Latest / Healing Her Story with Riva Jean-Paul / Moon Phases & Feminine Power | Your Weekly Cycle Sync | Waxing Moon & Wood Element | Rooted & Flexible

Transcript

Moon Phases & Feminine Power | Your Weekly Cycle Sync | Waxing Moon & Wood Element | Rooted & Flexible · Healing Her Story with Riva Jean-Paul

• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome to today's episode of the Healing Her Story Podcast.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: I am, as always, so delighted to be here with you today.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: Grateful for the opportunity to spend a little bit of time with you.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: And during this time, it's always so special to me to really tune into these rhythms and cycles of the natural world, which I believe really helps us to connect with our own internal rhythms and cycles.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: Because we are cyclical beings, especially as women, yes.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I would say in general, we are cyclical beings.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: As much as we may try to avoid that or deny or overcome that with our patriarchal systems where we are pushed, encouraged to strive and do and perform and go, go, go.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_01: And especially right now with the season we're in, with the start of spring here in the northern hemisphere, and with a lot of activity happening in Aries, meaning that there are a lot of the planets right now in Aries.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm not an astrologer, so we won't get into that too deeply.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: I just really want to acknowledge this energy that is coursing through the collective field right now.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, it can be a lot, especially if you are a sensitive person or an empath or what me we might call a highly sensitive person, which I definitely am.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I think too, especially as women, because we are inherently cyclical and because we live in a very non-cyclical system, there can be a lot of friction.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: And that friction can sometimes show up as irritability or fatigue or overwhelm.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so I just want to say that if life is feeling like a lot right now, please know that this community, this space is really intended to be a place where you can, where you can excel, where you can soften, where you can attune to this way of being that I believe is beginning to shape in our collective right now, with so many systems collapsing right before our eyes, spiritual gurus being dethroned.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: There is this opportunity to birth something new, and I believe that that world is beginning to maybe not quite be birthed, but it's beginning to it's coming to its conception point.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: And so this is a really beautiful time to tune into how do you want to live your life?
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: What do you value?
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: And if the way you've been living, and if the world and what you're living in isn't working for you, you have the chance to create something new, to create something different.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm not saying you have to go and create all the new systems for the world because that's gonna be a tough job, I'll be quite honest.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: And what I really like to focus on because I find focusing on those really big picture things can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, and it can cause us to sometimes freeze up because it's so big that we don't know how to even start.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I think the best place you can really start is you starting right there with you.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I'll tell you, the ripple effect that you create matters.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: The ripple effect that you create in your family, in your community, in your friendships, in your relationships, in your partnership.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: I believe that matters.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: I really do.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I believe that if enough of us are really stepping into what it is that we are wanting to create, embodying it, then we can begin to shift the conscious collective field.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: I believe I've heard a statistic on another podcast that I listened to that says I think we only need like you'll have to correct me if I'm wrong and you know what podcast I'm talking about.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: But I I believe she says we only need about 20% of the population to sort of step into this new world, if you will, this new level of consciousness.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: And that 20% is enough to really begin to shift and to change things.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you for being here.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for being a part of that 20%.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: I really believe that our individual impact matters so much, especially right now.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: This is not a time to check out and to give up.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: This is a time to really dig deep and to root into what it is that you want to see in the world, which is a beautiful segue to our focus for today.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: Before we explore this week's themes and invitations, we'll start by taking a minute of silence.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: And especially right now, I know the world is busy, it's noisy.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're able to really make this a minute of silence, if you're in a busy place, maybe you can step outside.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: If you are at home, maybe you can sit down for a moment.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: If there's anyone else in your home, maybe you can invite them to sit down for a moment and to just be.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: And we'll continue using our practice that I shared in Friday's episode.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: If you have not had the chance to listen to last Friday's episode, I would invite you to go and explore.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: I talk a little bit more about this practice and the importance of this practice and why and how this practice can be so beneficial for us.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll skip that for today.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I will go ahead and guide us through this grounding practice, and we'll be using our senses in honor of Torah season, which is about sensuality, nature.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: And we'll begin to tune in with our sight.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_01: So looking around your space and noticing five things that you see.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then tuning in to four things that you can hear.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: Tuning in to three things that you can feel.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: Tuning in to two things that you can smell.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: This can be a bit more subtle.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: And this last one, too, especially subtle, noticing if there's anything you can taste.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: And we'll now go into our minute of silence, taking some time to just be and notice that concludes.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_01: Excuse me, that concludes our minute of silence.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe taking another moment here to take note of anything that may have stood out to you.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: I myself yawned quite a few times, and that makes a lot of sense to me after we started with that grounding practice.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: I usually sense my system settling a bit after that practice.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: I also tuned in with my cycle day.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: Today I am cycle day seven, putting me in my follicular or pre-ovulatory phase of my menstrual cycle.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I'll keep my update relatively shorter today.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: Today I'm feeling quite well, which is a change from how I normally feel during this time of my cycle.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: I've shared in the past couple episodes, I've been tracking my hormones with actual data now that I'm gathering through the Mira hormone tracking device and app.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: And it's been so insightful.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: I quite love being able to have access to this information so easily.