Opportunistic marketing isn�t new. Mass merchandising of tobacco products to minors delivered millions of “Hooked for Life” or at least until premature death “users” for BIG TOBACCO. With recent regulations that allegedly limited marketing tobacco to minors, rapacious advertising agencies and armies of mercenaries (lobbyists) have moved to a new, even more, profitable venue - BIG PHARMA.

“Merck lobbied every opinion leader, women’s group, medical society, politicians, and went directly to the people - it created a sense of panic that says you have to have this vaccine now.”
Dr. Diane Harper, a professor of medicine at Dartmouth Medical School

Those who follow BIG PHARM have noticed some interesting trend-lines lurking in the infamous “9-point Helvetica, grey ink” Corporate 10-K, Annual Reports. Over the past several years, research budgets trended downward, while “Marketing” expenditures accelerated.

What would be considered a marketing expense?

Marketing expenses would include clever print and electronic media ads, along with brochures for health professionals. This print material is usually given to Doctors at “Sponsored” events, “Educational” resort-based retreats, private dinners, and that basic and most appreciated pharmaceutical freebee, the “Free lunch!” On any given day an army of pharmaceutical reps drop off Lunches and other “Goodie packages” to busy practices with free drug samples and good cheer.

Speaking of “good cheer” Marketing expenses also include BIG PHARMA lobbyists spending largest amongst the very representatives “we the people” sent to our local, state, and federal to look after our interest. The amount of cash laid down by MERCK in 2005-2006 to grease the skids for one of the fastest new drug roll outs yet witnessed is staggering. Whoever said you couldn’t buy happiness, hasn”t talked to a MERCK stockholder.

Go to: THE EVIDENCE GAP; Drug Maker’s Push Leads to Cancer Vaccine’s Rise http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/health/policy/20vaccine.html?scp=2&sq=&st=nyt

August 20, 2008 - By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL (NYT) - Front Page
“DRUG MAKERS” BIG PUSH A marketing campaign in the United States and Europe by Merck has made Gardasil, its cervical cancer vaccine, a best seller. Cervarix, a similar vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline, has also proved popular, and profitable.

Read it and send the link out to anyone who cares about the health issues of women and girls!

Inconvenient Women do not get angry - We get ACTIVE!!

The lobbyist/legislator “hook-up” only works if no one is looking. Make sure your representatives know you are watching them and are holding them accountable for the health and well fare of the nation’s women and girls.

–

Sandi

Researchers and public health officials are FINALLY waking up, and stepping up, to ask tough questions about the cost effectiveness of administering a very expensive, and not thoroughly vetted vaccine to every girl and young woman in the free world. Is the use of Gardasil� as a preventive measure against cervical cancer, the correct utilization of limited public health resources, or is MERCK�s Billion Dollar Bonanza one of the most infamous transfers of wealth in history?

Between 1975 and 2001 use of the Pap smear is credited with cutting the age adjusted cervical cancer incidence in half, from 14.8 to 7.9 cases per 100,000 women; and with reducing the age adjusted cervical cancer death rate from 5.6 to 2.7 deaths per 100,000 women. By 2002, cervical cancer was the reported cause of death of less than 4,000 women in the United States.

-American Cancer Society

Most of those deaths were the direct results of lack of access to preventive health care � in this case, an inexpensive, safe PAP Test.  Due to wider access to multilingual health education, and public health clinics the number of cervical cancer deaths continues to decline. MERCK wants billions of dollars for solving a health issue that was well on its way to being eradicated; and in my personal opinion, endangering the lives of our daughters and granddaughters in their rush to make a profit before too many lawsuits forces them to pull the vaccine from the market� the ghost of VIOXX past�

Below is a description of the PAP Test.
Inconvenient Women make informed decisions.
Get educated, form an opinion and act on it.

Silence is for lambs

What is a Pap test?

The Pap test, also called a Pap smear, checks for changes in the cells of your cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens into the vagina (birth canal). The Pap test can tell if you have an infection, abnormal (unhealthy) cervical cells, or cervical cancer.

Why do I need a Pap test?

A Pap test can save your life. It can find the earliest signs of cervical cancer - a common cancer in women. If caught early, the chance of curing cervical cancer is very high. Pap tests also can find infections and abnormal cervical cells that can turn into cancer cells. Treatment can prevent most cases of cervical cancer from developing.

