The Creativity Spiral
by Terra Raphael
[I'm including this article as the first in a new category that doesn't even exist yet: Self-Care. It's written by Terra Raphael, a poet, wordsmith, healer, former midwife and old friend of mine--we wrote Pregnant Feeilngs together. I feel renaming the menstrual cycle the "Creativity Spiral," as she suggests, is especially vital now because the FDA has recently approved more drugs specifically to give women the choice to delay or eliminate menstrual bleeding altogether. Think of how different our society would be if young women were brought up in active relationship to their creativity and fertility cyles instead! To connect with more of Terra's work, see her website at www.wisewomanhood.com or subscribe to her newsletter by contacting Terra at resourcing@earthlink,net. --Rahima]
Isn't it time to change the name of the menstrual cycle? After all, menses is just part of the cycle. I think it should be called the Creativity Spiral. That's what it is if the connection with fertility is acknowledged.
What if women learned about their creativity cycle and its potentials? What if the menses was seen as wiping the slate clean -- time of inward new moon darkness & chaos that begins & ends creativity? What if the follicular phase was called "ovary storming" (instead of "brain storming") -- time of new possibilities? What if ovulation was called the doorway of manifestation? And the luteal phase was called the trial of manifestation which leads to either the organized movement of living creation or the chaotic movement leading to wiping the slate clean again?
Why "spiral"? Because a spiral is dynamic as well as repeating. Each time we bleed and ovulate it is a new, yet built upon the past, like a spiral that progresses yet revisiting the same degree of the circle. "Cycle" seems stagnant, going in circles. A spiral seems more feminine because it is open and growing. It's also an ancient goddess symbol.
The energetic creativity spiral is there in every woman (and men??). If we don't have physical signs anymore to remind us, we can use the Moon as our anchor to it, using the filling and emptying of the Moon as our outer cues to "ovary storm" , to conceive, to birth some newness in the world or let go into the chaos of primordial emptiness.
I invite your comments on the creativity spiral--
Blessings,
Happy Summer
Terra
Comments (2)
Thank you for the wonderful reminder of honoring ourselves as women, young or old. I have been contemplating of offering a class for teens based on the book "I Find My Star" by Tamara Slayton and including traditions of rites of passage from around the world. For instance, a Karuk tribal tradition in Northern California is to support a woman who is on her "moon time" by having the male of the household do the cooking. The women gather in the "moon lodge" to pray, groom and pamper themselves, and it is respected as a time of for "visions" to appear and prayers to be quite powerful. The Cherokee have the elder women make shawls for young girls around the age of 10. Each fringe on the edge of the shawl is knotted with a prayer. Modesty, honoring, respecting, connecting to the Creator, Great Spirit, God. Often a blood stone is also gifted to aid in the start of the first menses.
When girls and boys are taught the beauty of themselves, and respect for self, I believe we will have less abuse and destruction of our young people. We have no "rites of passage" except graduation from high school or grade school, or scouts. Instead of teaching the required fear directed courses on Aids, HIV, and birth control, we still have the right to teach alternative classes on puberty which honor the human potential. Thanks for the inspiration to do so!
Marilyn
Old Edgewood Farm
Posted by Marilyn Berger | July 23, 2006 3:28 PM
Great points, Marilyn. Tamara Slayton did some really important work, which has been further developed after her death by Linda Knodle, a former Waldorf teacher co-author of the book you mentioned (see www.lindaknodle.net). Also, we offer a CD recording of Linda's keynote address from one of our earlier conferences, "Navigating the Terrain of Sexuality" (available from our online store by clicking on the right).
At this fall's conferences (2006) we will be offering several workshops on these topics, "Girls into Women" (in California), by DeAnna L'Am, a Waldorf parent who founded Red Moon ~ Rites of Passage in 1994 and has a wealth of creative ideas and experience to share. And, in Colorado, Eugene Schwartz will be offering a workshop on "Rites of Passage in 6th and 7th Grade." And, of course, Nancy Poer's new insights on "Honoring the Spiritual Feminine" will be an inspiration to us all (in California).
Some of the most exciting work I know with (older)young people is being done by Melissa Michaels, through the Surfing the Creative(R)International Youth Camps that are held every two years in Boulder for young people from ages 18-28. Melissa has developed a body-centered program of movement and dance that utilizes the Five Rhythms(R) developed by Gabrielle Roth, but weaves it all into a rite of passage that helps young people make the transition to finding their authentic selves and their way into adulthood. Check it out at www.goldenbridge.org and send your kids when they're old enough!
[I'm actually taking this same program with Melissa, but spread out over a year's time and adapted for multi-generational participants--our group includes people from ages 19 to 60+! I decided I needed to check into my body before it was time to check out, and it's being a very powerful and transformative experience to use movement to actually be present in my body!
--Rahima]
Posted by Rahima Baldwin Dancy | July 23, 2006 7:53 PM