“Inner winter marks a time to focus on your purpose, and decide what changes are necessary in your upcoming cycle that reflect that.”

“I used to experience painful periods and turning that pain into paint was the turning point for me. Not only did my pain go away, but I also realised that the blood is part of a much greater process” – Gabrielle Sonney

“Dare to push the world back, rest and reclaim your territory, as menstruation is in essence about recalibration.”

For what is witchcraft if not a practice of deconstructing that which has been erased by society as a means of acruing power, as well as that which has been reinforced to control it?

“In cultures where women were seen as good, menstruation was seen as something special,” notes Alexandra Pope, founder of Red School and co-author of Wild Power. “In cultures where women were a threat, menstruation was demonised.”

to enter into a mindful relationship with your menstrual blood is to reaffirm your own natural bodily processes and inner dynamism, reject shame and reconnect to a long history of menstrual rite.