Getting regular Pap tests is the best thing you can do to prevent cervical cancer. About 13,000 women in America will find out they have cervical cancer this year. And in 2004, 3,500 women died from cervical cancer in the United States.

Do all women need Pap tests?

It is important for all women to have pap tests, along with pelvic exams, as part of their routine health care. You need a Pap test if you are:

• 21 years or older
• under 21 years old and have been sexually active for three years or more

There is no age limit for the Pap test. Even women who have gone through menopause (when a woman�s periods stop) need regular Pap tests.

How often do I need to get a Pap test?

It depends on your age and health history. Talk with your doctor about what is best for you. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends the following:

• If you are younger than 30 years old, you should get a Pap test every year.
• If you are age 30 or older and have had three normal Pap tests for three years in a row, talk to your doctor about spacing out Pap tests to every two or three years.
• If you are ages 65 to 70 and have had at least three normal Pap tests and no abnormal Pap tests in the last 10 years, ask your doctor if you can stop having Pap tests.

You should have a Pap test every year no matter how old you are if:

• You have a weakened immune system because of organ transplant, chemotherapy or steroid use
• Your mother was exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) while pregnant
• You are HIV-positive

Women who are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are at a higher risk of cervical cancer and other cervical diseases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all HIV positive women get an initial Pap test, and get re-tested 6 months later. If both Pap tests are normal, then these women can get yearly Pap tests in the future.

Who does not need regular Pap tests?

The only women who do not need regular Pap tests are:

• Women over age 65 who have had a number of normal Pap tests and have been told by their doctors that they don�t need to be tested anymore.
• Women who do not have a cervix and are at low risk for cervical cancer. These women should speak to their doctor before stopping regular Pap tests.

I had a hysterectomy. Do I still need Pap tests?

It depends on the type of hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus) you had and your health history. Women who have had a hysterectomy should talk with their doctor about whether they need routine Pap tests.

Usually during a hysterectomy, the cervix is removed with the uterus. This is called a total hysterectomy. Women who have had a total hysterectomy for reasons other than cancer may not need regular Pap tests. Women who have had a total hysterectomy because of abnormal cells or cancer should be tested yearly for vaginal cancer until they have three normal test results. Women who have had only their uterus removed but still have a cervix need regular Pap tests. Even women who have had hysterectomies should see their doctors yearly for pelvic exams.

How can I reduce my chances of getting cervical cancer?

Aside from getting Pap tests, the best way to avoid cervical cancer is by steering clear of the human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV is a major cause of cervical cancer. HPV infection is also one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STD). So, a woman boosts her chances of getting cervical cancer if she:

• Starts having sex before age 18
• Has many sex partners
• Has sex partners who have other sex partners
• Has or has had a sexually transmitted disease (STD)

What should I know about human papilloma viruses (HPV)?

Human papilloma viruses are a group of more than 100 different viruses.

• About 40 types of HPV are spread during sex.
• Some types of HPVs can cause cervical cancer when not treated.
• HPV infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases.
• About 75 percent of sexually active people will get HPV sometime in their life.
• Most women with untreated HPV do NOT get cervical cancer.
• Some HPVs cause genital warts but these HPVs do not cause cervical cancer.
• Since HPV rarely causes symptoms, most people don�t know they have the infection.

How would I know if I had human papilloma virus (HPV)?

Most women never know they have HPV. It usually stays hidden and doesn�t cause symptoms like warts. When HPV doesn’t go away on its own, it can cause changes in the cells of the cervix. Pap tests usually find these changes.

How do I prepare for a Pap test?

Many things can cause wrong test results by washing away or hiding abnormal cells of the cervix. So, doctors suggest that for two days before the test you avoid:

• Douching
• Using tampons
• Using vaginal creams, suppositories, and medicines
• Using vaginal deodorant sprays or powders
• Having sex

Should I get a Pap test when I have my period?

No. Doctors suggest you schedule a Pap test when you do not have your period. The best time to be tested is 10 to 20 days after the first day of your last period.

How is a Pap test done?

Your doctor can do a Pap test during a pelvic exam. It is a simple and quick test. While you lie on an exam table, the doctor puts an instrument called a speculum into your vagina, opening it to see the cervix. She will then use a special stick or brush to take a few cells from inside and around the cervix. The cells are placed on a glass slide and sent to a lab for examination. While usually painless, a Pap test is uncomfortable for some women.

When will I get the results of my Pap test?

