Latest / Healing Her Story with Riva Jean-Paul / Moon Phases & Feminine Power: Your Weekly Cycle Sync – Full Moon, Summer, Ovulation: Full Moon Do’s & Don’ts

Transcript

Moon Phases & Feminine Power: Your Weekly Cycle Sync – Full Moon, Summer, Ovulation: Full Moon Do’s & Don’ts · Healing Her Story with Riva Jean-Paul

• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, and welcome to this week's episode on the Healing Her Story Podcast.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: My name is Reva Jean-Paul.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a trauma-informed somatic practitioner, menstrual cycle coach, interdisciplinary artist, and host for your show.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Today we are gathering for our weekly cycle sync and feminine power episode.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: And this week we are going to be exploring the phase of the full moon.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: It just so happened to align perfectly this cycle, which I always really appreciate.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: So we will be exploring the full moon phase a little bit more here in just a moment.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: Before we begin, I do want to give you the moment to take a moment here to check in with yourself.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: And as you're doing your check-in, perhaps beginning to sense into what is being illuminated within you.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: That is the opportunity we have with this phase of the moon cycle.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: And so noticing anything that's standing out in the mind, maybe anything that's standing out in the body, and also maybe noticing anything that's standing out in your life.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: And we will reconnect here after you've had a minute to do so.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: Our one minute begins now.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: As it can be sometimes challenging to find a minute out of our busy days to just pause and to just check in with ourselves.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: As I was checking in with myself, I was noting my cycle day, which is cycle day 23.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm finding myself in my pre-menstrum time.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm finding myself in that time as we're working through, moving through this full moon phase.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: So that's an interesting dynamic that I am moving through.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: And it's been really supportive as I'm finishing up a semester at my local community colleges where I've been wrapping up some prerequisites for my master's program.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: I've also got some teaching artist residencies that are wrapping up next week as well.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: And there is a lot of things that are closing out.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's been nice to have this support of the full moon as I close out these things, as I am also closing out my cycle for this month.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I'd love to share a little bit more about this full moon energy specifically.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: This time of the moon phase is associated with ovulation time when we're talking about the menstrual cycle.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's associated with the season of summer when we're talking about the lens of traditional Chinese medicine.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: This time is associated with the element of fire.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: And when we are talking about the archetypes, which I have been slowly weaving in here, maybe you noticed last week.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: This is associated with the archetype of the mother, which is really interesting timing, and we'll explore that a bit more here in a moment.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: We are talking about the week of May 12th.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: And as I said, today is the actual full moon.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: So let's get into it.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: Here we are at the peak of a cycle again.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: This is a time of culmination, illumination, and completion.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: You might be noticing a few things.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: One, perhaps an increase in your energy, which could either feel amazing or it could feel overwhelming.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: You also might be noticing things in your life that are or aren't working being spotlighted.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe you're having a new awareness around, ah, okay, this is working for me.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: Or perhaps, ooh, I don't know if this is working for me.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: Another thing you might be noticing or sensing is feeling like things are coming together.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe there's been some moments of progress over the last few weeks.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe there's been some moments of setbacks.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: Or perhaps there's been moments of confirmation.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: I encourage you to take all of this in as good information.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: And as we gather information during this illumination time, we can use this information to help guide us and to help keep us aligned as we move through the rest of the cycle and as we begin again in the next cycle.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: As I said earlier, this phase is associated with the archetype of the mother, which interestingly enough aligned with Mother's Day this year.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: If you're listening to this on Monday, then as you might know, yesterday, Sunday was Mother's Day.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: And although the full moon is technically on Monday, we are already very much in this full moon energy.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so perhaps you might be finding yourself or were finding yourself in this energy of celebration and connection, which is perfect for the full moon.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: Because again, this is associated with the season of summer.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: And so if you think about what we're doing in summer, we're out, we're having fun, we're traveling, we're camping, we're doing things outdoors with new friends or maybe with old friends.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: And so that is the energy of this full moon.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: Now, on the other hand, for some of us, this day can be challenging, especially if we have a complicated or complacent relationship with our mother.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: This is also a full moon in Scorpio.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: So if you know anything about Scorpio, you might know that it's very deep and it's very potent.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: And it also might come with a little bite.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: I myself am a Scorpio rising, and so I am very much attuned to this Scorpion energy, and I feel like sometimes it can get a bad rep, rap.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I personally I find it to be so transformative, and I love going deep if you have noticed, or maybe you haven't noticed, but I definitely do.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so I really appreciate this energy and the opportunity that it gives us to go from the conscious to the subconscious, because to me, this is where the healing and the beauty and the transformation and the substance really lies.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so wherever you might find yourself, I encourage you to be gentle with yourself over these next few days.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: And if you do find some things coming to the surface for you during this time, this could be a wonderful time to tap into that maternal energy and to really nurture yourself and to maybe tend to any of the wounds or things inside that might be calling out for more love.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: Now, this week I felt inspired to share a couple of do's and don'ts.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: And before I do share those, I want to again really invite you to tap into your inner wisdom and what feels most right and true for you.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: Everything that I offer is a suggestion, and so I really encourage you to let go of anything that doesn't feel aligned or right for you, and to lean in to anything that does.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: We'll start with the don'ts and we'll end with the do's.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: Starting with the don'ts, don't number one, don't spread yourself too thin.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes, as I know very well, and as I as I have talked about on the show, it can be really easy to get lost in the excitement and potential of life.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_01: We can say yes to this and yes to that and yes to this and yes to that.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes we do it without really checking in with ourselves and asking, hmm, do I have capacity for this?
