How Mapping Your Menstrual Cycle Can Unleash Surprising Insights on Your Sexuality and Your Creativity (Part 1)

If you have a menstrual cycle, have you noticed that at certain times of the month, you’re on fire sexually — and at other times, you’re exhausted, couldn’t be bothered, or downright irritable at your partner’s approaches?

Ever wondered why sometimes you’re creatively on fire and super productive …

…and at other times, you’re exhausted, unmotivated, self-critical or just want to rest?

Our menstrual cycle is a microcosm of the creative cycle of our lives.

And creativity and sexual energy are intimately linked. The source of both is our womb space — energetically, whether or not we still have a womb.

Each month, we naturally cycle from going inwards to connect with ourselves at the ‘reset’ point of menstruation …. to going outwards with what we have discovered, expressing it in the world. This means shining our light, sharing our gifts, celebrating life.

And then, we go back inside again to compost and integrate everything we’ve experienced and again find our unique ‘medicine’ — our insights and next steps forwards.

There’s a perfect alchemy and magic in it.

Within this beautiful symmetry, both our creativity and our sexuality have their times of being more dormant or active — and, therefore, showing up in different ways. One layer deeper than the two energy currents of ‘Inward’ and ‘Outward’, there are 4 inner ‘Seasons’ which correspond to our inner architecture as we move our way through the 25–33 days (or so) of our monthly cycle.

It’s not a linear, uniform process and each woman will have her own spin on this archetypal map.

Let’s explore…

Sex and your cycle

Are you raring to go when you’re ovulating, and prefer to go to bed with a book when you’re premenstrual? You’re in good company. The classic, often-reported pattern is high sexuality at the ovulation phase — or the inner ‘Summer’ season — and a winding down during the premenstrual time — ‘Autumn’ — when progesterone levels take over from oestrogen.

But if you have a big surge of libido just before your bleed, and/or feel extra amorous during your period — which, due to outdated taboos and social stigma, can be frustrating (although this is slowly changing, fortunately!) — you are far from alone! The surge in testosterone relative to oestrogen that occurs premenstrually, as well as the relaxation that comes with knowing you can’t accidentally get pregnant, can set your desire free on a whole new level.

Then, there’s a precious time which, if you don’t notice it, could pass you right by.

It’s called ‘The Void’, a term coined by Menstruality pioneer Alexandra Pope of the Red School, where I trained as a Menstrual Cycle Awareness Mentor. You can expect to enter the Void anywhere from a couple of days to a few hours before your period starts.

How do you know you’re there? You’ll feel dreamy, spacey, or like the ground has fallen away beneath your feet — maybe you feel lost, or even a little crazy. You know you need to ‘get out of here’ and the last thing you feel like doing is ploughing through your to-do list.

Your openness and vulnerability is a portal to an exquisite closeness and intimacy, which can make sexual connection feel even more rewarding and beautiful, if you choose to go there.

But it’s not just a case of whether or not we ‘feel in the mood’. Sexuality, as we all know, has a million different flavours and shows up in a variety of ways — and this, too, can be linked to our cycle.

For example, you may be in the mood for more playful, physical sex during your pre-ovulation time, or ‘Spring’ (roughly days 5–12 of your cycle, day 1 being the first day of your bleed). In ‘Summer’ (ovulation), you are likely to want a more full-bodied, no-holds-barred sexual experience … And then in ‘Autumn’ (premenstrum, roughly days 19–26), you might want deeper, more ‘spiritual’ sex that is nothing less than a profound meeting of souls.

Isn’t it amazing?

Read on here to find out the surprising links between your menstrual cycle and your creativity. Because it’s all about your creative life force!