Usually it takes three weeks to get Pap test results. Most of the time, test results are normal. If the test shows that something might be wrong, your doctor will contact you to schedule more tests. There are many reasons for abnormal Pap test results. It usually does NOT mean you have cancer.

What do abnormal Pap test results mean?

It is scary to hear that your Pap test results are �abnormal.� But abnormal Pap test results usually do NOT mean you have cancer. Most often there is a small problem with the cervix.

Some abnormal cells will turn into cancer. But most of the time, these unhealthy cells will go away on their own. By treating these unhealthy cells, almost all cases of cervical cancer can be prevented. If you have abnormal results, to talk with your doctor about what they mean.

My Pap test was “abnormal,” what happens now?

There are many reasons for �abnormal� Pap test results. If results of the Pap test are unclear or show a small change in the cells of the cervix, your doctor will probably repeat the Pap test.

If the test finds more serious changes in the cells of the cervix, the doctor will suggest more powerful tests. Results of these tests will help your doctor decide on the best treatment. These include:

• Colposcopy: The doctor uses a tool called a colposcope to see the cells of the vagina and cervix in detail.
• Endocervical curettage: The doctor takes a sample of cells from the endocervical canal with a small spoon-shaped tool called a curette.
• Biopsy: The doctor removes a small sample of cervical tissue. The sample is sent to a lab to be studied under a microscope.

The FDA recently approved the LUMA Cervical Imaging System. The doctor uses this device right after a colposcopy. This system can help doctors see areas on the cervix that are likely to contain precancerous cells. The doctor uses this device right after a colposcopy. This system shines a light on the cervix and looks at how different areas of the cervix respond to this light. It gives a score to tiny areas of the cervix. It then makes a color map that helps the doctor decide where to further test the tissue with a biopsy. The colors and patterns on the map help the doctor tell between healthy tissue and tissue that might be diseased.

My Pap test result was a “false positive.” What does this mean?

Pap tests are not always 100 percent correct. False positive and false negative results can happen. This can be upsetting and confusing. A false positive Pap test is when a woman is told she has abnormal cervical cells, but the cells are really normal. If your doctor says your Pap results were a false positive, there is no problem.

A false negative Pap test is when a woman is told her cells are normal, but in fact, there is a problem with the cervical cells that was missed. False negatives delay the discovery and treatment of unhealthy cells of the cervix. But, having regular Pap tests boosts your chances of finding any problems. If abnormal cells are missed at one time, they will probably be found on your next Pap test.

I don’t have health insurance, how can I get a free or low-cost Pap test?

Programs funded by the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) offer free or low-cost Pap tests to women in need. These and other programs are available throughout the United States. To find contact information for a program near you, visit the NBCCEDP website at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/ or call 1-888-842-6355 (select option 7). Also, your state or local health department can direct you to places that offer free or low-cost Pap tests.

For more information . . .

You can find out more about Pap tests by contacting the National Women�s Health Information Center (NWHIC) at 1-800-994-9662 or the following organizations:

Cancer Information Service, NCI, NIH, HHS
Phone Number: (800) 422-6237
Internet Address: http://cis.nci.nih.gov/

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Resource Center
Phone Number: (800) 762-2264 x 192 (for publications requests only)
Internet Address: http://www.acog.org/

American Cancer Society
Phone Number: 1-800-227-2345
Internet Address: http://www.cancer.org

National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC)
Phone Number: (800) 685-5531
Internet Address: http://www.nccc-online.org/

Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Phone Number: (800) 230-7526
Internet Address: http://www.ppfa.org

Centers for Disease Control
National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program
Phone Number: (888) 842-6355
Internet Address: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/

All PAP SMEAR (TEST) material contained in the FAQs is free of copyright restrictions, and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the Department of Health and Human Services; citation of the sources is appreciated.

This FAQ was reviewed by Edward L. Trimble, MD, MPH
Head, Gynecologic Cancer Therapeutics & Quality of Cancer Care Therapeutics
Clinical Investigations Branch
Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program
Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis
National Cancer Institute

By Terry Leder

August 26, 2008

“That missing piece of our complex human body is known and taught in grade schools as the body´s messengers, hormones. Hormones have not been completely ignored; there have been significant advances in this area of medicine as well. We have Endocrinologists to investigate and research how all of these substances behave, the role they play in our body´s synchronized dance. There have been dramatic advances in diabetes which is the result of insulin, a hormone gone wild to name one.

