrating ourselves as women. The camp will be suitable for women and girls aged ten years and over, or younger children who are breastfeeding. The idea for this camp arose out of a desire to join our local Red Tent with girls aged 10 and over who are on the verge of, or who have recently started their moon cycle. It was conceived as a place that girls can be with women, other than just their mothers, and to learn what it means to be a woman. It is a supportive women`s circle where all women can come to find support, to laugh, to share and to appreciate the strength, power and beauty we carry inside us. As this is the intention it is not a family camp for all children, and we are asking that only girls over ten, or breastfed little ones come to the camp.
In order for the camp to happen we are asking for a donation of £10 per night per person, £5 for under 16`s and free for babies. We will be cooking vegetarian meals onsite, and will also have a donations box with suggested donations to cover the cost of the produce. Feel free to bring and cook your own meals if you wish. The idea of the camp is that everyone participates in some way, so we invite women to share a skill, craft, workshop, offer a therapy, class or lead a talking circle, or perhaps help with preparing food or making teas for a couple of hours. It`s a community event where we are all creating what happens. So bring what you would like to find!
Please book in advance so we know how many people are coming, and for how many nights, but you can make your donation for camping in cash when you get here. We will send you directions and any other info when you book. Also please let us know at time of booking (as soon as possible) what you wish to share if you would like to do a workshop or class, offer a therapy, or help with meals, etc, so we can schedule you in.
This first Danu camp will be quite small, so make sure you book early as numbers will be limited. We are hoping that this first camp will flower into a beautiful annual event that will continue to inspire, and celebrate our womanhood as we move forward, showing our girls how fabulous it is to be a woman. A proud, shimmering women, encompassing all she is, speaking her truth, and knowing she has sisters who are by her side.
For booking contact: brigidbrightfire@yahoo.co.uk / 01432 840983

https://www.facebook.com/DanuDanceOfLife

Sanitising the truth: the impact of advertising
Language used around menstruation is important: the very existence of products labelled ‘feminine hygiene’ perpetuates a myth that women are somehow dirty and in need of special cleansing products.
Disposable menstrual lingerie is widely seen as a significant factor in women’s liberation, yet the language and imagery often used in media and adverts to express that liberation serves to reinforce the culture of silence. The disposables industry reinforces notions that discretion and ‘freshness’ are key, and that odour is a problem, through the products they develop and the way they advertise them.
Blue liquid is used to demonstrate absorption; adverts suggest tampons are packaged so discreetly they can be mistaken for sweets; ‘blood’ and ‘menstruation’ are rarely mentioned; new products, such as fragranced pads, are developed for problems we didn’t even know we had.
Manufacturers and advertisers will no doubt say they are responding to public attitudes, but how much are our attitudes shaped by their messages? The money spent on selling these products to us is significant: the disposables industry dedicated more than £14 million to advertising its products in the UK in 2009, while their messages had a core target audience totalling 18.6 million women in 2010.
Consequently, we are regularly bombarded with imagery and language that reflect – and therefore perpetuate and perhaps determine – negative societal and cultural perceptions of menstruation.
It’s not vulgar, it’s vulva! Created by British artist Jamie McCartney, ‘The Great Wall of Vagina’, consists of 400 plaster casts of vulvas, each one unique. The work aims to combat the anxiety felt by women about their genital appearance and the desire for a ‘perfect’ vagina.

A massive market: In the UK alone, we buy more than 3 billion items of menstrual lingerie every year, spending £349 million in 2010 on sanitary and ‘feminine hygiene’ products. What’s more, disposable panty liners used between periods are increasing the size of the market, with sales of £56 million in 2010. Meanwhile, feminine hygiene wipes have seen the biggest growth, with sales of £4.8m in 2010.

Manipulating menstruation
Negativity surrounding periods has been capitalised upon to such an extent that suppressing menstruation is being marketed as if the normal menstrual cycle itself were the problem. By way of hormonal contraceptive medication, it is possible to reduce the number of periods to just four a year.
Little, if anything, is known about the effects of this manipulation on women’s bodies. The pills have been targeted at younger women, focusing on the negative aspects of menstruation and highlighting none of the positive.
Historic experience of manipulation of women’s menstrual cycles and hormones resulting in adverse health effects should stand as a warning.11 Menstruation affects the entire endocrine system, as well as cardiovascular health and bone strength. The long-term health implications of manipulating natural hormone levels in this way remain to be seen.

