Periods: Blessing or Curse?
We have been looking at the first stage of life we women experience, girlhood. One of the major events that 'changes' this stage is when we begin to have our period.
Different cultures have very different relationships to the process of this shift from 'girlhood' to 'womanhood'. We had the opportunity to discuss many of them on last Friday's Goddess Talk. Recordings below.
We discovered that for some, the occasion of having our period was traumatic. For some, it was uneventful or an inconvenience. Then, for others, a precious and deeply moving process.
Functionally, our period serves several important aspects of our health as women. Spiritually, it represents our role as creators. Socially, it is related to everything from a curse to a blessing. And, emotionally we experience all of it, embarrassment, shame, pride and much more.
There also are facts, fiction and myths to sort through along the way. This week we offer several options for exploring the many aspects of life lived by women all over the world with this one life experience we ALL share.
The Week's Goddess Practice
Your Experience
Take some time this week and journal or have a conversation with a friend about how you experience this aspect of living as a woman.
- What was your experience of beginning your period, your flow?
- What messages did you get (or make up) about being a girl/woman?
- What did your cultural or social circle have to say about periods? How did this impact you personally?
For inspiration, below are the links to the Friday Goddess Talk discussion we had about some of the ways different women experienced this pivotal time and 'happening' throughout their lives.
Bonus
Watch a Film! (a short)
Period. End of Sentence, won Best Documentary Short at the 91st Academy Awards.
This extraordinary film highlights Indian women's fights against the deeply rooted stigma of menstruation. It is about girls and women in Harpur, North India, and their experience of installing a pad machine in their village.
The acclaim and awards supported the launch of the ongoing Pad Project.Watch the trailer to learn more, including how to watch the 26m movie.