Currently when scientific talk turns to hormones, most news stories get lost in the abuses of athletic performance hormones such as Human Growth Hormone or the debate that rages over treatment of menopause with synthetic pharmaceutical hormones versus the natural Bioidentical Hormone Therapy or the newly recognized male counterpart, Andropause. Still, even with these lively debates raging, the missing medical link remains hiding behind the doors of the most advanced intellectual minds.”

Read more about Terry Leder’s important article on the role of hormones in the body at http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/72327

H. Sandra Chevalier-Batik of Iconic Woman

Opportunistic marketing isn’t new. Mass merchandising of tobacco products to minors delivered millions of “Hooked for Life” or at least until premature death ‘users” for BIG TOBACCO. With recent regulations that allegedly limited marketing tobacco to minors, rapacious advertising agencies and armies of mercenaries (lobbyists) have moved to a new, even more, profitable venue, BIG PHARMA.

“Merck lobbied every opinion leader, women’s group, medical society, politicians, and went directly to the people - it created a sense of panic that says you have to have this vaccine now.”
                                     Dr. Diane Harper, a professor of medicine at Dartmouth Medical School

Those who follow BIG PHARM have noticed some interesting trend-lines lurking in the infamous “9-point Helvetica, grey ink” Corporate 10-K, Annual Reports. Over the past several years, research budgets trended downward, while “Marketing” expenditures accelerated.

What would be considered a marketing expense?

Marketing expenses would include clever print and electronic media ads, along with brochures for health professionals. This print material is usually given to Doctors at “Sponsored” events, “Educational” resort-based retreats, private dinners, and that basic and most appreciated pharmaceutical freebee, the “Free lunch!” On any given day an army of pharmaceutical reps drop off Lunches and other “Goodie packages” to busy practices with free drug samples and good cheer.

Speaking of “good cheer” marketing expenses also include BIG PHARMA lobbyists spending largest amongst the very representatives “we the people” sent to our local, state, and federal to look after our interest. The amount of cash laid down by MERCK in 2005-2006 to grease the skids for one of the fastest new drug roll outs yet witnessed is staggering. Whoever said you couldn’t buy happiness, hasn’t talked to a MERCK stockholder.

Go to: THE EVIDENCE GAP; Drug Maker’s Push Leads to Cancer Vaccine’s Rise http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/health/policy/20vaccine.html?scp=2&sq=&st=nyt

August 20, 2008 - By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL (NYT) - Front Page 
” DRUG MAKERS” BIG PUSH A marketing campaign in the United States and Europe by Merck has made Gardasil, its cervical cancer vaccine, a best seller. Cervarix, a similar vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline, has also proved popular, and profitable.

Read it and send the link out to anyone who cares about the health issues of women and girls!

Inconvenient Women do not get angry. We get ACTIVE!!

The lobbyist/legislator “hook-up” only works if no one is looking. Make sure your representatives know you are watching them and are holding them accountable for the health and well fare of the nation’s women and girls.

by Katherine Neal
August 23, 2008

ARE you noticing more fat around your middle with each passing year? Now some of this fat may be dictated by the genes you inherit. But how you live and changes that your body goes through as you age also have a major role to play.

Hormonal fluctuations that can start in a woman’s mid-to late-30s are often accompanied by an increase in waist size. Too much stress, too little sleep and eating the wrong foods can also contribute. More active people are also more likely to be leaner all over.

If you are more prone to be apple rather than pear shaped, you’ll know how difficult it can be to keep slim.

The main reason some people gather more fat around their middle is specifically because of stress hormones in the body. Millions of yeas ago the human race were designed to react quickly to danger. We were on constant alert to protect ourselves from threats so we could run or fight if required.

When your brain thinks your life is in danger it stimulates the release of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. This provides us with instant energy to react to our dangerous situation. In today’s world, however, stress takes a different form, we rarely need to run or fight, so the instant energy our body has supplied us with is deposited as fat. The reason fat targets the middle is because it is close to the liver where it can most quickly be converted back into energy.

So what can be done?

Be aware of dieting. There is a chance that your pattern of eating is subconsciously telling your body that it is under stress. If you restrict your diet or cut calories too much your body thinks there is a famine, which causes stress. It will slow down your metabolism to reserve your fat stores. Furthermore, if your blood sugar levels fluctuate too much, your body will be releasing adrenaline, which is the same hormone it releases when you are under stress – encouraging your body to store fat round the middle.