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: I had to do that with myself a couple times today.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: I'm recording on Sunday this week as I'm doing what I call setting myself up for success.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'm doing my meal prep and doing my chores and gonna take a bath after this and just really get myself ready and nourished and reset for the week.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes as I'm going about these things, I have these really ambitious lists of I'm gonna bake muffins and I'm gonna set up the backyard and I'm gonna do my homework and all these things.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: And then I have to actually check in and say, hmm, do I actually have the energy to do all of that?
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: And that's a continual process that I go through, especially around these times when I know how how easy it can be to get kind of swept away in all of this energy floating around.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: So paying attention to that, noticing how much energy you actually have, maybe letting go of anything that doesn't actually need to get done.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: This is a shadow of the mother archetype when we become so focused on taking care of everyone and everything that we lose sight of ourselves.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: So again, something to keep an eye out for over these next couple of days.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: Don't number two.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: Don't start anything new.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: This is a time to bring your intentions and your goals and your desires and your wishes and your projects to a culmination and completion point.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_01: And we have more time to finish up and close things out with the waning moon.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: So even if you get bits of inspiration and ideas and make new connections and maybe find yourself being pulled in certain directions, maybe write it down.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: I have a little notebook that I carry with me at all times where I just write down all of my ideas so that I can come back to them.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: I don't necessarily have to act on them right then and there.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: So if you are getting insights or ideas or things coming through, you could try exploring that and maybe waiting to start them with the new moon.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: Don't number three.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Don't skip your bedtime routine.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: Studies have shown that we get 30% less deep sleep around the full moon.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: So if you've noticed more anxiety or more insomnia around this time, no, it's not just you.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's very common around this time, and I might say normal.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: Perhaps you might want to skip your pre-bedtime scroll and instead maybe take a walk as the sun is going down.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: This is really great for our circadian rhythm when our eyes can see both uh the sunrise and the sunset.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: If you can just do one or the other, that's totally fine.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: I find there really is something to that bedtime or that pre-bedtime walk, that sun sunset walk, and allowing my eyes to see the sun go down.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_01: And maybe after you do that, you might want to make yourself a nourishing drink, a tea, or something warm and nourishing and soothing to help nurture you off to bed at a reasonable hour.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: Some things to do instead during this time.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: Do express yourself.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: As I said, there's a lot of energy, maybe a lot of emotions that are coming up that are moving around.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_01: And maybe this is not just happening inside of you, but maybe this is also happening in the people around you as well.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so it can be really helpful to find somewhere to really channel that energy and channeling it through some sort of expression.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe it's through dancing or through singing or through painting or through whatever other creative activities you might like to do, improv, leaning into the ways in which that feels right for you, where you can really express yourself.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: Do spend quality time with those who feel like home.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe this is a partner, maybe this is a spouse, maybe this is a family member, maybe this is a close friend, maybe this is a pet.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: So choose wisely here.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: As again, this time can be a lot, and it can be really helpful to have people and maybe pets in our lives that can really support us through these seasons of it feeling like a lot.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: I had this conversation with a client earlier this week, and we talked about how much we really do need human connection.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: We do need other people biologically.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: It can really compromise our sense of well-being when we don't have that connection.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: And as I said, just having someone to support us and just having someone to go through something with can just make all of the difference.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: I've heard from uh teachers who I've studied with, specifically in the lens of um the field of trauma, that trauma is only trauma because we're going through it by ourselves.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: If we have someone there going through it with us, while it can still be traumatic, maybe it's not as traumatic because we weren't going through it alone.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: So there really is something to having people in our lives that can be there for us as we go through things.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: And the last thing to do is to celebrate.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: Find something to maybe celebrate about yourself as you have been on your growth of your journey, excuse me, of growth and healing.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's so important to take these moments of acknowledging ourselves, of witnessing ourselves, of celebrating ourselves.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: Because this is sometimes what can really give us that sense of like, okay, yeah, I did that.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: And this is how we build more confidence in ourselves, this is how we build more trust in ourselves when we allow ourselves to really see ourselves and our progress and our success and how far we've come.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I I have a good sense that if you are here and if you are listening to this episode, and if you've been listening to these episodes, that you have been putting in the work, you've been showing up for yourself, you've been doing the hard things, you've been setting boundaries, you've been making changes, you've been, you've been at it.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I really invite you and encourage you to take a moment to see yourself in that.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: I hope that you found those do's and don'ts helpful and supportive today.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_01: It felt like something a little different and also something that I feel like you could really benefit from.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_01: I look forward to connecting with you in the next episode.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_01: In the meantime, take care of yourself and take care of each other.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: To support your full moon practices and exploration and healing this week, I invite you to check out one of my free meditations over on Insight Timer.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: This meditation is called Somatic Body Scan for Self-Love and Body Appreciation.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: This somatic body scan is intended to be a companion on your journey to finding safety within your own body.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: Instead of trying to fix or judge your body in this meditation, you are invited to slow down and to find a moment to really love and appreciate your body.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: And as we are in this full moon phase with the archetype of the mother, and as we are also coming out of Mother's Day weekend, I felt this could be a powerful practice for you to explore over the next couple of days.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: So you can find a link for that in the show notes, and I look forward to meditating with you over on Insight Timer.