October 3rd is National Child Health Day and we thought it would be a perfect time to talk about the most important time in a young woman's reproductive health journey: her first menstrual cycle.
Menarche: The Sacred Cycle
While each menstrual cycle a woman experience is essential, the first menstrual bleeding, also known as Menarche, is a sacred time in a woman's life. Not only does it signify evolution and growth in her physical womb but the coming of age in her energetic womb as well.
The Physical Womb
Physically speaking, this time in a young girl's life is known as the puberty or adolescent stage. In females, the age of the first menstruation usually fluctuates from around 12 to 13 years of age, although many young girls are having their cycle earlier. This could be due to a lot of reasons, including hormones, GMO foods, etc. For most women, the first menstrual cycle begins up to two years after the first signs of puberty started. Signs of puberty can include the development of breasts, the growth of body hair, and changes in body shape.
The Energetic Womb
In his life cycle theory, psychologist Erick Erickson stated that a human being establishes his or her identity during this puberty and adolescents and the statement couldn't be more true for women. The womb is connected to the sacral chakra, the second largest of the main chakras. This chakra is located in the lower abdomen and is all about creativity, sexuality, desire, and personal connections, just to name a few. When a young woman has her first period, it unlocks the ancient medicine and wisdom of the womb. This phase is known as the "maiden", one of the four main feminine archetypes, or energies and it comes with its own set of transitions, lessons, and possible challenges.
The History of the Red Tent
For centuries, women all over the world have honored this sacred time in a young woman's life. When a Japanese girl had her first period, the family sometimes celebrated by eating red-colored rice and beans. In Australia, the maiden is taught the ways of womanhood by the other women in her tribe. Her mother builds her a menstruation hut where she confines herself for the remainder of her menses. The hut is burned and she is bathed in the river at the end of menstruation. In the US, some public schools have sex education programs where girls are taught about menstruation, period care, and sexual health, although the subject has been a social taboo.
Here at HJWB, we intend to reclaim this sacred time and honor it with our sacred red tent ceremonies. Named after the best-selling novel The Red Tent written by Anita Diamant in 1997, red tent gatherings have become a grassroots movement all over the nation. A historical fiction, The Red Tent is the story of Dinah, daughter of Jacob, and Leah, sister of Joseph. Dinah recalls sitting in the red tent with her aunt and mother, gossiping while working which was all most women could do during that time. According to the Los Angeles Times review, "By giving a voice to Dinah, one of the silent female characters in Genesis, the novel has struck a chord with women who may have felt left out of biblical history. It celebrates mothers and daughters and the mysteries of the life cycle."
It is our hope that by normalizing and celebrating the sanctity and magic of menstrual cycles, we can begin to improve the level of health and care women and young girls receive.
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