The solutions – opt for a healthy diet that tells your body all is well and doesn’t create stress.

For a nutritional consultation to help reduce your fat around the middle contact Katherine Neal Nutritional Therapist (0191) 215-9292 or e-mail at info@nutritionalknowhow.com, www.nutritionalknowhow.com

Yesterday I wrote that my article, co-authored by Sandi Batik of Iconic Woman, titled: Now Hold on One Hormonal Minute…Vaccinating Teens During Menstrual Phase May Increase Adverse Reactions would be sent out in an email blast today from the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC)  to 10,000 subscribers including the media.

Well, I waited and waited all day - filled with anticipation and nothing came through my email.  I finally emailed Barbara Loe Fisher with NVIC and asked what happened and this is her response…

“I am SORRY. It did NOT go out today as I have been slammed the last 48 hours with measles outbreak damage control. The media is in a feeding frenzy and my phone has been ringing off the hook. I really think it is because of the bad publicity about GARDASIL and that is what my E-news is about - it has morphed into a Gardasil/Measles story and so it will go out on Monday morning first thing.”

It appears that because the Gardasil vaccine took such a big hit over this past week with negative media from World News Tonight and the NY Times, that Big Pharma’s marketing gurus came back with a story that hit the national media on Thursday stating that vaccine refusals fuel measles outbreak. 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Parents refusing to have their children vaccinated against measles have helped drive cases of the illness to their worst levels in a dozen years in the United States, health officials reported on Thursday…More…

Well, hello…why would parents refuse to vaccinate for such a deadly disease - and by the way - no one has died since the outbreak began in February of this year - whereas 20 deaths of young women have been confirmed from the Gardasil vaccination - if they did not think that vaccinations are dangerous?

Of course, the timing of the article on the measles outbreak is perfect with so many children heading back to school.  I am sure that some high paid corporate marketing professional for Big Pharma is going home for the weekend with a smirk on his or her face - and a paycheck and pat on the back for a job well done diverting the blame from Big Pharma and Gardasil and placing it back on parents- while our children our are suffering the effects of vaccinations filled with toxic chemicals.

It is not unlike politicans saying - yes we need this war in the Middle East to defend democracy - yet how many of their children go off to the front lines to risk their lives?

This is nothing less than manipulation by Big Pharma to divert the issue from the negative publicity about Gardasil and laying blame on the people themselves and NVIC because of their educational and political efforts to inform the public about the dangers of vaccinations -and because we, “the people” are standing up and saying “NO.”

The article will go out on Monday in what has “morphed into a Gardasil/Measles story.”

Hopefully, women will understand the common sense of not having their daughters inoculated during their paramenstrum (premenstrual and menstrual phase) and begin to understand the manipulation and omission of information that is causing injury to their daughters.

I do think that the timing of Sandi’s and my article is even better now - because it will keep the finger of blame on the vaccine drug lords. 

I hope, dear readers, that you see and are beginning to understand the politics and manipulation that goes on in the name of the corporate coffers  - and not in the name of our health and well being.

Leslie

Some of us are forgetting the sacred task of becoming a woman. The goal, the journey of self-realization, the inner voyage of the feminine, entering sacred space through becoming still, or marrying the self, a creative union in itself.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080819.wstem19/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

August 19, 2008 at 4:12 AM EDT
A team of researchers from Canada and the United States has taken an important step toward harnessing the healing power of menstrual blood. …

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if scientific research could demonstrate what native americans have known for a very long time, that menstrual blood is full of generative properties, life-giving and life-enhancing. Mixed with water and poured on plants, it apparently feeds their growth.

Instead of being seen through the eyes of superstition and fear as a polluting element, we can begin to study the ‘blessings of the curse’, as Susan Rako sub-titles her book, No More Periods.

“As yeast is good for dough, so is menstruation good for women.” says a Talmudic scholar.

“Menstrual blood is the only source of blood that is not traumatically induced. Yet in modern society, this is the most hidden blood, the one so rarely spoken of and almost never seen, except privately by women, who shut themselves in a little room to quickly and in many cases disgustedly change their pads and tampons, wrapping the bloodied cotton so it won’t be seen by others, wrinkling their faces at the odor, flushing or hiding the evidence away. Blood is everywhere, and yet the one, the only, the single name it has not publicly had, for many centuries, is menstrual blood. ” Blood, Bread & Roses, How Menstruation created the world, Judy Grahn.

