Menstrual cycle can be roughly split into 4 equal parts:

working to a 28 day cycle

Menstruation – days 1-6/7/8 – Winter – Tired, introvert, quiet, insightful

Pre Ovulation – days 6-11/12/13 – Spring – energy rising, inquisitive, playful

Ovulation – days 12-19/20/21 – Summer – energetic, fertile, extrovert, active

Pre Mentstruation – days 20-28 – Autumn – energy dropping, critical, often emotional

Movements from one stage to the next are driven by hormones. Ordinarily these hormones interact with each other to make changes occur to a regular schedule each Month. But it doesn’t always pan out like that because some of these hormones are regulated by part of the brain called the hypothalamus. This part of the brain is affected by external factors such as travel, environment, people, shock, big life changes. Emotions affect the hypothalamus like uncertainty, worry, anger, fear or chronic anxiety. So when you have a particularly stressful or transitional week or month or year in life, it is logical to expect unusual changes in your cycles schedule and general experience.

As your body and hormones transition from one stage to the next of your cycle, so do your emotional, psychological and spiritual states.  As you start to track your changes each month, you begin to see patterns in your thoughts, feelings, spiritual connectedness and so on. You may notice that on day 17 after ovulation has passed you become instantly negative and down on yourself. When you observe your natural rhythm and note your strengths and obstacles within it you come to a clearer understanding of yourself, and can often feel more accepting that ‘oh yeah that’s me’. Once you know the path you tend to take each month and the pot holes you tend to fall down you can take care as those moments arise. You can look ahead and see what is just around the corner and prepare and nurture yourself adequately to receive that part of yourself and your cycle in the most beneficial way.

It is said when we humans were more in touch with the land and the moon, our menstrual cycles would have been 29 and a ½ days long, exactly in time with the moon. We would have Ovulated on the full moon when the energy is at its highest and bled on the new or dark moon. Now the ‘average’ cycle is estimated at 28 days, with ovulation on day 14 and a 5 day bleed. This is not written in stone and every women is different so don’t worry if that’s not you. And don’t count on it if your using natural contraception methods. the calender method alone is not a safe method for contraception.