Goddess Worship and the Moon

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 18 Feb 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

imagoddess	18 Feb 2003
Calling all Goddesses on the Aecletic Tarot Forum! It is Queen of Swords Week! Last night, a discussion in chat, between Redwood, Theredhead, Rhiannon, and Imagoddess revealed that we had all shared a rather ****ty day! Upon further discussion, it was disclosed that this was due to certain monthly physical cycles that occur only amongst women. How interesting it was to know that we all were experiencing our monthly cycles at the same time, and that this was occuring close to the last Full Moon. It has always been my theory that sisters in spirit are sisters in blood, and we decided to post a thread to summon other ATF women to see how well this theory holds true! So here are the dates of the Full Moon from December through March. How many of you are sisters in spirit? December 19, 2002 January 18, 2003 February 16, 2003 March 19, 2003

RAVENAL	19 Feb 2003
The moon controls all monthly tides...in primitive societys where people lived close to the land and under the stars...and the MOON...womens menses followed the natural cycle and were full and flowing just as the earthly tides...all waters, were and still are...at their highest during this time of the Full Moon...but modern women live indoors...under artificial lighting...and have lost much of our connection with these natural cycles...some believe this causes so many female problems in this day and age...fertility problems...PMS...irregular menstrual cycles...even high breast cancer rates...if ever my cycles were off I would spend as much time as possible out doors at night...especially the 3 to 5 days both before and after the full moon...even sleeping outdoors...never failed to reset my cycle and hardly ever had an irregular cycle or any PMS...there's scientific evidence of this...has anyone else heard of this...I first learned of it from local women when I lived in Asia...and I know quite a few Native Americans who are aware and use the moon this way too...even my chiropracter and I have discussed this...she recommends it to her patients...

theredhead	19 Feb 2003
I went back and checked the last year, and with the exception of March of 02, my cycles started on or within 2 days of the full moon. I have heard all the lore about it but, honestly i never gave it any credence (ok do i feel stupid and dense) If I had ever just been aware, i might have put this together. But i work with a lot of women and its a common topic sometimes, i know that many do not cycle that close to the full moon. Or they would have been closer to mine. I'm sure many things can affect and change a womens cycle, hormonal birth control etc. But it seemed an unusual occurance that 3 of 4 of us on AT chat were on the same schedule. That's 75%, extremely high, if you had a random sample of 4 women who did not live together, i doubt you would see the same. Makes me wonder if AT women, (but then I am relatively new) are somehow tapping into something, not sure but there has to be a connection, patterns are not usually coincidence. If it was simply the moon, why aren't at least 75% of women between the ages of 15 and 50, in America on the same schedule?? We were just kinda surprised then extremely curious. I apologize to any that are offended or upset by this topic (maybe especially the guys), but being in healthcare, i am comfortable with discussing all bodily functions with anyone of any sex. I understand not everyone feels this way. So any apology in advance to anyone embarrassed or offended that was not our intent.

cricket	19 Feb 2003
Not me! :D Then again, there might be a reason for that. Can I get back to you all sometime around May or June on this one?

RedWood	19 Feb 2003
My cycle starts about 2 weeks after the full moon..I begin cramping around the full moon..This clues me in on when I will start...I think I may try sitting outside under the moon for awhile..(assuming is not to cold hehe)

RAVENAL	19 Feb 2003
Good point about hormones and birth control...my daughter went off them a few mths. ago and her moon cycle reset...my chiropracter had also told me a story about her sister...who during her teenage years never started her menses...she was 17 and had been checked out by traditional and holistic medical specialists and no one could figure it out...the family went on vacation to Sedona Arizona and consulted a Native American Shaman...he said sunlight...she needed strong exposure to the sun...well the southwest certainly has that...she started her cycle after their 3rd day there...maybe women who spend more time outdoors and have more exposure to the natural energys that surround us...without the distortions produced by some of the things mentioned...are more likely to attune to the moons pull...and remember that the only light the moon reflects is sunlight...there may be something more going on now as well astrologically/astronomically...any one know of any planetary alignments...etc...

imagoddess	19 Feb 2003
I personally think Birth Control pills are horrible things. There are other methods. I just don't feel that one should go off and inject synthetic hormones into one's body, because hormones are too powerful and the effects are not limited to mastering the human reproductive cycle. I myself, was on Birth Control Pills for 10 years. When I stopped taking them, I lost a lot of weight, had a new sense of mental clarity and energy, and became more in tune with my body and sexuality. When I stopped taking them, I did not have my period for 10 MONTHS! Once it returned, my cycles began to regulate around the Full Moon, and I no longer experience PMS. Ravenal, I do spend quite a bit of time outdoors. I shall look into the astrological connections. Though I agree with theredhead, I sense that the AFT women are more in touch with themselves and the universe, than the average woman. Hmmm...I wonder how many unsuspecting AFT men have walked into this thread unsuspectingly. I would love to know their reaction.