“Several Native American cultures consider women in menses to be at the HEIGHT of her powers. For instance, the Lakota tribe would not permit a menstrual woman anywhere near warriors or healers. They believed that menstrual blood was so powerful that just the presence of such power would weaken the strength of warriors and interfere with a healer’s ability to heal. The menstrual blood serves to purify, to cleanse, renew, and it prepares the woman for higher spiritual accomplishments. The Yurok, and Lakota tribes practiced monthly rituals by retreating into MOON lodges with other menstrual women. There they celebrated the power of their menstrual blood.

SO, at the height of my power, through the ebb and flow of life, giving and life-sustaining blood that flows through me, I isolate myself from the mundane petty distractions and instead focus inward. Thus CALLING VISION for MY PEOPLE. Simple. Get it? Indeed I do feel more creative, more artistic, more insightful, and with each monthly cycle I become more in tune with my connection to nature, thus accumulating a greater store of spiritual energy. ERGO, when I menstruate, I don’t see it as negative darkness or as a curse. Instead I prefer to view the process in a more positive, healthy attitude: it is a natural, sacred connection to the cycles and rhythms of the earth.

Menstrual blood is LIFE GIVING and LIFE SUSTAINING. There are also native tribes that would return the sacred life-giving blood back to the earth. They would sit over seeds and let the sacred blood flow directly on the seeds or on newly planted seedlings, which INDEED DOES give the seeds growing power. I add here to any who are asking, What? That is sick! NO, NOT sick at all. For an experiment I suggest using INSTEAD menstrual cups to collect the powerful blood into a jar. Fill the remainder of the jar with water then use the solution to water your plants. Be sure to use plain water on other plants for comparing the difference. IT IS AMAZING how powerful menstrual blood is. Of course it is NOT a good idea to disclose this to most people because our current culture has deemed MENSTRUAL BLOOD as disgusting and gross. BELIEVE ME, MY PLANTS are so healthy it is amazing. (taken from www.mum.org)

nameste,
musemother

Posted on 21 August 2008 by Natasha Lowe

MomLogic

Supporting women’s menstrual health through practical information and healthy products.

• regulates your menstrual cycle,
• can trigger ovulation and fertile times,
• affects your emotions and
• affects the way people behave and view the world.

Women are connected to the moon by our blood, our hormones and our souls.

The first step in claiming the gifts of our menstrual cycle is to become re-acqainted with Mother Moon. Putting aside all the scientific phenomena of the way the Moon affects the earths tides, weather, animals, fluids and moods, symbolically the Moon has a lot to teach us.

In myth the Moon is a primary female archetype travelling the great round of Birth, Maturation, Death and Rebirth each month. This is a primal fundamental cycle of the universe of which every single living thing participates.

We all are born, we grow, mature and we die .

Humans do it, animals do it, plants do it and even love affairs, business ventures and economies do it. It is only our modern culture with its focus on youth and never ending productivity that attempts to deny this basic cycle of life. Living in this culture it is easy to forget that we are fundamentally cyclic creatures.

Most of us have been taught to believe that being a cyclical creature is a primitive or inferior affair. We believe that we will be less productive, less useful or just plain stupid if we allow ourselves to follow the rhythm of our cycles.

However, there is much grace, flow and harmony to be achieved through living in a cyclic manner. Being able to recognise and use the most appropriate energy that is available to you at any given moment is in fact a far more efficient use of time and energy.

Just like the Moon’s journey through the phases, a woman’s menstrual cycle can also be divided up into easily understood and clearly experienced phases. These phases take on archetypal (or universally recognised) feminine energies as set out in the following image.

Each month a woman will experience changes in the way she perceives herself and her world in accordance to where she is in her menstrual cycle.

The moon’s cycle also adds another subtle tone to her monthly experience, increasing or decreasing the intensity of the energies depending upon where the two cycles overlap.

For example if a woman is ovulating with the Full Moon, this mode of cycling gives a woman the best chance of physical fertility, great for trying to conceive children, as the full moon accentuates the time of Ovulation.

When a woman bleeds with the full moon, this mode of cycling enhances inner expression, intuition and the development of the inner, spiritual life.

As women become more aware of the different phases and how they experience them, they find it much easier to recognise and use the phase they are at and will also experience a far greater acceptance of their bodies, their menstrual cycle and their feminine nature.

For more information, go to the Female Energy Cycle.