Extract from the new Menstrual Health San Pro fact sheet produced by The Womens Environmental Network. http://www.wen.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/environmenstrualweb14.pdf

Celebrate the dignity and deeper meaning of woman’s cyclical nature. Especially if you suffer from PMS, fibroids, cramping, and other menstrual problems, the wise advice of a respected psychotherapist and health educator will help you move beyond the pain into a healthy, empowering acceptance of your body’s inherent processes. Recipes, home remedies, and other natural cures–rather than drugs–can transform your suffering into strength, unbottling the genie inside you to gain a greater understanding of the female cycle.

The Menopausal Years by Susun Weed

The best book on menopause is now better. Completely revised with 100 new pages. All the remedies women know and trust plus hundreds of new ones. New sections on thyroid health, fibromyalgia, hairy problems, male menopause, and herbs for women taking hormones.

One of the world’s best selling books on menopause still comes on strong. Called “indispensable,” “incredible,” and a “treasure trove of information,” Menopausal Years is the “bible” for the 87% of American women over the age of fifty who want nothing to do with hormones.

Includes information and remedies for problems with premenopause — flooding, erratic periods, fibroids, spotting, water retention, muscle soreness — as well as menopause — hot flashes, sleeplessness, mood swings, headaches, palpitations, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and much more. Final chapters speak to post-menopausal women’s concerns: including ways to maintain heart health, prevent and reverse osteoporosis, deal with dry vaginal tissues and incontinence, ease aching joints, and maintain healthy libido.

The soothing, wise voice of Grandmother Growth guides each woman through the book and through her own menopause metamorphosis. Ritual interludes interweaves a spiritual dimension often lacking in other works.

Includes superb resource lists for menopause information, index, glossary, directions for using (and preparing) herbal medicines, complete descriptions of the most-used menopausal herbs (including nettles, ginseng, dong quai, red clover, oatstraw, and motherwort), recipes for heart- and bone-healthy dishes, and lots of illustrations.

The Secret Pleasures of Menopause by Christiane Northrup

The Secret Pleasures of Menopause is a groundbreaking book that is long overdue! Christiane Northrup, M.D., delivers a breakthrough message that will help millions and millions of perimenopausal and menopausal women just like you understand that at menopause . . . life has just begun! It is the beginning of a very exciting and fulfilling time, full of pleasure beyond your wildest dreams!

Dr. Northrup believes that it’s time for you to step forward and learn to enjoy the best years of your life! Even though studies show that menopause doesn’t decrease libido, ease of reaching orgasm, or sexual satisfaction, the majority of menopausal women aren’t experiencing the pleasure and sexual satisfaction that is their birthright. It is a long-held misconception that menopause signals “the beginning of the end,” and nothing could be further from the truth.

In this fascinating book, Dr. Northrup candidly guides you toward experiencing life after 50 as the most pleasurable time of your life!

Moon Time by Lucy Pearce

Beautifully illustrated and clearly set out, Lucy takes us through each stage of your cycle with her gentle wisdom.

She includes many ‘not so talked about’ parts of a woman’s life and cycle- bleeding while breastfeeding, cycles within our cycles, naming our parts- all of them- even including the cervix (now thats a new one on me!) and the ‘Mourning Moon’ acknowledging the loss when our bleeding comes when trying to conceive.

I particularly liked her ‘and you’ sections which invite you to reflect on some of the topics that maybe more difficult to accept or challenge your own beliefs. And her ‘permission slips’ to write to yourself

Her resources section is well researched- I found so many books and sites I hadn’t come across.

