Throughout human history, menstruation has been honored as a sacred time for healing, ceremony, & divination. Cross-culturally, the existence of menstrual tents has been a signpost of adoration of the feminine form & her ever-flowing cycles. It is believed in the Women’s Mysteries that when a woman is bleeding, she is most psychically attuned to herself, the Collective, & Source consciousness.
Modern women across the globe are once again remembering the sacredness of their monthly shed. These women are joining hands in circle, honoring their cycles, & offering their blood to the Earth in ceremony. For many women, RADICAL RECLAMATION of the blood is adopted in order to release the conditioned fear & shame of menstruation.
There are countless ways to reclaim the sacredness of your shed & bask in the beauty of your blood, below I will account just a few. The most important thing to remember when working with your moon blood, is to follow your intuition & womb wisdom. Listen to your blood, She will not lead you astray.
1. Moon Masks & Blood Anointings
In many cultures, women are taught at their first moon to use their blood as a face mask at least once per cycle to alleviate acne. Menstrual blood is packed with stem cells & is excellent for our skin. Our moon blood’s original intention was to be the uterine lining that would sustain life in the womb should we conceive. Our amazing, intelligent bodies send the building blocks of life to our uterine lining every month, preparing for conception! And when we don’t conceive, the uterine lining is shed as our monthly moon cycle. Moon masks leave your skin feeling healthy, vital, fresh, & juicy. Not to mention, the raw, primal feeling of adorning yourself with such a holy & sacred elixir.
To apply a moon mask, simply rub your undiluted moon blood onto your face (& if you like neck, shoulders, & chest) with your fingers. Leave on for 10-20 minutes & rinse off gently with warm water. Sound a little bit too bloody for you to dive head first into? You can ease into this practice by first anointing yourself with your blood—perhaps on the third eye, heart, or belly. Work up to the full-face mask as you feel inspired to do so!
2. Creative Expression
Menstrualia (menstrual illustration) is the practice of painting with your moon blood. Our monthly shed gifts us a gorgeous crimson pigment to create & express with. Creating art is a powerful way to crystallize all of your intentions & manifestations. Conceptualizing & writing out your intentions may require more left brain thinking, while visual art activates the right brain. When creating menstrualia, both sides of your brain are activated & the medium that you are using to depict these manifestations is deeply resonant with your personal life force. That is powerful magick!
To paint with your moon blood, I suggest having a special vessel that holds your undiluted moon blood. Use your fingers or paintbrushes. Experiment, play, & have fun. Allow this to be an experiential teaching—becoming immersed in the process, instead of creating for a finished product. Tap into your womb wisdom & allow the whispers of your blood to lead your strokes. You can add varying amounts of water to your blood for different shades & consistencies.
3. Life Force Elixir
Your moon blood is an incredibly potent elixir that holds the resonance of your unique energetic signature. Moon blood can be used with very specific & clear intention as a magickal elixir to be ingested internally. This practice has been mirrored in many cultures throughout human history. It is believed that drinking moon blood increases vitality, strengthens the immune system, activates intuition, & connects one to their creative potential.
Used with moderation & integrity, the practice of ceremonially ingesting moon blood is a powerful way to reclaim your connection to your blood & womb. Ingest your moon blood with clear & loving intentions in a ceremonial setting. I recommend first experimenting with ingesting a very small amount of moon blood, diluted in plenty of water, wine, or juice. Drinking moon blood can give you increased energy, so this practice is not ideal before bed. I recommend only ingesting your moon blood if you have a very clean diet & healthy lifestyle. Ingest blood from the middle of your cycle, when there is no clotting of any kind. Remember that our moon blood holds our SHED—both physically & energetically. NEVER give someone your moon blood without their full consent. Please remember, this is extremely potent medicine we are working with & it is not to be taken lightly.
4. Blood Offerings
Each month we have the sacred opportunity to make an offering of our moon blood back to the Earth Mother. As we have discovered, your moon blood is your personal life force elixir that is held together with the codes of your ancient soul existence & human expression. When we bring attention & awareness to the way we release this sacred fluid, we have the potential to activate our moon blood with intentions for what we wish to shed & claim in our lives. This ritual is a powerful practice for manifestation that strengthens your communication with the Earth, letting her know every month what you are releasing & claiming for yourself.
Menstrual blood offering is an ancient tradition that nurtures our connection with the Earth & allows us to participate in an exchange of energy with Her. As the Earth feeds us, so we feed Her. For all that we take from the Earth, our moon blood is a small yet potent medicine that we can feed back to her. With this nourishing sustenance, the Earth mother is able to compost the nutrients in our blood & continue birthing abundant food & medicine for all that walk the planet.
The easiest way to make a blood offering is to sit Yoni to Earth, free bleeding into the Mother. This practice is deeply healing for our Yonis, cervixes, & wombs, allowing our internal organs to receive the resonance of the Earth’s frequency. If you aren’t able to bleed directly onto the Earth, you can use a menstrual cup, pad, tampon etc. to collect your blood. If using a cup, pour your blood into a sacred vessel, dilute with water, & feed to the Earth or your houseplants. If using a pad, tampon, or period panties, soak in water in a sacred vessel, allowing the water to become infused with the blood, & then offer it to the Earth.
It is believed in the Women’s Mysteries, that when all women are giving their blood back to the Earth in a sacred way, there will no longer be a need for war on the planet. May it be so that each woman remembers her innate power. May it be so that each woman has a safe space to bleed as she wishes. May it be so that we return to the sacredness of our moon blood. Blessed Be.