Latest / Healing Her Story with Riva Jean-Paul / Moon Phases & Feminine Power: Your Weekly Cycle Sync | Libra Season & the Waxing Moon: What Balance Actually Means & How to Bring More Harmony Into Your Life

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Moon Phases & Feminine Power: Your Weekly Cycle Sync | Libra Season & the Waxing Moon: What Balance Actually Means & How to Bring More Harmony Into Your Life · Healing Her Story with Riva Jean-Paul

• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, and welcome to today's episode of the Healing Her Story podcast.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Today we are gathering for our weekly cycle sync episode, and we are also beginning a new cycle.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've been here for a while, you know that when we start a new cycle, at least for the past several months, we also begin a new focus for these episodes.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's what we're going to be doing today is beginning this new cycle with this new focus.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: And before we dive in, I do want to preface and remind those of you who are maybe new here.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, I want to warmly welcome you into this space, into this community, into this web of connection and wisdom that is budding here on the show.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are returning, I want to warmly welcome you back and thank you for your continued presence and attention.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: And as always, about once every cycle, I gotta give us a couple of reminders that what we're doing here is about so much more than just cycle sinking.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: What we're doing here is embodying a new way of being in a patriarchal world.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: We are remembering the natural rhythms and cycles of our bodies of the natural world.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: And when we do that, when we begin to come into a rhythm that is more true, that is more sustainable, it creates this ripple effect.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: At least I believe it creates this ripple effect out into our world because when you embody authentically where you are in your rhythm, you give permission for another woman to do the same.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: And we need more embodied women connected to their rhythm.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: The world is literally begging for it.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: The earth is begging for it.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: All of these natural disasters and these fires and these floods and all of these destructive forces rising up from the earth, I genuinely do see.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: I see it as the earth trying to take her power back in any way that she can because she is sick and tired of being pillaged and taken advantage of and disrespected, dishonored.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: So there is this deeper connection to the work that we're doing here on the show, and I hope that that is something that you can invite in to your experience as well as you continue to tune in to these episodes.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's not just about cycle sinking, ladies, it's really about shifting the collective.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: And if that doesn't resonate with you, it's really about creating a new experience, not only for ourselves, but for our daughters, for our nieces, for our unborn daughters, for our sisters, for our aunties.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: We are the life givers of this world.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: And right now there is a lot of life taking from women from the earth.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: And this blueprint built into our menstrual cycle, built into the seasons, and built into the lunar cycle, tells us exactly how to live in a way that is more true and more sustainable.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: So that's what we're doing here.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: If you are in for that, then keep listening.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Before we dive into this week's lunar energy, I want to invite us into a minute of silence and stillness.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: And depending on what you're doing, you may be driving, you may be doing some chores or doing something in the background.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: You may need to find what feels most right and supportive for you in this moment.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: For me, I'm gonna mute my mic, I'm gonna put a timer on my phone, and I'm gonna just sit.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a really full week, a lot moving in my life, both personally and professionally.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm always really grateful for these moments to just pause before we drop in.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope that you take advantage of that for yourself as well, especially since this is truly something that the female body requires.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: These moments of pausing, slowing down, coming back to ourselves.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you want to place a hand on your heart, maybe you want to take some deep breaths.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'll let you feel into what feels most right and supportive for you.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: Our one minute will begin now.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it was also a moment of stillness for you.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Taking a moment to note anything that may have stood out to you from that.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: For me, I noticed my mind was a little buzzy, which is quite indicative of where I'm landing and my cycle today.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Today I am cycle day 16, and it's been a really interesting cycle.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: I had my bleed, and within the first day or two of my bleed, I realized in addition to bleeding, I was also, I don't like saying the term sick.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure what that is, but I had a bug or something that I was moving through, and really required a lot of rest and a lot of space this past bleed.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so I gave myself as much as I could.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: I could have maybe used a little more, and I feel like I'm experiencing the effects of that.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure if I ovulated this cycle, been having some challenges with my Mira hormone tracking device, which is new and maybe frustrating at times.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: And also an invitation to come back to my felt experience, to come back to my journaling, and not just counting the data or rather relying on the data to tell me where I am in my cycle.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm always really grateful for that invitation, even if it is a little hard to receive in the moments that I get frustrated when I can't see exactly where my levels are today.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: So, with all of that, I am, according to my mirror device, in my luteal phase, which is a little different.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: It again, it feels like I either didn't ovulate the cycle or I did early.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I know that sometimes, most times, maybe all the time, stress and sickness and life can really affect us as women and can really shape our experience of our menstrual cycles.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm giving myself some grace, calling this more transition cycle, and to bring in this additional layer of really understanding my inner summer, my ovulation more.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you've been here for a while, you know that this has been a hot spot for me for about a year now.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna start doing the basal body temperature, which is a new layer of my menstrual cycle tracking.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're not sure what that is, that is taking your temperature first thing when you wake up in the morning.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: And depending on your fluctuations, that will help you determine if you ovulated or not.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: So looking forward to weaving that in and continuing to follow this thread, especially since this last ovulation, um, or rather this inner stemmer phase, it wasn't great for me.