Women have always been deeply connected to the earth, and to the wisdom of nature.
Through her menstrual cycle, she is connected to the cycles around her, such as, the seasons, the moon phases, the ebb and flow of the tides, and the cycle of life and death.
Once upon a time, this wisdom, this understanding of the mysteries of life, were passed down from woman to woman, from mother to daughter, but over the centuries things began to change.
These, once revered, cycles that were honoured as a circle, began to be seen as inferior to a line.
The circle that had no beginning, or no end, and no hierarchy, was replaced with the line that had a bottom and a top, and a superior and inferior position.
The mysteries and connection to the earth began to be rejected. Intuition, emotions, and healing were ridiculed.
It became, that our culture valued doing, over being.
The vibrancy of youth, was favoured over the slowing down of old age.
Sunshine, light and Summer preferred to moonlight, darkness and Winter.
People can often feel more comfortable with the predictability of the sun, and uncomfortable with the cyclical, ever-changing, rhythm of the moon.
You will always notice if the sun is rising or setting, but may not notice the ever-changing cycle of the moon.
And so it was, that the masculine qualities of the sun, became more valued than, the once highly revered, feminine qualities of the moon.
Today, people are often more comfortable with action, focus, and logic, than with stillness, intuition, and the mystery of the unknown.
The wisdom that was once passed woman to woman, now lays dormant within.
It may try to gain our attention, but will often be ignored.
These wise, intuitive, and receptive qualities are often suppressed, as they can’t be rationally explained, controlled, or measured, therefore seen as inferior.
Just as the Sun remains important so that we can take action and focus, the moon is important as she illuminates what we have hidden, and guides us through our emotions, and the dark corners of our subconscious.
We need to have balance of the light and the dark within us.
We need the balance of action and rest, of strategy and intuition, of rational thought and emotions, of control and freedom of expression.
When we suppress one, or the other, we become out of balance, and feel out-of-sorts.
Over the past couple of decades of working with clients these are the common patterns that I hear:
- A woman feels lonely, but she dismisses this as irrational as she has friends and family.
- When her intuitive voice nudges her to do something, she doesn’t trust it, and rejects it as silly, or just daydreaming.
- When someone’s behaviour has upset her, she tells herself that she’s being too sensitive.
- When she desires something, she criticises herself for being greedy, or selfish.
- When she responds ‘it doesn’t matter’, or ‘you choose’, she denies her own inner-authority.
When you suppress your feminine aspects, and this goes for men too, of listening to your feelings and intuition, it gets buried in the darkness, and it becomes a ‘scary’ place, that we continue to avoid.
You stop listening to your internal signals, and give more attention to external cues and instruction.
You lose trust in your own inner nature, effectively giving your own power away.
Instead of allowing the light of the moon to guide you through times of action and rest, you end up with:
- Endless to-do lists
- Calendars full of activities
- The idea that rest is a ‘waste of time’
- Quite time being avoided, in case our true feelings rise to the surface
The years go by, and instead of feelings of fulfilment, love and accomplishment, you are filled with a vague sense of emptiness.
You’re no longer clear about what you long for, and have forgotten your own true desires.
You have lost that deep sense of connection to yourself, and find yourself longing for spiritual connection.
When you have ‘lost the moon’, you no longer trust your most intimate ally – your body and your emotions. You misunderstand, or no longer hear her communication with you.
You disconnect from intimacy with yourself, and instead live in your head, allowing your thoughts, and reason to dominate, whilst keeping your emotions locked up deep inside.
It becomes easier to adapt to the needs of others, as you have forgotten your own needs.
To remember your inner voice, your needs, desires, and purpose, you must recognise your need for self-love, self-nurturance, and self-care.
You must remember what the moon is always trying to remind you of, the importance of withdrawing, rest and quiet reflection.
As you re-establish this balance between doing and being, and between light and dark, you activate the ancient knowledge that lies within your blood and bone, the ancient memory of your ancestors, as you reconnect to your own rhythms, and your own values and desires.
This power that lies within, can never truly be extinguished, and intuition can never be irretrievably lost, as just like when the moon appears to be dark, her light will always return.
It is in this wholeness that creates strength and power within. The embracing of the ebb and flow, the dark and the light, and the rhythms that flow around you, and within you.