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: And it's still quite soon to tell, uh, but I did start a new supplement protocol on the first day of my bleed, and it seems like it may be doing what I was intending it to do, which is lowering my histamine levels, which would then in turn lower my estrogen levels.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: That was the hypothesis, if you will.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: And so far, again, still too early to tell, it does seem like my estrogen is in more optimal range.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_01: And so with that, I've had less fogginess, less headaches, and haven't been feeling quite so bogged down.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: Now it's still very early in my follicular phase, so we'll continue to collect data and track my symptoms and see if my hypothesis proves as true.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, in true divine fashion, I am perfectly aligned with the energy of this week's themes as I am in my follicular part of my menstrual cycle.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: And as this episode is airing this week, we are attuning to the energy of the waxing moon.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: And the waxing moon corresponds with the follicular or the preovulatory phase.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: It also aligns with the energy of spring, which is the season we're in right now here in the northern hemisphere.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to start here because this time of growth, of momentum, of forward movement can actually be where so many women begin to unconsciously override their bodies.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: We can feel this rising energy and this desire to do more, to create more, to move faster, which is also really being amplified with all the activity happening in Aries right now with some of the outer planets.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so without realizing it, while we're feeling that momentum and riding it, sometimes it can kind of sweep us up and take us away.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: And before we know it, we've exceeded our capacity and we've overwhelmed our systems, and we're no longer working with that rhythm.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I will say that by the middle of the week, we'll already be starting to be more of in this full moon energy.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: So this waxing energy may feel like it comes on quickly this week.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're not grounded in your body, if you're not rooted in your own rhythm, it can be very easy to get swept up into this pace.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: This is also our second episode in our mini-series for tour season, where we're exploring the elements connected to each phase of the cycle.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so this week we're working with the element of wood.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: Now, the element of wood may be new to you if you're unfamiliar with traditional Chinese medicine, because in the more Western perspective of the elements, there isn't an element of wood.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe this is new for you.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: And if it is, I invite you to really notice what resonates in this because I have found for myself this particular element to be such an incredible teacher.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: So this phase is very much about growth.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: There is some nuanced here, though.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what I'm going to be exploring today is more about the nuances of working with the wood element.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: Because again, it's not just about growth.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: It is, and it's more about supported, sustainable growth.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: Because without support, without roots, without flexibility, growth can sometimes be destabilizing.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I think in general, growth is inherently unstable, right?
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: Because you are growing.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it becomes, it can become even more so when we are really leaning into some of these other qualities of support, of rooting, of flexibility.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: And this is something I learned the hard way.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: Of course.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes it's the best way to learn.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: For me, I honestly love learning that way.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: Over the past year, I would say all of 2025, began to notice challenges in this phase of my menstrual cycle, the follicular phase.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: And at the same time, I was also experiencing challenges during the season of spring.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: My challenges of my follicular phase began in springtime.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: What do you know?
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I got really curious about this and I started tracking more deeply.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I began discussing these things with my acupuncturist and began to really listen to the more subtle messages from my body.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: What I discovered is that this phase is actually quite delicate, especially for I would say, highly sensitive women.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: And it's a time where sometimes we can feel this surge of energy, and we can have this pressure to do more.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes that pressure can quickly lead us into overextension.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: And so I began to slow down even more, and I started looking to the trees because the trees I found held and hold the exact medicine that we need during this phase.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I first wanted to take a moment to just honor the miraculous journey of a tree.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: They begin as a tiny seed that then gets planted into the earth and is nurtured and nourished.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: And then at some point it begins to turn into the start of a tree.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then it begins to grow and grow and grow.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_01: And it takes hundreds of years, hundreds of years for trees to reach their full size.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: How amazing are trees.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so it really to me, it just emphasizes the wisdom and the power that these trees hold.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: And before they are that big tall tree, they do have a period where they are more small and tender and vulnerable.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_01: And when a tree is first planted, maybe you've seen this in your neighborhood.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: I know I see this in my neighborhood.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_01: It often has a stake or like pieces of plastic kind of holding it into place because without that support, the tree wouldn't properly grow.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: And without that support, the tree might get knocked over, might be damaged before it can, before it even has the chance to reach its full potential.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: And that right there is such a beautiful lesson from trees.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: Because trees don't grow without support.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't think that we are meant to grow without support either.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_01: Just in the same way that the tree needs that extra layer through the stakes, through the tape or the plastic or whatever is holding it up, we also sometimes need that extra layer too, in order to reach our full potential.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: Another lesson that I find so beautiful from the trees is this idea of rooting.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: Because in order for a tree to grow tall, its roost roots must grow deep.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: And when they don't, the first strong wind comes and it'll take it down.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you've seen one of those trees.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: I know I have in some pretty wild storms here, we've had here in Northern California, where trees are knocked over and their roots are literally pulled out of the ground.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_01: Now, these are some strong winds blowing, and would that tree have stood had its roots been a little bit deeper?