The Selling Of Contraception by Nicole Grant.

see http://www.healthcentral.com/ency/408/guides/000091_5.html for pictures and info on IUDs

Nicole Grant does a good job of explaining how, during the second half of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, the state and medical experts usurped the management of female fertility, and then transformed ‘birth control’ into a lucrative business and a remunerative political proposition. She reviews the sordid details of the development and marketing of the Dalkon Shield and goes on to provide a new dimension to the work that has been done on this issue. . . . Grant’s portrayal of the discussions of the IUD within and beyond the medical community is a tour de force.” —Women’s Review of Books “Impressively researched: a worthy addition to the study of women’s need for increased control of their own lives” —Kirkus Reviews

In this brutal indictment of the birth control industry, Nicole J. Grant documents the history of the Dalkon Shield case and places the controversy within a larger historical and social context, examining the ways in which social conditions affect women’s choices about contraception.

Drawing upon an analysis of thirty years’ worth of articles in medical journals and popular magazines, family planning literature, medical texts, government documents, and transcripts from interviews with women discussing procreative choices, Grant examines the IUD’s place in the history of contraception and the politics of bringing the Dalkon Shield to the market, including the commercial bias of the device’s inventor and chief medical consultant. She discusses the dissemination of false and misleading advertising about the device, the manufacturer’s disregard of evidence suggesting that it was unsafe, and the stake of various family planning agencies in promoting its use. She goes on to examine the social conditions under which women chose to use the Dalkon Shield and considers the fact that many women, wishing to exercise control over procreation, freely selected it over alternative forms of contraception, even though they knew there were association risks.

According to Grant, the Dalkon Shield case is not a historical anomaly. Today, advances in technology are making new methods of contraception available to women, but these methods carry risks as serious as those associated with the Dalkon Shield. Moreover, the social context in which women are making decisions about contraception is much the same as it was during the time when the Dalkon Shield was widely used. Grant concludes her study by proposing ways in which women can enhance their informed risk/benefit analysis of all options while maintaining their autonomy.

Nicole J. Grant is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Ball State University. She is the author of several articles on sexuality and birth control.

The Pill – are you sure its for you? by Jane Bennett and Alexandra Pope

This book explores the physical and psychological repercussions of taking the pill – from side effects, like weight gain and depression to cancer, to effective alternative methods of contraception. While the Pill is taken by most women and girls at some stage in their lives, few realise it is not without side-effects. Clear links have been made to depression, nausea, headaches and migraines, as well as a loss of libido. (my emphasis- Rachael)
Contrary to what most of us believe, it is not a failsafe contraception. Around 2 in 10 women do conceive while taking the Pill. Others experience difficulties conceiving after coming off this drug. There are also nutritional concerns, which can affect the health of subsequent children long after you have stopped taking it.So what is the Pill, how does it work and what does it do to your body? If not the Pill, then how else can you control your fertility in casual or long-term relationships? Are hormonal implants and injections any better? If you’re about to come off the Pill, what are the best ways to reclaim your health and wellbeing? And what can you look forward to when your body returns to its natural rhythm?Accessible, informed, inspired, The Pill. Are you sure it’s for you? provides you with a wealth of case studies and information that will help you make the choice you want for your body.

The Menstrual Cycle (Women and Psychology)  by Anne E. Walker

This is more about the actual menstruation and its relationship to women’s lives…not really appealing to young women but I found it interesting! Showing that women are neither the victims of raging hormonal fluctuations nor entirely unaffected by them, this text focuses on the menstrual cycle. It discusses the entire cycle rather than just part of it, and considers its relationship to women’s lives. Women’s own experiences in different cultures are contrasted with medical textbook descriptions.

Daughters of the Moon, Sisters of the Sun: Young Women and Mentors on the Transition to Womanhood by K. Wind Hughes,
Twenty-one young women share life lessons, coming-of-age stories, and interviews with the remarkable women who influenced their growth.

A Toolbox for Our Daughters: Building Strength, Confidence and Integrity
by Annette Geffert, Diane Brown Sensible strategies to build a girls self esteem, useful exercises for helping girls grow in their relationships with others, with their own inner lives and with our endangered world.

Celebrating Girls: Nurturing and Empowering Our Daughters by Virginia Beane Rutter As girls grow up they may face many different dilemmas such as pregnancy at a young age or loss of self-esteem. This book offers practical tips to parents and other carers on how to support girls from infancy to adolescence, each chapter focusing on a different stage in a girl’s development.

