Latest / Healing Her Story with Riva Jean-Paul / Moon Phases & Feminine Power: Your Weekly Cycle Sync | Waxing Moon Expansion: Why Growth Feels Overwhelming (and What Actually Supports It)

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Moon Phases & Feminine Power: Your Weekly Cycle Sync | Waxing Moon Expansion: Why Growth Feels Overwhelming (and What Actually Supports It) · Healing Her Story with Riva Jean-Paul

• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, and welcome to today's episode of the Healing Her Story podcast.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: If this is your first time here, welcome.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: It is such an honor and a privilege, really, to share this space with you and to share this week's feminine wisdom with you.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: If you are returning, welcome back.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Such an honor that you choose to spend your precious time with me, tuning into these weekly episodes, getting whatever it is that you need so that you can really begin living in alignment with, attuning to your unique rhythm.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Because we all are moving at a rhythm.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: There is a pulse to life, whether we are aware of it or not.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: These rhythms are happening in each day and each week and each month, in each moon phase, in each season, each year.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: And in my experience, there has been so much healing and power and ease that has really come from learning how to work with the natural rhythms and cycles.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's what these episodes are for.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's a place where you can drop in at the start of each week to understand, to attune to where we are in the rhythm.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: And for these episodes specifically, we are most interested in the rhythm of the moon.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: And that's because this is one rhythm that we can all collectively, universally really attune to.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because as we are in different parts of the world, the seasons don't always align.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: But the moon, the moon phases, at least I believe they always do.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: If you're on another side of the world and they don't, please let me know.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe I'll do a little bit more researching too out of my own curiosity around that.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: There is a rhythm that's also happening inside of you.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: And if you live in a female body and you track your menstrual cycle, this is something that you may be more aware of.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: And these inner rhythms can sometimes align with the rhythms of the moon, but they don't always.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: So know that if your menstrual cycle doesn't align with where we are in the moon phase right now, that is okay.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: There really is no right or wrong way to align.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's more about really becoming more aware of your own cyclical experience because our individual cyclical experiences are all so unique.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: And so in these episodes, I'm always sharing the things that I'm sensing, the things that I've really gathered from my own exploration.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: But as you continue in your own exploration, you may find that there are lots of other discoveries and insights that are unique to you and to your experience.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: And those matter too, if not more, than what my experience is.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I encourage you with these episodes to take what you need and feel very free to leave the rest behind.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I admittedly today am a little late with today's episode.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Life has really been speeding up.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: I've been receiving more opportunities.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: I've had more of you reaching out for support.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: I've been starting to feel into new creative projects and really taken on a lot more responsibility.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe you've been feeling it too.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: The waxing moon, which is where we are right now in the moon phase, is a time of expansion.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: The light is increasing, momentum is building, things are beginning to move.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: And eclipse season, the season that we're in right now for a few more weeks, also contributes to this too.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: There is a sort of speeding up that we can sometimes experience here.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll talk a little bit more about that after we begin with our minute of silence, like we always do in these Monday episodes.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: And in this minute of silence, you are invited to come into a place of more presence with yourself, whatever that looks like, whether you're driving or got something going on in the background, or maybe you're doing some chores or whatever it is.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: Seeing if you can slow down, even if it's just a little bit here, and beginning to notice where you're at today.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: How is your body feeling?
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: How is your heart feeling?
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: How is your spirit feeling?
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: How is your mind feeling?
