Womb Wisdom - Inner Fall: The Luteal Phase
What is working well in my life?
What is not supporting me?
Where is it flowing naturally?
In what area am I not feeling well?
Reflection & Discernment
The Inner Fall refers to the luteal phase which begins with the end of our ovulation and ends with our blood flow. It is the time before the dying - the season that precedes the inner winter, in which we finally renew ourselves - if we are not pregnant. We slowly turn inwards. In the early moments of this phase, we may feel ourselves slowing down and our energy level dropping little by little. Step by step, breath by breath, we have more and more of a need for quiet and self-care.
Our body prepares to release an unfertilized egg - or to grow new life. Immediately after ovulation, the follicles that contain the egg break down, creating the corpus luteum, where the female hormones are produced. The production of estrogen decreases and progesterone increases. Every month, the progesterone acts as a supportive agent to thicken the uterine lining for the potential fertilized egg to implant and grow, providing possible stabilization of pregnancy. The hormone also affects our body temperature, which rises about 0.3 degrees and remains stable until our next blood. As our ovum (egg) is fertile for a maximum of 12 to 24 hours after it is released from the ovaries (that we can perceive by a slight tugging sensation (the so-called mittelschmerz), three stable days of raised temperature are a way to recognize that we are not fertile anymore. If no egg grows in the uterus, the corpus luteum stops producing progesterone after about 10 to 16 days. The body temperature drops again and the uterine lining is shed with the bloodstream.
The later inner autumn finds its peak in the so-called PMS phase, which can be a time of overflowing emotions. A shift takes place in the body as the production of progesterone decreases, which might make us feel irritable, impatient or vulnerable. Inner subconscious currents may be streaming to the surface from the darkness of the womb, touching on old energies that can overwhelm us. We are in a predictable and yet always unpredictable moment, by which we are also always surprised when we get lost in the intensity of the moods of this phase.
Our bodies can react in many different ways to the release that is about to happen. We may notice increased sensitivity in our breasts, fatigue, stomach pain, a feeling of heaviness, swelling or bloating, spotty, oily skin, headaches, cravings and/or changes in our libido. We might prefer to spend this time alone, withdrawing more and more and longing for comfort and quietness.
In some moments, the depths of our feelings can become so broad that we tend to sink into them. Are we slowly falling deeper, heavier to the earth or are we sinking into emotional waters? The hormone progesterone also has a calming influence. When we don't sink, a grounding happens, in which we can listen and follow our needs.
In this way, the luteal phase reminds us every month to slowly prepare for our inner winter times of self-care. It is the perfect moment to center ourselves in our bodies, exercise, relieve stress and eat light and healthy.
Reflections
What do I see ahead of me?
Progesterone makes us more analytical and rational too - thus our inner fall is also a time of increased discernment, containing precious wisdom of heightened awareness. As the lunar cycle that began with our last blood comes to an end, it is a moment to trust our perception and reflect on the last month. Our minds now love to analyze details and look at all angles as well as at the bigger picture.
What is working well in my life? What is not supporting me?
Where is it flowing naturally? In what area am I not feeling well?
By recognizing and refining what we are truly called to do, we are gently realigning and moving towards another renewal.
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Womb Wisdom
The monthly blood of a women* is one of the most sacred connection to the union of spirit and matter that is realized in the Vessels of Creation that She is. Her Inner River is the ever returning movement of spirited natural forces in Her body temple, it is the Source of Her intimacy with the mysteries of Life and Death. The moments of her inner moon flow, ovulation and love making are portals of magic that unites Her body with the realms of spirit.
We share both inspirational wisdom to honor the Sacredness of our inner cycles, as well as scientific knowledge to reclaim a deeper understanding of our bodies, sovereign contraception, conscious conception & sacred sexuality. As an inherent part of nature and its seasons and its moons we refer to the different phases of our cycle as our inner seasons (winter as our blood time, summer as our ovulation time…) and inner moons inner (dark moon as the bleeding time, full moon as the ovulation time…) . This doesn’t mean that we are “naturally supposed” to bleed in the time of the New Moon, but allows us to reflect our inner movements through the mirror of the movements of nature.
Each body is different and each life journey is an individual one. Some women have a regular cycle, some don’t. Some women have a short cycle, some have a long one. Many factors like big changes in our lives, nutrition, travels etc. may have an influence on our inner realms and remind us to listen to the inner voices in each specific moment of time. Let us always remember: The body never lies. Applied in our daily lives with our own intuition and body wisdom, these references can guide us towards a deeper connection with the natural forces that always move through us.