Say What You Mean, Get What You Want by Tricia Kreitman,
Explaining to young people how to make a stand and assert themselves, this advice book deals with how to judge and evaluate situations and relationships, and how to develop negotiating skills. Each chapter is illustrated and explained with letters and accounts from real teenagers.

Soul Searching-A girls guide to finding herself by Sarah Stillman
Written by a 16yr old girl- she gives advice for discovering what is really important in life, covering topics such as managing stress, finding inner peace, exploring dreams, and cultivating a meaningful life.

Seasons of Magic-A girls journey by Laurel Ann Reinhardt
These are the adventures of Erin – a young girl learning the ancient wisdom of a wise old woman. A pre-teen parable on pagan festivals and holidays, this book explains the equinoxes, solstices, Lammas, Samhain, and why Halloween is connected with ghosts.

Moon wisdom (A Guide for Life) by Sally Morningstar
This guide examines the moon and its influence on many aspects of our lives. Step-by-step, illustrated projects include making moon medicines, a moon tree and a moon altar.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Periods (But Didn’t Like to Ask) by Charlotte Owen
Based on current research and endorsed by the Brook Advisory Centre, this book covers everything a girl needs to know about periods. Written by the agony aunt of “19″ magazine, it contains practical information and real-life quotes. It also includes a list of useful addresses.

Sweet Secrets: Stories of Menstruation by Kathleen O’Grady, Paula Wansbrough
The ideal resource for *adolescent girls anticipating their first period
*all young women who want to learn more about the changes that a woman’s body goes through during this time in her life “What’s going on with my body?” “What does menstruation feel like?” “How will my friends react?” Unlike the standard “just-the-facts” approach, this book of short stories and factual information provides the reader with her very own confidantes, others who share a common experience.

The Thundering Years: Rituals and Sacred Wisdom for Teens  by Julie Tallard Johnson Shows teens how to harness the intense emotions and drives of the late-teen years using wisdom from cultures around the world. Includes exercises, personal and community rituals, and resources that show how to successfully navigate the Thundering Years without heading toward violence, drug abuse, and other self-destructive behaviors. Inspiring quotations from many spiritual traditions as well as the words and real-life experiences of other young adults. Presents an honest view of the passions and pain that occur during this major life transition.

According to native traditions, the Thundering Years are the time in life to listen to intense feelings, dreams, desires, and goals — to be outrageous and even difficult. The Thundering Years are the teen years, the time when you are journeying into adulthood. They are exciting years, full of potential and creative energy, and they are painful years, full of turmoil and self-examination. Author Julie Tallard Johnson has collected wisdom from cultures around the world to help you survive your Thundering Years with your soul, creativity, and even sense of humor intact. She offers numerous techniques and traditions to help harness the powerful energy released during this time. She shows that when you connect with your thunder in a respectful way, you are given the confidence you need to accomplish all your dreams.

Power Thoughts for Teens by Louise L. Hay
Louise Hay has assisted many people in discovering and using the full potential of their own creative powers for personal growth and self-healing. She contends that affirmations are powerful tools and encourages people to use them to expedite their personal growth process.

Wild Girls: The Path of the Young Goddess by Patricia Monaghan
Maiden, mother, crone; of the three faces of the goddess, the maiden corresponds to the part of a woman’s soul that is always questing, exploring, and free to move. She among the most loving, giving, and heroic of the goddess images; like natural wilderness, she lives by her own laws. The stories in this book represent some of the many visions of the “Wild Girl” throughout the world, each is followed by commentary and activities, such as building an altar, creating healing rituals, and working with dreams
Celebrating the Great Mother: A Handbook of Earth-honoring Activities for Parents and Children by Cait Johnson, Maur D. Shaw
This is a handbook for those of us–regardless of religious or spiritual beliefs–who want to share our love of the earth with our children, who know how important this is for the future of our planet, and who use some ideas on how to do it. The ideas, suggestions, and activities collected here bring children into rituals that celebrate seasonal cycles and help reclaim the spiritual roots of today’s modern holidays.