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: And also noticing where you might be in your own unique rhythm.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Noticing if it's more of a winter day, more of a spring day, or perhaps a summer, or a fall.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna give you some time to do that now.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you just enjoyed having a moment of pause in your day.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Today I am, I believe cycle day 13 or 14, and I am really feeling it's like a hot, humid summer day.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: And this has been a really new awareness that I just became more aware of today, really this morning as I was waking up.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: As I've shared before on the podcast, these days, these inner summer days, have been challenging for me for I'd say the past, oh gosh, maybe a year.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I've been really doing some things to support myself during this time.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I do feel like there is some more stability and also really having this increased awareness today around this humid summer day.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Without getting too far into the things that I've been learning about my own cycle and things that I've been researching as I've been really wanting to support myself through this time, is that there can sometimes be a dampness that kind of builds up here in this time.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I hadn't quite noticed it to the degree in which I did today, where I could literally go inside and sense uh it's like a humid summer day where you really just want to be left alone and like you're kind of grumpy, and like there's not really many things that you can do to alleviate that other than maybe take a cool shower or stay hydrated and yeah, I don't I don't know.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't had to to do that in human environments very much.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's got me reflecting on like, huh, okay, how how do you find relief in a human environment?
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: So this is something that I'm getting really curious about today, is I can really sense this feeling of being bogged down and a density that kind of builds up in my my upper thighs.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've been doing menstrual cycle work for a while now, you might be like, huh, that's interesting.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Inner summer, huh?
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, that is my experience of inner summer, which I think is is helpful to talk about because a lot of times, I know at least in my own experiences, I was learning about this time of the cycle.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: There's this idea that, you know, the estrogen is rising and we feel good and we want to be social and this is where we get shit done.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I have had cycles where I've I've had that experience.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: And as of lately, that that hasn't been my experience.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: And it doesn't mean anything is wrong with me.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: It means that something is is going on and my system is trying to balance out.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's trying to tell me like something.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: And so I've been getting really curious about it and experimenting with different things, researching.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm at a point now where I have a good understanding, like I said, a bit more stability and and more to go.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I'm gonna follow this curiosity about how to support um myself through these more humid summer days.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: If that made no sense, that's okay.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: And um, for some of you who have been tracking for a while, there's something I'm experiencing.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: I believe it is estrogen dominance, and there hasn't been anything that has officially confirmed that yet.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm waiting on some tests and um plan to get a few more done.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll have more answers in due time.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, that's me today.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but let's let's get into this week's lunar rhythm.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: As I've mentioned, we're in the waxing moon.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: We're also in between two eclipses.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: So we had an eclipse last week, and we have another week, uh, another eclipse coming up next week.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a time, again, definitely what I've been experiencing, where, you know, if you've really been on your path, doing your work, showing up, really tending to your intentions, this is often where things that you've been calling in can start showing up in small ways, which sounds like a really good and exciting thing.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: And here's what I also want to name growth without support creates stress.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: And stress, when it exceeds our capacity, turns into overwhelm.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I will say that even with support, there still might be a little stress.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: Stress, if we break down the actual definition of stress, stress is the work that your body that your system does to adapt to change.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'll say that again.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: Stress is the work that your system does to adapt to change.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: So, for example, if you were lying down on your back and then you move to sitting upright, there would be a small degree of stress on your system because now your internal system has to adjust from lying down to being upright.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: So stress is inevitable.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: Stress is not the enemy, it's not about getting rid of stress because that's not possible.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: But what we need to be mindful of is when that amount of stress exceeds our capacity.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because then it turns into overwhelm.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: It can turn into overwhelm.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: From a nervous system perspective, expansion, growth, it requires regulation.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: Research shows that our system requires enough safety and resourcing and support to stay in a place where we're easily able to relate and connect, both with ourselves and with other people.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: This is the state where you feel engaged, creative, capable.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: And when demands increase without enough support, the system can shift into what we would call a sympathetic activation.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: This is sort of like the fight or flight response.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: And this might bring up the sense of urgency, the sense of pressure, racing thoughts.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: And this doesn't mean that you're failing or anything's wrong with you.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: What it is, is good information.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's your body trying to keep up with the demands that have been placed upon it.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: And when we start to feel these sympathetic responses come in, that lets us know that we don't have enough support.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: And this was true for me last week.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: Between new clients, between my part-time work, my creative projects, and tending to my health, which is a major priority for my for me right now.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: I noticed something important.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: For me, it's not about needing to be more disciplined.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: What I need is more infrastructure, more support.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: And so I've been doing research and getting ready for this for about a month now.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm at that point where I'm just about ready to move forward, right on time with the first quarter moon that will be happening next week.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: So in the coming weeks, I've decided that I'm going to be bringing in some back-end support to help with the podcast.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: And eventually I will hand over the sort of administrative task, the back-end tasks of the podcast.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: I'll hand them over to this other person completely because I understand that in order to show up for this show the way that I want to show up, in addition to all the other things going on that I have going on, I need support.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: I can't do this all by myself.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: I can't grow this community, this podcast, this movement the way I want it to grow by myself.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I can, but it's really gonna wear me down.
