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Moon Time by Dr. Amanda Waaldyk

Doctor of Chinese medicine, Acupuncturist, Yoga teacher, and founder of Angea Women's Health Clinic, Amanda Waaldyk shares TCM wisdom, traditions, and practices around the relationship between the moon, a woman's cycle, and her moon time. An honouring of feminine energy and remembering of this sacred knowledge that has been forgotten.

Doctor of Chinese medicine, acupuncturist, yoga teacher, and founder of Angea Women's Health Clinic, Amanda Waaldyk shares TCM wisdom, traditions, and practices around the magical relationship between the moon's phases, a woman's cycle, and her moon time. An honouring of feminine energy and remembering of this sacred knowledge that has been forgotten.

All around us, the wisdom of the earth is expressed. Women's bodies and menstrual cycles are intimately connected to the seasons, lunar cycle, and tides. When we take the time to pause, we can hear the whispers of our body. Observation, stillness, and reflection provide a path for us to move from outwardly to inward and vice versa, from  Yin to Yang and Yang to Yin.

The phases of the moon guide our spirit and intuitive wisdom, connecting us to the energetic realms. Each month, we have the opportunity to feel the pull and power of the moon, learning from its cycles of waxing and waning. When we understand the rhythm and cycles of the natural world we open our body and soul to our intuitive wisdom and powerful monthly transformations. Teaching us how to move with grace through the ebbs and flows of life. If we are in cycle with the new Moon, this is the time your menses begins. A time referred to by the sages as our “Moon Time”.

In many cultures, women were honoured during their bleeding days and would go to a special place within the village. This place was called the women’s lodge, the moon lodge, the menstrual hut, or the bleeding lodge. These spaces all had great power and significance because it was the space where women bled together and shared their visions and wisdom. Women would retire in the lodge and let their bodies naturally cleanse. This was a monthly ritual. A place of quiet and protection separate from the activity of daily life. Sadly, the modern woman has lost this deep experience and connection to her monthly bleed. Our bleed is an invitation each month to come home, home to ourselves, and home to our body.

When we begin bleeding during a new moon, it is the time when the veil between us and the great mystery is at its thinnest. Moon time in TCM is considered the most Yin, feminine & receptive time for a woman. It is the time to retreat inward, honour the stillness, bathe in the yin, nurture, nourish, create space and have joy in doing less by reflecting on your emotional, spiritual, and physical needs. When the lining sheds, it is in this very moment we are releasing ~ by letting go of the old you are able to embrace the new. Ladies - blood is power.

Our monthly cycle symbolises the power of renewal, the great mystery, and the ongoing cycle of life, death, and rebirth. As the moon shines its gravitational energy, it draws upon ours. Unveiling our shadow or illuminating our spirit. Take a moment to pause each night. Gaze up to the moon and deepen your connection to her. As you come to know the moon cycles you come to know yourself. Take time to sit and listen to the rhythms of the earth. (YOU).

A full moon is the midpoint and climax of the lunar cycle, literally! Hello Ovulation; It is the most yang time in the cycle. Full moons are notorious for being associated with chaos and intensity. (Yes we can all relate ) Full moons are the brightest and boldest. This is the time of outward activity and high energy. The full moon is a time of EXPRESSION of who we are and the seed of creativity! During the full moon in ancient cultures, women would gather and bathe under the moonlight to enhance their creative energies, fertility and support their emotional bodies.

Some ways to cultivate your full moon feminine energy:

  • Dance
  • Paint
  • Sing
  • MoonGaze
  • Be expressive
  • Start new projects
  • Have a bath with candles
  • Swim under the moonlight
  • Create a full moon ritual.
  • Bathe under the moonlight for 15-30mins.

 

 

You are your own co-creator. Learning how to work with the energy of the full moon cultivates the divine feminine cosmic energy that's in and around you! We would love to hear your favourite full moon rituals! A lot of us know about the moon phases. We can see when the moon is new when it is full, and the fluctuations in between the two. We have watched this infinite dance the moon performs for us each and every month, for years. 

However many of us are unaware that this moon cycle that ebbs and flows has a deep, sacred connection to our menstrual cycles. For millennia women have understood and celebrated the intimate connection between the lunar cycle and our menstrual cycles. Women would honour the phases of the moon whilst also acknowledging their own inner lunar cycle. 

This sacred feminine knowledge has slowly been forgotten in our modern era. Despite all our advancements in our technology-driven age we have become disconnected from our bodies as well as the powerful ancient wisdom we used to hold. According to Daoist tradition, there are many connections between our cycles and the lunar cycle. The lunar cycle is 28-29 days long and a healthy menstrual cycle is the same length.

It is energetically most aligned for women to menstruate with the new moon and ovulate with the full moon. The new moon is the most Yin point of the whole lunar cycle. Our menstrual phase is also the most Yin point of our own cycle. This is the natural time to turn inwards, conserve energy, let go of what we no longer need, and also manifest and cultivate what we want more of. The full moon is the midpoint of the lunar cycle where the moon's energy is at its peak. This is also when our menstrual cycles are at their peak as our own energy builds and peaks with an egg releasing with ovulation. This is the ultimate manifestation of Yang energy expressed in the female body. This phase represents fertility, strength, power, vitality, connection, and letting go. It is the time to tune in with yourself and find out what you want to let go of and release.

When we start to live our lives acknowledging the moon's phases and our own inner world, we see that in our own lives we become more aligned and things begin to flow with ease. Although it is natural for our bodies to cycle with the moon, many of us are not in sync with the cycle – but that’s okay! There are ways to help sync your cycles through techniques like moon gazing, altered light exposure, and Qi Gong techniques. You can begin by looking up what phase the moon is in today, and then what day you are in of your cycle, is there a correlation already? Start observing and see where it takes you!

Connect with Dr. Amanda Waaldyk

Angea Instagram

Angea Acupuncture and Yoga

Holistic Fertility with Dr. Amanda Waaldyk (SuperFeast podcast)

Endo and Why Painful Periods Aren't Normal with Dr. Amanda Waaldyk (SuperFeast podcast)

 

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