The Full Moon and Menstrual Cycles

 

The term menses comes from the plural form of the Latin word for month: mensis. So it is no wonder that this term is applied to the natural cycle that occurs in women every 29 days. This length of the cycle is very close to the natural cycle of the moon, which is 29.5 days. This similarity in cycle lengths has resulted in an abundance of folklore on the subject, that many still adhere to today.

 

To begin, it was very likely that women without calendars relied on the phases of the moon to determine where they were in their menstrual cycle to achieve or avoid pregnancy, and whether or not they are late in their cycle and might be expecting a baby. This reliance on the phases of the moon, along with bodily inconsistencies, may have led to other beliefs that the moon, especially the full moon, affects the menstrual cycle in several ways. These beliefs are so prevalent, that many researchers have invested time and resources globally in efforts to dismiss the myths.

 

The most prevalent myth is that the New Moon begins the menstrual cycle and the Full Moon is the ovulation phase. The dynamics of this folklore are easy to accept, since the Full Moon can easily represent a mature ovum in nature. Because of that simple rationale, there are many women who still adhere to these folktales and actively seek to align their bodily cycles to that of the moon.

 

The Red Moon Cycle, which is one of the possible goals of aligning the menstrual cycle to the moon’s phases, create a cycle in which the women will bleed during the Full Moon, and ovulate during the New Moon. This cycle is considered less desirable, due to the commonly held beliefs that women who experience menses are less emotionally stable, and the commonly held belief that the Full Moon can affect a person’s sanity. The Red Moon Cycle, therefore, is not a goal that modern women are attempting to achieve.

 

The origins of this folklore are believed to come from Native American Traditions documented by Nicholas Noblewolf, who tells the story of a Raven who hears the plight of an overburdened mother, and asks Mother Ocean for a solution. Mother Ocean asks for help from Mother Moon, and Mother Moon blesses all women with the ability to purify themselves once every moon cycle. This is referred to as a woman’s moon-time.

 

Native Traditions honor women during their moon-time, as they are considered more powerful during their purification. Therefore, women should not participate in ceremonies or in unsettling discussions, since her powerful energies can shift the intended outcomes and lead to undesirable effects.

 

Other traditions of the Moon Mother hold that when the Moon is full, women can “request Grandmother Moon to give them new energy” and if the request is accepted, ceremonies that range from elaborate to very simple take place. These ceremonies vary according to the traditions that their communities are taught, but all result in the woman being provided with medicinal water that is blessed by Grandmother Moon.