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: I really struggled this cycle, I think just coming off the sickness.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I did take a new step, which I'm really excited about on the Virgo New Moon, which is when I'm recording um the day after it peaked.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: I did book a consultation with a functional medicine doctor.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm really curious to see if I might be able to get some more clarity and understanding there with the histamine hormonal GI stuff that I've been experiencing during my inner summer.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a little personal update on my healing journey, and I'll share more as I continue to learn more.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: For today, I do want to segue and start attuning to the energy of the waxing moon.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: As I mentioned, we just had our Virgo new moon last week at the time that this episode is airing.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: And as we're gathering here on Monday, five days after the Virgo new moon, we are officially moving out of the new moon phase and into the waxing moon.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: This is the point in the cycle where the energy begins to return, where momentum starts to build again.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: And we are just about to shift into Libra season, I might add.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: So there is a sort of fresh quality that comes in with this waxing moon time, and I think with the start of Libra season aligning perfectly with this, it feels really potent.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: As I mentioned in the last cycle sync episode, I am a Libra son, so this is very much my season.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: One of the two seasons I feel most deeply connected to, this one in Scorpio season, which we'll talk more about when it's time.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm really looking forward to these next two seasons with you, and um, especially this first one, not just because it resonates with me personally, but because I think Libra season is such a beautiful opportunity that we have to find balance again.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's a balancing point as we move through the second half of the year.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know about you, but wow, this year has been moving fast.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: The eclipses were intense.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: There have been a lot of changes that I've been navigating both personally and professionally.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: And Libra season to me really feels like an opportunity to catch my breath, y'all.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a lot this year.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: And it feels like an opportunity to bring harmony back into my life.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I would imagine that some of you are feeling that too.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: I want to sit with this idea of balance for a moment because I think it's worth exploring what balance actually means before we dive into how we can create more of it.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: I've heard people say there's no such thing as balance.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I get why.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: If we think of balance as a fixed point, something that is perfectly optimized, this state that we're meant to hold at all times at any given moment, then yes, that's not only realistic but also exhausting to chase.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: But on my walk today, as I was reflecting on this theme, I brought my awareness to my feet, and I noticed something.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: When we're walking, we are almost always on one foot.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: At any given moment in a walk, one foot is off the ground.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: We are constantly shifting, recalibrating, and adjusting.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: Walking is essentially balancing and motion.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: So if we think about balance in this way, not as a fixed point, but as something that is always moving and shifting as we move and shift, then balance starts to feel more realistic.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: That's how I want us to hold this theme of balance as we move through harmonies, uh, excuse me, as we move through Libra season.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: What I was gonna say is if balance doesn't resonate, maybe harmony resonates.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna invite us to see balance or harmony not as a point of destination, but rather as a constant practice of gentle recalibration.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: The waxing moon is a wonderful place to begin exploring this, and I do want to preface with how I used to approach this phase, because I think a lot of us can do this.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: I used to treat the waxing moon like a starting gun.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: I would hit the ground running, take off to the races, full send, and I learned over and over again how problematic that was.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: As I'm saying that, I'm like, maybe that's what's contributed to the hot spot in my inner summer was treating my follicular phase like this for so long.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: There is this building energy with the waxing moon.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, there is for forward momentum, yes, there is fresh energy, yes, and that energy hasn't fully formed, it's a transitional energy, it hasn't grounded into itself yet, it hasn't made itself into something physical or tangible, and because of that, there is a tenderness here, maybe even a fragility, and there is more care and more intentionality needed during this phase than I think what we often give, or what sometimes what is often prescribed or taught.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: Think about a seed that's just been planted.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: That's the new moon, the inner winter, the menstruation time.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: That seed gets planted into the dirt, into the darkness.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: And as that seed begins to sprout and the roots begin to grow, and the plant begins making its way towards the surface, there will be moments when it runs into something.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: Let's say it runs into a rock.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: If that sprout keeps trying to push and force its way through the rock, it's never gonna get through.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: What the plant does is actually pull back, it goes back into itself, goes into space, and finds a moment of recalibration, and then from that space, it finds its way around the rock, perhaps a way that it couldn't have seen while it was busy forcing.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: Research supports this beautifully.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: Studies on creative problem solving show that periods of incubation, stepping back from a problem rather than pushing through it, this consistently produces more creative solutions than a sustained, focused effort alone.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: The brain needs space to make connections that aren't always visible when we're just striving and efforting and pushing our way towards something.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: So, yes, take action, move towards what you're creating, and also build in those moments of pausing, of pulling back, of coming back to yourself.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes the new path only becomes visible when we stop trying to force the one that we think it should be.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: With that as our foundation, I'm going to offer you three ways that you can bring more balance andor harmony into your life this week by working with the waxing moon energy.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: The first invitation is to build pauses.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: Much like we begin these episodes with a moment of stillness, are there other moments in your day where you can create that?