The Curse: Confronting the Last Unmentionable Taboo: Menstruation

By Karen Houppert

Karen combines an analysis of the “menstrual etiquette” fostered by ads, movies, novels, and magazines with reporting on the safety hazards of sanitary products. She shows us the devastating impact this unwarranted secrecy can have on women’s health and sense of self, and turns an irreverent eye to the “menstrual counterculture” it has spawned.

Red Moon by Miranda Gray

Miranda Gray writes a beautiful fairytale-like story about a girl’s first bleeding time that is instructive and insightful into the energies being born at this time and how to work with them. She also examines various fairy tales such as Snow White and Sleeping Beauty explaining them as menarche stories. Finally, she goes into an in depth discussion of the four phases of a woman’s monthly cycle as it related to the moon cycle offering ideas for working with these energies/ phases

The New Our Bodies, Ourselves: A Health Book by and for Women. Angela Phillips& Jill Rakusen

This new edition of the book originally published in the 1970s discusses many difficult issues. As well as a symptoms guide to common medical problems, it includes an easy-to-follow description of the NHS structure, enabling women to recognize where they stand in an often confusing system.

Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom: The Complete Guide to Women’s Health and Wellbeing  by Christiane Northrup

Quite possibly every female over the age of 12 will find this huge book enlightening, pain saving, and perhaps even lifesaving. Think of it as a much more empowering and holistic Our Bodies, Ourselves. Northrup is a gynecologist who acknowledges the power of natural therapies and herbs, but also maintains that allopathic treatments, including surgery, are sometimes best. In Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom she covers the treatment of many physical concerns–among them PMS, menstrual cramps, breast cancer, fibroids, endometriosis, infertility, depression, childbirth, abortion, cystitis, and menopause–explaining how many of these physical problems have roots in emotional upsets. For example, a woman who is unhappy with her marriage may be infertile because deep down, she knows that her husband is not the right man to have children with; a teenager who has cramps may be having problems accepting society’s expectations of her as a woman. Some readers may be put off at first by Northrup’s obviously unconventional ways of thinking. Her medical approach is decidedly feminist, blaming our “addictive” and patriarchal society for many of the health problems plaguing women.

She clearly illustrates her ideas, however, by drawing upon two decades of experience from her medical practice and citing dozens of her patients’ remarkable personal stories. Northrup also delineates the best way to go about tuning in to one’s body and mind in order to start the healing process, a self-induced therapy of sorts. She also includes in the book a copy of the eye-opening health inventory she gives her clients. It includes unusual questions such as: “Are you bored with your life?” and: “Do you have enough friends or neighbours?” This book will be of special benefit to women who are pregnant or entering menopause. Northrup is an unequivocal believer in natural births and her dialogue on the birthing process will remove the fears of even the most petrified mother-to-be. She criticises episiotomies (she should know; she’s given birth without one) and supports midwifery. She also warns against the harmfulness of cesarean births and includes illustrations of acupressure points that help turn around a breech baby. For women in perimenopause or menopause, Northrup will help turn this life phase into one of peace and personal growth instead of one of suffering. She was one of the first doctors to use natural progesterone to treat menopausal symptoms.

Urgent Message from Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World  by Jean Shinoda Bolen

“Gather the women,” says Jungian analyst Bolen, is “an urgent message from Mother to her Daughters,” a call for the women’s movement (after the suffragists and the movement of the 1960s and 70s Bolen calls this third movement “the women’s peace movement”) to end conflict and violence in the world. Drawing on the archetypal gender differences she elaborated on in Goddesses in Everywoman and Gods in Everyman, Bolen believes women have the nurturing and caring gifts that the world needs right now. But Bolen, who is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California Medical Centre, draws on scientific research showing that women’s brains make them better able to be “whole people,” able to develop both their intellectual and emotional sides, and thus better able to respond to the needs of children and the suffering world as a whole.