Laurel	19 Feb 2003
I have a completely messed up cycle. I'm one of those unfortunate woman who tends to bleed just 3-4 times a year... but when I bleed, its for 2-6 weeks. However, there are other forces in my life, emotional, mystical, that are quite lunar in nature. ~LAS

firemaiden	19 Feb 2003
I have a totally messed up cycle too. (PCOS anyone?) but right on the full moon I usually get...er..I become....well...er... what I mean to say is...men start looking veeeeeeeeery interesting...

imagoddess	19 Feb 2003
My Dear, what is PCOS? ON MEN: Yes, I always seem to be "on the prowl", shall we say, during the Full Moon, and after several glasses of wine, I can become quite dangerous! HEHEHEHE

firemaiden	19 Feb 2003
PCOS is Polycystic Ovary Sydrome. I won't go into it here, except to say it a hormone imbalance, (too much male) and is probably genetic. Perhaps a bout of natural moonlight and sunlight might be the cure! Quote: ...Yes, I always seem to be "on the prowl", shall we say, during the Full Moon... Right! ON the prowl, that's what it is! :eek: I even wrote a long poem about that, about a prowling pantheress! (edited to add link)

Moongold	19 Feb 2003
An intriguing thread. This theory has been around for a long time sisters! And I think it is true. I had to have a hysterectomy a few years ago but my spirit is with the Goddess! Moongold

DeLani	19 Feb 2003
I am also a full moon kinda gal, if you know what I mean. Usually within 2-3 days either side. We should make a poll... we might even have enough of a sample to be statistically valid...

Kiama	20 Feb 2003
Another Full Moon girl too, though granted, I do use the pill. (It is the only contraceptive I am not severely allergic to, so have to use it or have no sex at all.... Yep, I know which one I'm going for! ;)) However, even before I started using the pill, I would begin my bleeding 2 days before the Full Moon, and end 2 days afterwards. Kiama

Silverlotus	20 Feb 2003
Generally speaking I have noticed my period being more focused around the Full Moon lately. Even with various things throwing it off (colds, stress, wisdom teething being pulled, etc.), it seems to jump back to a few days either side of the Full Moon. When I lived at home, my mother and I had our periods at approx. the same time. Oddly, when I went on the pill, her periods moved so that they were still in sync with mine. When I went off the pill, we settled into a new pattern, still close together. I've read about studies that record this happening in house full of women, so I guess it can happen with two women also.

amyel	20 Feb 2003
We shall see what kind of cycle I end up with. No, I'm not a teenager waiting for her first period. Just I have endo, and for many, many years, I never knew when it would arrive. My cycle was anything from 15 days to 40 days apart. I was put on the pill after endo surgery - but I took them each day, to completely stop my periods. This was for about a year. I'm off that now, as the doc wants to see if the endo comes back. So, we'll see. But I have heard of this happening, and have actually observed the phenom at work. I can actually smell the change in the air. Probably sounds worse then it is.

ReveurPoetique	23 Feb 2003
I like to compare my period to a freestyle poem.. no rhyme or reason.. but then again.. i'm 13 and just got it last summer so maybe its just being the first year my body hasnt made up its mind yet.... hmmm...

RedWood	23 Feb 2003
Revere...Yes when you first start your period it could take 1-2 years or longer before you get on a regular schedule..

lunalafey	23 Feb 2003
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5790&highlight=moon here's a thread that is right along these lines... :TMOON

Kiama	24 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Silverlotus I've read about studies that record this happening in house full of women, so I guess it can happen with two women also. *Kiama desperately tries to remember her A-level Psychology...* There have bne some very interesting studies on this, mostly done by a guy who's name begins wiht B... Wish I could remember! He basically stuck about 15 women in an underground bunker for 3 or 4 months, without natural light, and they all synchronised ther periods. He also observed nuns in a nunnery, and something like 95% of them were in synch. (Must be why monks aren't allowed in nunneries! Dozens of women all with PMT at the same time? Health Hazard! ;)) Anyway, there is a cool explanation for this, which hasn't been proven or disproven, but is certainly an entertaining explanation which makes sense... It all goes back to when we still lived in hunter-gatherer tribes (Doesn't everything when it comes to psychology and sociology?! ;)) and there was a high mortality rate amongst adults. Women would have in-synch mestrual cycles so that they were more likely to be preggers at hte same time, and be in milk at the same time, so if one mum died, leaving behind a suckling baby, another mother (Who was in all probability in milk due to in-synch menstrual cycles) could suckle the baby instead of the baby dying. Kiama

