Julie McAfee

Women are a reflection of the Mother, our Earth.
Menstrual blood was once considered to be the energy of the Earth manifesting from the womb space.
In the past, women bled onto the earth to give back and honor this relationship.

The first measurement of time and the first calendar was based off the moon and menstrual cycle. Before electricity, women ovulated when the moon was full, and bled when the moon was dark. The pineal gland in the brain sends messages to the ovaries to release an egg based on the amount of light the brain senses in the night when we are asleep. At the point of most light in the lunar cycle, the full moon, our bodies are programmed to ovulate. Women who live in the country are more likely to be in sync with the moon, as are women living in primitive cultures where there is more connection to the natural environment. Ovulating at the full moon means we bleed at the dark of the moon; the new moon, when our energy is more inwardly focused.

When I first heard of ceremonial menstruation (bleeding on the Earth), I thought it sounded crazy. But along with other feminine empowerment rituals I’ve come to love, I decided to give it a try. After many months of this practice in the Spring and Summer, I stopped when the snow fell. By mid-Winter I acutely sensed that my body and soul were missing something and it was this monthly practice. I am connected to the Earth and the cycles of life when I give the blood from my womb back to the Mother. This photo symbolizes my commitment to the practice of ceremonial menstruation…sun or snow I honor the Earth and my womb.