“The Healing Power of circles (whether women’s or men’s circles, reiki circles, prayer circles etc…) is extremely powerful and is spoken about in Jean Shinoda Bolen’s book –Urgent Message from the Mother- I heartily recommend taking a look! “

Have You Started Yet? Getting the Facts Straight by Ruth Thompson.
Starting to have periods is something all girls face. This book explains exactly what periods are, why they happen, and how they will affect you; asking all the questions and giving all the answers simply and openly, with plenty of practical advice

Getting Real About Growing Up by Amrita Hobbs

This is a resource book for life. It speaks directly to the teenager and the young adult. It is also a resource for parents and anyone working with youth. It communicates hauntingly to the teenager in every adult. it is full of practical suggestions and things to do. Teen Speak, anecdotes and stories make Getting Real… about growing up! enriching and spiritually uplifting. Stories are a great way of communicating a point and make it easier to understand and empathise when written in such language. Teen Speak is an integral part of the book. It’s great to hear the opinion of other young people. The style is diverse and effective. It inspires every reader to move beyond some of the limitations imposed on them from outside authority, their family background and the overcoming of childhood hurts. This book encourages readers to find their own uniqueness and express themselves in a powerful and effective way from a loving heart.

The Seven Sacred Rites of Menarche: The Spiritual Journey of the Adolescent Girl by Kristi Meisenbach Boylan, Kristi Meisenbach Boylan

The vast majority of books on menarche-the first menstrual cycle-do not address its effect on a young girl’s spiritual journey from maidenhood to womanhood. This book outlines the seven rituals, or stepping-stones, that a young woman faces on her voyage, marking her way through adolescence. These stepping-stones lead her from the childhood years to the childbearing years and draw attention to a young woman’s changing spirit.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant-This book is a firm favourite of mine and is an epic celebration of womanhood, written for women everywhere, regardless of their status, creed or colour. It is the story of a woman whose life was blessed by great love and torn by tragedy, of the lessons she learned through her own experiences and those of the women, and men, whose lives she touched. The red tent is the place where women gathered during their cycles of birthing, menses and even illness. Like the conversations and mysteries held within this feminine tent, this sweeping piece of fiction offers an insider’s look at the daily life of a biblical sorority of mothers and wives.  Diamant has chosen as her leading lady a woman whose name alone conjures up echoes of mystery, passion and betrayal. The Red Tent is the fictional tale of Dinah, whose life, like the majority of women in the Old Testament, merits only a passing mention. It is the men in Dinah¹s life that history has remembered: her famous father Jacob, his dozen sons and especially her brother, Joseph and his technicolour dreamcoat. Not religious? Don’t worry, this biblical character and the story Anita Diamant has woven from the merest hints, will appeal to all. 

The film is described “It’s 1976 and Elizabeth is a painfully average suburban 11-year-old awaiting her adolescence when she discovers her whole life has been a lie. With only her imagination to guide her, Elizabeth runs away in search of where she comes from. Her adoptive mother Marion is then forced to break out of the carefully constructed “truth” she’s been clinging to and find her daughter.”

It starts with 2 best friends, Elizabeth and Annabel,  in toilet cubicles checking their knickers for any sign that they have ‘started’. They make a pact to let each other know as soon as ‘it’ happens!

But Elizabeth become distracted by a family drama at home and when her best friend Annabel calls to tell her the big news…but her mother tells her ‘it’s not a good time’.

The next day in school Elizabeth wants to share her news…but Annabel shuns her for not taking her call when she needed her and has turned to 2 older girls for advise and friendship- all three laugh and shun Elizabeth, saying now they are ‘blood sisters’ and letting Elizabeth clearly know that she isnt welcome in their group.

Because of the drama unfolding at home Elizabeth runs away, and while in the rest room of a roadside cafe she starts her period. The chinese /american cafe owner knocks on the door to see if she’s ok, and she answers “i dont know what to do, something has happened”. The cafe owner knows whats going on and sorts her out with what she needs, takes her under her wing, offering her whiskey tea ‘for the cramps’, talks to her about her girlhood and her feelings of being ‘out of place’ as a chinese girl in the US and then taking her out to sit under a tree to connect with her ‘totem’!

The realness of this film reconnected me with my girlhood- that same feeling of ‘being part of a club’ when you get your period- and looking on those who havent started as ‘little girls’ – it also tapped in to a bit of shame about how I treated some of my friends around that time. We girls can be such bitches!

I loved that Elizabeth was taken care of by an understanding and sympathetic older women (mentor) who shared some of her own experiences and her own ‘traditions’.

A beautiful fim I urge mums to watch with their daughters