How to Sync with the Moon

The Moon shares with us a powerful message of what it’s like to live fully and vibrantly as a cyclical being. The way she is ever-changing in the sky gives the gift of encouragement to accept that we too are not static beings, and regardless of what “phase” you may be in, you are still you at your core.

While I do share a good bit about synching with the Moon through the experience of menstruating, this information is NOT exclusive to folx with a monthly flow!

As someone who speaks with a lot of folx on the topic of menstruation, one thing I hear so often is “I really wish my period were synched with the moon!”

To that I say…

IT ALREADY IS!

What they usually mean by that is they want to be bleeding on the Dark Moon (also known as the New Moon, when the Moon is not visible in the sky). This desire is probably linked to there being some evidence to show that prior to non-communal living and artificial lighting (and other wild modern-day stresses) menstruation may have happened most commonly around the Dark Moon.

That’s the thing though, there are just so many factors contributing to how our bodies face challenges and stressors through just existing in modern life. It’s so important to cultivate a sense of trust in the innate wisdom of the body, working through its cycles in its best attempt to find balance and thrive.

Regardless of what point in the lunar cycle you bleed, whether you are someone with a body that does not have a monthly bleed, or perhaps you no longer have a menstrual cycle — please take comfort in knowing you are still always in sync with the Moon.

We each have our own individual cyclical nature that creates patterns of experience for us, very much reflective of the way mama Moon waxes and wanes each month. The way we connect to and deepen our level of synchronization with the Moon is through the very simple process of tracking.

As a person with a monthly bleed and hormonal cycle, I cannot tell you what a difference cycle tracking has made in my life. There is something so deeply relieving about seeing the predictability of my own unpredictability. I love to tell the story of how before I started tracking I was so frustrated by the wild sense of overwhelm and hopelessness I would sometimes feel.

Once I spent a couple months tracking I started to see patterns emerge… That overwhelm and hopelessness? Yea, that was day 28 — a couple days before my period was due. Every. Freaking. Month.

Connecting to the recurring patterns you might be experiencing (and perhaps not enjoying) is a permission slip to acknowledge and accept ALL parts of you — even the ones that may feel shadowy and unwanted.

How to Learn from Your Lunar Alignment

1. Start tracking

Keep track of your cycle. You can use a helpful guide like a Cycles Journal to help guide you. Spend 2 - 3 minutes every evening making a couple notes before going to bed to reflect on the overall “feels” of the day. Doing this the next morning is cool too — the idea is sticking with it for consistency.

These notes can be just one word summaries or full on journal entries. Try to record both your physical (how your body felt that day) and your emotional experience, as well as any important life incidents (stressful or joyful events, travel etc.). This is about being a scientist of your own life experiment and collecting data.

2.Take notes for at least 3 months

This would be the minimum I’d recommend in order to give you the beginnings of evidence for you to see your patterns and where certain recurring emotions, physical experiences or habits continually pop up.

The longer you track, the more knowledge you gain. The more self-knowledge you gather, the stronger your sense of alignment, self-acceptance and self-love grows. Instead of villainizing certain aspects of your cyclical nature, begin seeing what it is that is habitually triggered at these more difficult times in your personal lunar cycle.

You may notice that during the Full Moon, you feel incredibly vibrant and reflective of the Moon’s potent luminary vibes. Then on the opposite end of the cycle, you may find yourself needing much more quiet alone time during the Dark Moon. Or, you could be the total opposite! There is no “right way” to move through cycles. The last thing we need is another reason to judge our bodies and make them wrong. This is your experience, and embracing your truth is where the most power and magic lays waiting.

So here is your permission slip — to embrace your cyclical nature, to be predictably unpredictable, and to let La Luna love you in the deepest way she can: always changing, but ever-present.

So much love, to the moon and back, to Em Dewey for sharing this supportive and insightful resource. 

Em Dewey is the Creatrix and self-appointed Head Witch at Garden of the Moon, where she offers lunar-aligned Cycle Support Kits through herbal teas & flower essences to support folx in their moon time.

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