Latest / Healing Her Story with Riva Jean-Paul / Moon Phases & Feminine Power: Your Weekly Cycle Sync | Why You’re Tired Right Now (And Why That’s Okay)

Transcript

Moon Phases & Feminine Power: Your Weekly Cycle Sync | Why You’re Tired Right Now (And Why That’s Okay) · Healing Her Story with Riva Jean-Paul

• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, and welcome to today's episode of the Healing Her Story podcast.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: If this is your first time here, welcome.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: I am so honored and delighted that you chose to press play on this episode today.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: In our fast-paced, busy world, there are so many things that you could be doing, so many things you could be streaming, so many other places you could be investing your time and your energy.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: And it means a lot to me that you've chosen to spend a little bit of that time and that energy here with me.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: If this is not your first time, if you are returning to the podcast, welcome back.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: Same goes to you too.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: Just again thanking you for your presence here in this space.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: I truly believe that if you are here listening, that it is not by accident.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: The work that we're doing here on this show is deep.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: It is powerful.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: It is transformational.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_01: It is a reclamation of the female body, of the sacred feminine, of the natural rhythms and cycles of our world.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know about you, but for me, this work that we're doing here is what I believe the is the antidote for so much of the suffering that we are experiencing here in this day and age.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: And so whether this is your first time here or you're returning, if you're returning, you've probably heard me say this before, but I'm gonna say it again because I think it's important to remember that this goes far beyond just working with the full moon and working with the new moon.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: This is really about embodying a different way of being.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: So there's power to this work.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's undeniable that there is power to this work because it literally created the whole world.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: And you you have access to that fucking power inside of you, and that's what we're doing here.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: We're tapping in, we're taking some of that power back.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: And it sounds maybe small or insignificant, but it starts right here.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: It starts right here by attuning to our own rhythm, attuning to our bodies, to our hearts, to our spirits, to that greater intelligence, that higher intelligence that lives within you, that feminine wisdom that lives within you.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: So let's begin.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: As we always do, we're gonna begin with a minute of silence.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: And in this minute of silence, you are invited to come into a place of more presence with yourself, whatever that looks like for you today.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you're driving, maybe you're doing some things in the background, whatever you might be.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Can you slow down, even if it's just a little bit?
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: If you're doing things, can you do one for just a moment?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: If you're driving, can you just bring more awareness into your hands on the steering wheel, your back against the chair?
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: And as you come into this place of more presence, beginning to notice what is here.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: Noticing your energy level, your mood.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe if you've been here a while, you can begin to really sense into where you are cyclically, whether you're tracking your menstrual cycle, or maybe you're just tuning in energetically with how you're feeling in this moment.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm gonna give you some time to do that now, and I will do the same, and we will reconnect here in one minute.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: I'll share a little bit about what I noticed in that minute.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: I within a few moments began to yawn, which to me is a signal of settling.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: I've had a relatively full day in the sense that I've interacted with a lot of people, put my hands on a couple projects, and yeah, it was a very active day, and so I can feel myself with that yawn coming into a more restful state, which is quite perfect for this episode today.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: I am currently cycle day 23 in my menstrual cycle, and so it makes a lot of sense to me that I'm feeling a bit lower energy today.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: I think when I'm kind of moving and grooving throughout my day, I don't really notice it.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: But when I come into stillness and quiet for a minute, I'm like, oh, okay, I'm actually a little tired.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's really the power that we can experience when we take even just these moments to check in and be honest with ourselves about where we're at.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: And for me, I can kind of sense it in my eyelids now.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: My eyes are feeling a little heavy.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: And my eyes are always the first indicator for me that I'm I'm tired and that my nervous system is beginning to sort of reach its limits.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I've noticed that today.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, overall I'm doing pretty good.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: I'm still very much in my winter cave.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: I've got a couple, uh, maybe not a couple, maybe a couple, at least another week of um yeah, space, time off from the work I do with the um, excuse me, with the school district where I live here locally.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: So really just enjoying that time, sleeping in, really working on trying to get to bed earlier and eating nourishing foods, drinking my herbal teas, and really nourishing myself for I know what's coming here at the end of the week.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: And that would be my bleed.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so, with that, I like to prepare meals, I like to get the laundry done, I like to change out my sheets, really just anything that I can do to create more comfort and ease um during that bleeding time.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: That's what I focus on during these days leading up to it.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what I'll be focusing on this week.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: Not much to report other than that.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: This is honestly my favorite part of my menstrual cycle.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: I think the pre-menstrum, the time before your bleeding time, it gets such a bad rap.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: Bad, bad rep.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not sure if that's the right word, but um, you know, it kind of sticks out as a as a hot spot for most women, I would say, because obviously this is where we experience our PMS symptoms.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not to say that I don't have any PMS symptoms, but I sure have minimized them with all of the changes that I've made over the years.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so with that, I actually really enjoy this time.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: I really do.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: So enjoying the space, enjoying this time of my cycle, and getting ready for the bleeding time.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: And honestly, where I'm at today aligns perfectly with where the moon is right now, as this episode is airing.