It is 2023 and women earth-wide are beginning to hear the call of their wombs to come back home. Our eyes are opening to the false truths we’ve been spoon-fed around our womanhood, cycles, conception and pregnancy. We’re learning that the birth control we were told was “safe” is disrupting our hormones and causing infertility in young women.
Our sisters are sharing their stories of copper IUDs causing them excruciating pain, irreversible damage to their cervixes and uterus, and leading to prolapsed organs.
The morning after pill we are given is poisonous for our bodies, and women are losing their cycles for months and years as “side effects” from consenting to these practices.
When we listen to the stories of the women around us, we understand that what we have been offered to support us in not getting pregnant has, in many cases, caused us more harm.
But in all good stories, what once was forgotten can be remembered and reclaimed.
This remembrance and reclamation is that of the deep, ancient wisdom of our wombs.
So where must we go to receive the wise counsil of our wombs? We must come back into our bodies, drop down into our pelvises, become present, and start to pay closer attention than ever before.
In order to track something, you have to fully occupy your now-moment. Your vision sharpens, you sniff the air, you listen deeply, you come all the way into your felt-sense and your environment.
To track our cycles, we must become the huntress in a similar way. If our monthly cycle is our map, then that means that our womb is our compass. Our womb is always communicating to us where we are on our map, and this is the invitation to become still, tune in and see what she has to say. You see, to track your cycle is to come into intimacy with your body and the moment; it’s much more than just downloading an app on your phone.
Unlike men, whose rhythm of testosterone is steady in its flow from day to day, women’s hormones fluctuate, ebb and flow. Each cycle contains within it four different seasons, or frequencies, through which we get to taste different aspects of the self:
Follicular - This season begins on the first day of our bleed and continues on for about 14 days, which ends in ovulation. Our pituitary gland secretes hormones that signal the production of follicles on the surface of the ovary, where usually one follicle will become an egg. Our bodies are preparing for ovulation and we feel lighter as our energy and creativity returns to us. This is where we begin to take action on the insights & dream seeds we received during our bleeding. This season of our cycle is known as Spring, or the Maiden archetype.
Ovulation - This is the space of our cycle where we are ripe, our womb is readying itself for the potential of conception and pregnancy, and where we are the most energized and turned on. We are in touch with our vitality and willing to serve all of life. This is the sacred window where new souls come in, or we actualize those dream seeds that sprouted in our follicular phase. This season is known as Summer, or the Mother archetype.
Ovulation is a six to seven day window, and conception usually happens two to three days before your ovary releases its egg and up to two days afterwards. Women are typically most fertile in the first two to three days of ovulation, but can still become pregnant after the egg is released.
Luteal - This is the point in our cycle where we begin the descent back towards our inner world. This time is where we start to tune into intuition and our deepened sensitivity to the world around us. We feel passionate and powerful here and can connect with our own dreams and desires more easily. We start to pull our energy back in from the world around us and turn towards the self. This season of our cycle is known as Fall, or the Wild Woman archetype.
Bleeding - This is the last season of our cycle; this is the time where we retreat from the external world and come to rest fully in oneself. We reflect on the last cycle while receiving the visions we are asked to bring through in our next cycle. This inward time is to be respected, as our blood cleanses our wombs and we energetically close out the last month. This is a time of deep rejuvenation and hibernation within the inner world. This season is known as Winter, or the Crone archetype.
Now that we understand the map of our cycle more intimately, let’s take a closer look at the terrain…
While we are moving through our cycle, our body is speaking to us through the clear physical changes that occur, giving us many clues as to where exactly we are on our map.
Our cervix changes her position, texture and mucus production to support us through each season of our cycle.
When we bleed, the cervical tissue becomes firmer and she lowers her position in the vaginal canal to assist uterine tissue in moving through.
When ovulating, the cervix becomes soft and open, while centering herself in the vaginal canal. She also produces a mucus that is sticky and white that changes once you ovulate to a more slippery consistency to support the sperm on their journey.
So just by paying attention and touching your yoni and cervix, you will start to learn the landscape of your womb, and how she changes in her ebb and flow.
It’s important to remember that each of our cycles is unique to us, so you may wish to start tracking your basal body temperature to support you in determining your unique ovulation window and cadence.
So if we can only get pregnant six or seven days out of the month, why are we turning towards hormone-disrupting pharmaceutical cocktails and putting pieces of metal in our uteruses?
The truth is this - women are powerful; we bring new souls into this world through the portal of our wombs. It’s time to stop outsourcing our power and instead, come back to our wombs, our main source of power, and relearn to trust ourselves.
Did you know that the average woman will experience around 450 monthly cycles in her life? That’s 450 opportunities to hone our skills and track ourselves through all the ages and stages we will walk.
We are capable of paying attention to our monthly cycles; to opening up our eyes, ears and senses to receive the guidance of our wombs. She is our compass, and we can trust that she will never guide us astray.
Written by Autumn Rose
Instagram @embodyjaguar
Instagram @embodyjaguar