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: Even just a minute or two?
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's the moment you come home from work and walk through the door.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's the transition from one task to the next.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's sitting in your car for two minutes before you go somewhere.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: Can you give yourself just that small window to come back to yourself rather than constantly pushing and forcing your way to the next thing?
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_00: There's actually some research on the default mode network that shows that these small windows of non-doing are where the brain consolidates learning and integrates our experiences from the day and accesses deeper insight.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: I think sometimes we can treat these moments of doing nothing as unproductive when really science shows us that it's quite the opposite.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: There's actually a lot of important processing that's happening here in these pauses, in these more spacious moments.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: The second invitation is to bring more play into your week.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: The waxing moon and the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle are associated with the archetype of the maiden.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: That young, fresh, innocent energy that approaches life with curiosity and openness rather than an agenda.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I think as adults, we forget how to play.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: I know I have to consciously create it for myself because I can tend to be a pretty serious person.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_00: For me, play might look like messing around in my sketchbook with no goal in mind.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: I might be an evening out with my girlfriends with no agenda.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: I might be joking and laughing with my husband at home, or honestly, just messing around with my cats.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: Play looks different as we get older, and I think we have to be willing to let it evolve.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: What matters most is the absence of an agenda and this presence of lightness and ease.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: There's research on play by a psychiatrist named Stuart Brown, and his research shows that play is not frivolous.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, it is essential for creativity, resilience, emotional regulation, and even cognitive flexibility.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: So something that might seem like a waste of time, yet again, is doing one of the most productive things that we can do for our nervous systems and for our creative capacity.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: As we've already named, some of the best ideas, they don't always come from us trying to figure things out.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: They come when we maybe let go of trying, when we're playing, creating, and just being.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: Suddenly, something becomes more clear.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: Something that we couldn't have accessed through efforting alone.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_00: The third is to co-create.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: This one is close to my heart.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: I think sometimes we can fall into believing that if we effort enough, do enough, take enough action, we can somehow manufacture the exact life or outcome that we're working towards through sheer will.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: And that's just not how it works.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure you've experienced life enough to know now that sure, maybe sometimes it works out, but overall, there's there's more nuance to it.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: Showing up matters, yes.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: Doing the work matters, yes.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: And what about allowing life to meet us?
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: What about allowing a greater intelligence intelligence that goes far beyond what the mind can comprehend?
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: Can we allow that to shape what we're creating alongside of us?
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: Because the mind can only imagine what is already in its awareness.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes what comes into our life through this idea of co-creating is something that we would have never thought to ask for.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: Co-creation might look like clearing some space in your schedule, genuine empty space with no agenda.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: It might look like prayer or meditation, connecting with that deeper intelligence and actually listening for guidance rather than just presenting your to-do list.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: Things that seem meaningful to you.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: A conversation, a book, an unexpected invitation.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: There's actually research on synchronicity, and what psychologists call serendipitous events suggests that openness and receptivity, what researchers call prepared mind, these things significantly increase our ability to notice and act on unexpected opportunities.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: So we don't create these moments through force, but rather we create the conditions for them by being open.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: So those are your three imitations this week: pause, play, and co-create.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: Three ways to begin working with the waxing moon energy to cultivate more balance and harmony as we move into Libra season.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to be exploring these themes of balance and harmony throughout the coming weeks.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: And in our Friday episodes, you'll also be hearing more Libra themes woven in beauty, relationships, and so much more.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: I may do a little something special this season.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: My birthday lands mid-October.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_00: So this is a especially meaningful stretch of the year for me.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm really looking forward to moving through it with you.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: As we are slowly approaching our two-year point of the show, y'all, which feels wow, so significant.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you all, all of you who continue to listen and support the show in all ways, little and small, little and big.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_00: I do want to take a moment to uh, you know, be honest with you.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_00: I am mostly a one-woman show, and I'm very deeply grateful for my assistant Laura.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: Shout out to Laura, because I really don't think I could truly keep up with these episodes, with everything else that I have going on without her.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_00: I see my clients, I work part-time for the school district here where I live.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an artist, I'm a wife, I'm a friend.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: So there are a lot of things in my life that require my time, my energy, my attention.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: So this show is a genuine labor of love.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: I love doing it.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: It brings me so much joy to do it.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: And the show I know isn't going to grow and become all that I want it to be on my own.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_00: So if these episodes have been supporting you, as I hear from so many of you who do, whether it's in our client sessions or in a message that I get on Instagram or in my inbox, again, one of the most meaningful things that you can do.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_00: I love hearing from you directly, but could you please leave a rating review or to share this episode with a friend?
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: This is how the show grows.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, algorithms they require these extra things for the show to get pushed out to the right people.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: So on that note, I'll leave you here today.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe you'll be inspired to leave a rating or a review or to share this episode with a friend today.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: Any steps that you do that you take to support the show are deeply, deeply appreciated.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I look forward to connecting with you in the next episode.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_00: Bye for now.