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I think we can learn a lot from this concept as well, staying rooted while we're growing and reaching towards something more.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: So as the energy begins to build a bit more this week, as it continues to build this season of spring, as it continues to build with all of these big changes and transits happening with the outer planets, you can ask yourself, what am I rooted in?
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: Or how can I stay rooted in myself, in my values, in what is true and right for me?
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: There's also this other lesson of flexibility.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I think sometimes when we think of strength, we can have this idea of being really solid and stable and unmoving, a very fixed energy.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I think there's a lot of value in that.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_01: And the trees specifically they do show us flexibility.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: Because if a tree is too rigid, too fixed, then a branch or something, not something, probably just a branch, might snap in the wind.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: So it's this idea of being rooted and flexible and tapping into our abilities to bend and sway and adjust to the conditions changing around us.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, change is the only thing that is guaranteed in life.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: I will say that again change is the only thing that is guaranteed.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: And life.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so, how do we stay rooted and flexible in that change?
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_01: Because change will come.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_01: And the times we're living in right now, things are changing rapidly every day, sometimes hour by hour, it seems.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_01: There is a great deal of uncertainty.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_01: There is this sort of intensity that some of us are feeling.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: Because there is a lot moving collectively.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: And you might get curious about this concept and ask yourself, where can you allow yourself to bend instead of break?
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_01: I think when on a healing journey, especially in the beginning stages, some of us can think that the goal of a nervous system is to be calm and grounded and regulated all the time.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: And to a degree it is.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: And it's more about adaptability and being able to change.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: That is a healthy nervous system.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_01: Is it's flexible and it's changing all of the time.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's adapting to the demands of life that's responding to the information that is being presented to it.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_01: And there is a bit of science to this.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: What I find really interesting about trees is that they develop their strength through a compound called lignin.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_01: And this allows them to be both sturdy and responsive to their environment.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: And in the human body, we we do see something similar.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: The nervous system, as I was saying, isn't one that's always calm.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_01: Or rather, a healthy nervous system isn't one that's always calm.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: It's one that can move between the states and respond and adjust and then return back to its homeostasis state.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: So another thing you might explore this week is learning how to stay connected to yourself as things move and giving space for your body, making it okay to shift and change and adapt and to move through all of those different parts of yourself and of life and of your system.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_01: Another thing that I love so much about the trees is their connection to the mycelium network.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: This is an underground web that allows trees to communicate and share resources and support one another.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_01: And if you work with plant medicine, specifically psilocybin, you'll know that mushrooms are also connected to this mycelium network.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_01: And that's where I began to first explore the mycelium network a bit more.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: So this infinite web of connection lives underneath the earth that many of us never see, and all the trees use this network to communicate with each other.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: And interestingly enough, this also mirrors our own internal system, our nervous system, our neural pathways.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_01: And it really speaks to this deep, intelligent form of communication that is happening within us that goes far beyond what the mind can comprehend or understand.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: And so if you are feeling like life is a lot right now, if things are feeling uncertain or moving really fast, you could also open up to this idea that our body knows how to adapt.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: And that we maybe don't have to force things so much, and that we maybe don't have to think and figure out our way through everything so much that we can begin to listen and tune in to this higher intelligence, or rather to step back and give space for this higher intelligence to unf its own mysterious right time and way.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: And if that bark isn't there to protect the tree, then the tree becomes damaged and maybe potentially doesn't reach its full growth.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so right there, it's such a beautiful mirror for ourselves as well.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not about protecting ourselves to shut the world out.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's more about protecting what is still tender, what is still new, what is still growing and forming and shaping.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_01: And so you also might get curious about where you might need to protect your time, your energy, your peace.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_01: Where might you need to protect your own growth and your own healing?
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_01: I know for me, social media was one of those ways that I had to really protect my growth, my healing, because it wasn't serving me and it was taking a lot of time and energy, I'll tell you that.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I knew that if I really wanted to protect what was still growing and forming within me personally, within my practice, that I had to protect myself from the effects of being on social media.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_01: So that's just a small example.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_01: Some more practical ways you might work with this wood element, this waxing energy this week.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_01: You might spend some time with some trees.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you go on a walk and just observe the trees and reflect on them.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you have a special tree that means a lot to you, and maybe you want to go sit with that tree.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're able to, maybe putting your back against the tree so you can really feel that support.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: You also might be creative with trees.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_01: Perhaps you want to draw or paint a tree, or maybe make a collage of some sort, or maybe there's some other form of expression that is bubbling up for you.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_01: And if you'd like to embody this a bit more, there are also lots of yoga and qigong practices connected to the wood element on YouTube.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_01: So that is something that you could explore as well.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_01: And this week I'll be offering you a grounding meditation to specifically support you in this idea of rooting so that as life continues to change, as things continue to shift, which they inevitably will, you can stay connected to yourself, connected to your values, connected to what is true and supported for you.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I'll leave you with that this week.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_01: You can find everything you need in the show notes.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I look forward to connecting with you in the next episode.