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: This week we are tuning to the energy of the waning moon.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: And by the end of the week, we'll be moving into the dark moon.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're feeling a little more tired, a little quieter, or lower in energy than usual, I want you to know, or perhaps you might want to consider that there is nothing wrong with you.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: What you're experiencing is very much influenced by the lunar cycle that we're in right now, and also by the dysfunctional systems in which we all live in.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: But that's an episode for another day, perhaps inspiration for a solo episode before Capricorn season ends to be continued.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: If you've been here for a while, you've probably heard me talk about how the moon influences our mood, energy levels, and our internal rhythms.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: And this isn't just woo-woo.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, the moon literally governs the tides of the ocean.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: And when you remember that the human body is made up of roughly 60 to 70 percent water, it starts to make a lot of sense that the moon would influence our inner tides as well.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: Right now, the moon's light is decreasing, she's releasing, softening, and shifting into darkness as she makes her way towards the new moon.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: Energetically, this is not a time to start something new.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: I know it's the new year, the new calendar year.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: And while, yes, there may be some fresh energy coming in with some other astrological transits that have happened in the last week, and the calendar year does have a potency to it because we all have ultimately agreed upon the system of the Gregorian calendar.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: And so culturally, there is this sort of buy-in that January is sort of like the restart moment.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I do want to honor that if that's your experience, and if it's not, then this might be a more um just a different way of landing into the new year.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: The waning moon, the phase that we're in right now with the moon, and also sort of with the seasons, too.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: I'll talk a little bit more about that in the moment in a moment, but the waning moon is a time for slowing down, resting, tying up loose ends, and gently preparing for what's ahead.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: This lunar energy also aligns beautifully with the season we're still in here in the northern hemisphere, and that is winter.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: As I was just saying, winter is a yin season.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's inward, quiet, and reflective.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: If you're in the northern hemisphere, especially if you're on the west coast like I am, nature outside is not trying to grow or expand right now.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: Teacher, or excuse me, trees got a little ahead of myself there.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: Trees aren't pushing out leaves, seeds are resting beneath the soil.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: The earth is contracting inward, conserving energy, and trusting that growth will come in its own time.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: What I was going to say is that nature has been one of my greatest teachers.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: One of my greatest teachers.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: And anytime I forget, or if I just get sucked into the fast-paced busyness of the world, I love to spend time outside, maybe taking a quiet walk, actually looking at the plants and the trees and the flowers and noticing what they're doing and allowing that to remind me of what I can be doing too.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: So if there was ever a week to lean in, to rest more, to do less, to release pressure, this is it.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: This week and even next week into the new moon, we're being asked to soften our grip on constant productivity and honor the wisdom of slowing down.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: You might also notice that after last week's full moon, there was a spotlight placed on certain things in your life.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: Things that aren't working, things that feel heavy, outdated, or out of alignment.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: And that is because full moons illuminate, they bring things into our awareness, and the waning moon gives us the space to begin letting these things go.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_01: And letting go doesn't have to be dramatic.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: It might look like deleting old contacts from your phone, donating clothes that have been sitting in your closet for years, clearing out your inbox, closing loops that no longer need your energy.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: Or letting go might be more internal.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: It might be releasing a habit that isn't actually supporting your nervous system anymore, letting go of an old identity you've outgrown, or softening your attachment to who you thought you needed to be.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_01: In traditional Chinese medicine, the waning moon is often associated with the metal element.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: Metal energy is all about refinement, discernment, and release.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: It governs the lungs and the large intestine, organs associated with breath, boundaries, and letting go of what is no longer needed.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_01: Metal teaches us how to separate what is essential from what is not.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: In traditional Chinese medicine philosophy, healthy metal energy allows us to grieve, to process, and to release without getting stuck.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: It asks the question: what truly matters now?
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: And just as importantly, what can be composted so something new can eventually emerge?
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: From a physiological perspective, there's also research suggesting that rest and recovery are essential for nervous system regulation, immune function, and emotional integration.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: Chronic overexertion, especially without adequate rest, keeps the body stuck in a stress response.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: Slowing down, sleeping more, creating intentional pauses helps shift the body out of flight or fight and into rest and digest where true where true healing happens.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: Literally just experience that as we pause starting today's episode.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: So instead of rushing and setting intentions prematurely, I know we talked about this last week, but you're gonna hear it again too.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_01: What would it look like to pause here?
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_01: To reflect, to integrate, to let this past cycle and this past year fully land in your body before moving forward.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_01: There will be time for intention setting.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: There will be time for momentum and action.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: But that time doesn't have to be right now.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_01: If you feel called to deepen in this energy and receive a little extra support this week, I've shared three free somatic trauma-informed meditations in the show notes.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: These practices are here to help you slow down, reconnect with your body, and gently release what you're ready to let go of so you can make space for what's next.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: May you take this week slowly.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_01: May you trust your own unique rhythm.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: And may you remember that moving with the rhythm of nature, moving with the rhythm of life is a beautiful process.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: And when we trust that process, we can maybe see that we're not behind, that we are right where we need to be.