• 18:56
  unknown: Right.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: And that was why I wasn't able to get this episode out on time last week.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: I had lots of other things on my plate.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: And this was as soon as I could get to it.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: Now, had I more had some more support, I could have recorded this relatively quickly last week and sent it off to someone to take care of the distribution and everything else.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: So going forward, that's that's what I'm gonna be moving towards because I'm seeing my limits, I'm acknowledging my very real limits, my capacity.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: And some might look at that, especially through like a patriarchal lens, as a sign of weakness.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't really see it that way.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: I see it as helping me to really increase my capacity.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: Because now I'm not trying to do so much by myself.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: And the body and nature, as always, shows this so beautifully.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: When we're thinking of neuroscience, when we have new neuron pathways, neural pathways forming in the brain, they require a sort of fatty layer that insulates and strengthens the signal.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: And without that fatty layer, without that insulation, the signal that gets sent is weaker and less efficient.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: And in some cases, the pathway is not even really able to fully form.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: And this shows us so clearly that growth requires support.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: When we think of nature and we think of a tree growing up, reaching towards the sky, those roots must dig deep into the ground, into the earth.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: Because if those roots aren't there and a big storm comes, the tree gets knocked over.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: And we can also see this through the lens of attachment as well.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: Our resilience and our capacity increases when we're able to co-regulate and connect with another person.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so for many of us, especially those with early childhood trauma, have developed this sort of hyper-independence as protection, really.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: I can do it alone.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: I don't need help.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'll handle it.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the thing that strategy has kept you safe.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: And at one point, that strategy worked.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: And it might have even saved you at one point.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: But now it may be limiting your expansion.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: Again, overwhelm isn't a sign that you're incapable.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: Often it's a sign that your life, your demands is expanding beyond your current support structures.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: So this week, as the light and the moon grows, as you grow, as the light and our days grow here in the northern hemisphere as we move closer towards spring, I invite you to reflect upon where do I need more support?
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: And not because you're weak or you're less than, but because what you're building, what you're creating is something bigger than what you've held or created or experienced before.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: I invite you to look at your environment, your habits, your relationships, your calendar.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: Research consistently shows that perceived social support lowers our cortisol levels and increases our stress resilience.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: So the question isn't whether you can do it alone.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: The question is why should you?
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: To support you this week, I'm offering a sensing the support practice.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's a way to identify what's already resourcing and supporting you and where reinforcement is needed or might be needed.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: And as we continue moving through Pisces season, a time where we may feel connected to our creativity, our intuition, and our emotional depth, you might want to reflect on the kind of support your creative vision requires in order for it to become sustainable.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_00: Last week we talked about creating with the cycle, with the four different phases.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: And this week I invite you to play with those things, experiment, and if you haven't listened to that episode yet, maybe going back and giving that one a listen.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: And as you reflect on support, notice any emotions that may arise around this, especially if you've ever felt like you're not supported.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: And if those emotions do arise, really honoring them.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: Because at one point that was maybe what was experienced.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: And for many of us, asking for support can sometimes activate old wounds.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it touches on our shame because we feel like we should be able to do it by ourselves.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: And again, it's not just about becoming more resilient, more stronger.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's also about allowing yourself to be supported, to be loved, to be held.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: And on Friday, to help us really connect with our emotions in a deeper way, I'm going to be sharing a replay from one of my favorite conversations.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: Again, one that's really going to help us deepen into our emotions.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I look forward to connecting with you then.