Kiama	24 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by ReveurPoetique I like to compare my period to a freestyle poem.. no rhyme or reason.. but then again.. i'm 13 and just got it last summer so maybe its just being the first year my body hasnt made up its mind yet.... hmmm... This is what happens nearly all the time. I didn't get my first period til 15, wihch i quite late for my family, but basically as soon as I got it, I had to go on the pill for skin reasons, and then went on it a year later for contraceptive reasons, so my periods never really got a chance to settle down! (Though admittedly, they were regular in that THEORETICALLY I knew when they'd happen... They were regular IF they happened, so I would be bleeding for exactly 6 days either side of the full moon (3 either side) but it wasn't guaranteed that I WOULD bleed ! (One time I stopped bleeding for 9 months, leading to paranoid delusion about Virgin Maries... ;)) Kiama

cheekyminx	24 Feb 2003
I like this theory. Mine are 4 days after the full moon, but I clock in with who ever I'm most chummy with. lol My monthlys always change. If i'm not in sinc with my sister, then it was someone from work, if not from work then a friend. Think I might go on the pill or even better get the needle - NO PERIOD!!! lol

cheekyminx	24 Feb 2003
Quote: Originally posted by firemaiden PCOS is Polycystic Ovary Sydrome. I won't go into it here, except to say it a hormone imbalance, (too much male) and is probably genetic. Perhaps a bout of natural moonlight and sunlight might be the cure! I wish a natural bout of moonlight and sunglight would fix my PCOS problem. lol Its hormonal, nothing can be done to fix it, except for drugs *sigh* Im not sure about it being genetic, methinks I'm the only one with it. Always nice to know there are people out there with similar problems to me. Oh, does anyone else suffer DEADLY period pain? I mean that deadly that one needs to take 4 nurofen & sleep the pain off with a hot water bottle? Then every 4 hours pop a few more pills?? PLEASE SAY YES!!! Mental note: next life coming back as a man!!

theredhead	24 Feb 2003
I can't say i have cramps that bad cheekyminx but i used to. I know what pcos is (in theory) and i myself have endometriosis. They tried to do a hysterectomy on me when i was 27, i refused. I have been on the pill for as long as 3 years. That was 10 years ago and 3 laser laps later. And i feel better now than i did when i was 27. My new ob/gyn was puzzled as to why i wasn't on anything anymore, why do i feel better? Endo does not get better, it usually gets worse, i'm not on hormones or serious NSAIDs anymore for pain. He asked my why. I thought about that later and i can't really answer that. How did i manage to improve my condition, not sure. But i did see one correlation, (my reason for rambling) and that is exercise. I began riding (horses) about 7 years ago. We ride what i would call seriously, bareback, fast and over rough terrain, it is a serious workout. My other very best riding buddy has endo and she is 50, every 4 or 5 years they do a lap untwist and unglue her ovaries and she's good for another couple of years. Why? this isn't normal and we both used the same doc, he even commented how we were both able to go longer between surgery. We told him it had to be the horses. He scratched his head and said he couldn't disagree, he had horses himself, but he didn't see how it could help. I have also noticed that the last 4 months since i started school i have had little time to ride, and i have spent more time sitting than i have in years, the muscles in my back and abs and legs are going soft, and guess what the last two months i had some mindbending cramps, the kind i have not had in years. I realize this doesn't do any good for those without horses, but i'm going to go out on a limb and say it may not be the riding, but the exercise to the pelvic floor, abs and lower back. Riding just makes you strong, all over. When i quit exercising i'ts started to get worse. I don't know that i can find the time to ride so i may have to find a yoga routine, or calanetics routine (used to do that regularly). I know i need to do something, but i think i am also missing the relaxation that exercising brings, the clearing away the trash of the mind and the spiritual aspect. Cheeky i know pcos is hormonal, but possibly the cramps could be eased. I'll get back to you guys in 3 months and let you know, i need to get back on my horse.....springs coming here. Something i never forgot that i saw on a documentary on an aids patient who had beat the odds lived longer and been healther than even the doctors could explain. He was running in marathons, albiet not coming in first, but finishing. Someone asked how he did it, his reply: No matter how bad i felt that day, and somedays i felt like i could die, i always felt better after i excercised. Even if it was forcing myself to get out of bed and walk a 1/2 block. Doctors told me that exercise could kill me and i needed to be careful. I eventually realized that aids was killing me and exercise just might save or at least prolong my life. p.s. does anyone know where i can get online somewhere and find some instructions on a good yoga routine? I know they don't have a class within 20 miles here. [edited to add]lest you guys think i'm one of those people that loves exercise, you are dead wrong, i couln't take up running unless someone was chasing me with a gun. I just love to ride, but i have to do something, or i am going to suffer. Don't want to go back to that.

DeLani	24 Feb 2003
I also have endo, with EXTREME pain, even when not on my periods. The horseriding makes sense because you are working out the muscles of your lower abdominal area, inner thighs, and lower back. Strong muscles don't hurt as much when they are being used (as in, when you're on your period). I belly dance (though not nearly enough) and it helps keep those inner muscles more toned. I've also had 2 laser laproscopies. I believe endo is caused by our moms' & dads' exposure to plastics and/or other phyto-estrogen producing pollution. Our bodies are as the body of the earth, and we can't poison and rape Her without us feeling it somehow. So, my suffering is the expression of the Earth's suffering. (This was a thread about Goddess worship, right?) Blessed Be!

floracove	24 Feb 2003
Well my changes up ever so often, moving a day or two from one week to the next. Recently it's been beginning on the new moon. And no doubt will change again.

The Goddess Worship and the Moon thread was originally posted on 18 Feb 2003 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.