Caution: Girl Stuff

[3894]

In matrifocal cultures, menstruation is powerful and sacred. In our patriarchal society, menstruation is disempowered and chemically suppressed. Menstruation is not "the curse".

Women's menstrual and reproductive problems often begin during periods of stress. One cause of the stress is the conflict of being female in a male-oriented, male-dominated society where there are few positive views of the feminine and little support of the female cycle. In many cultures women are highly revered, but also avoided because of their relationship to blood, which is seen as a symbol for life and death. In the past, blood mysteries were seen as the divine power of women; they formed the basis of religious rites which we enact even today in some cultures. The power of woman-say the Native Americans-lies in her ability to give life and to use this creativity in different ways. Patriarchal societies, however view women's blood mysteries as a threat to their power, and have suppressed woman and their knowledge of their menstrual power.

-Women's Blood Mysteries by Adelheid Ohlig

[blueerica]

Sex during menstruation... Not really for me. It's the clean-up factor, to begin with. I have had sex during, but.. meh.. I'd rather do "other things" during that time.

[Snowflake]

Sex during, no. I concur, the mess and ick factor. The mess and the ick factor are quite enough on their own.

A few days before, absolutely yes.

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by 3894

In matrifocal cultures, menstruation is powerful and sacred. In our patriarchal society, menstruation is disempowered and chemically suppressed. Menstruation is not "the curse".

So where does this fit in?

http://www.mikvahproject.com/infoabout2.html

http://www.pass.to/newsletter/take_me_to_the_mikveh.htm

[3894]

Originally Posted by Strangler Lewis

So where does this fit in?

http://www.mikvahproject.com/infoabout2.html

http://www.pass.to/newsletter/take_me_to_the_mikveh.htm

The second article answers your question really well. Fun fact: I actually knew a woman in college whose last name was Mikvah, although it might have been spelled with a "c".

Are there women here who practice mikveh?

[Strangler Lewis]

Well, it answers it, but does it answer it in a good way or in an internalized victimization way: "I like being a prostitute; it's empowering." "I put the boot on my own throat." Etc.

[Alex]

Interesting. So they do it for different reasons, in different ways, on different occasions and still call it the same thing?

Why not just give it a new name and remove any controversy?

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by 3894

In matrifocal cultures, menstruation is powerful and sacred. In our patriarchal society, menstruation is disempowered and chemically suppressed. Menstruation is not "the curse".

Did anyone say "the curse"? Not me. I'm not offended by the term though. We are all bound by our bodily requirements, part of the reason we drink caffeine, eat large meals, and use toilet paper.

I may sound crazy to you, but I will say very easily that I don't want my menstration "empowered". I don't want to be respected for a body function. I would like to "suppress" it. In Jr. High I was let out from school for horrific cramps on multiple occasions. I would go home and lay in the fetal position in bed, or do the knees on my chest thing, just wishing I could pass out from the pain. I have memories of entire outings (Magic Mountain, for one) ruined for me due to surprise periods and crippling cramps. Only after I disempowered and chemically suppressed my sacred blessing from Mother Earth's womb was I ever really free of it.

I know that my period is a monthly reminder that I can give birth, and that's a wonderful thing. But the reminder itself can fvck off. I understand what you are trying to say about womanhood, but I've given myself one too many cotton injections and ruined too many pairs of pants to forget that having my period sucks, regardless of whether we're a matriarchal or patriarchal society. (How come you used "patriarchal" but not "matriarchal"?)

I don't have much experience with Mikveh. I find it very similar to the ritual washing of hands before meals, and the laws against "unclean" animals. These were great ideas to help keep things healthy before scientific inquiry was invented. As far as ancient traditions go, us Jews were the cleanest, I guess.

[3894]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

I have memories of entire outings (Magic Mountain, for one) ruined for me due to surprise periods and crippling cramps. Only after I disempowered and chemically suppressed my sacred blessing from Mother Earth's womb was I ever really free of it.

Been there, believe me. And I have even been told by another woman that my hysterectomy was due to me buying into the patriarchy. I am not kidding.

A large part of me is thinking menstrual/physical suppression equals emotional suppression of yet another generation of women. Let's personalize this. I'm thinking of my two daughters, ages 17 and 14. I want things to be different for them than they were for me. I hope my two daughters can resist the constant bombardment of messages that teach women to dread menstruation, to conform to media-driven images of beauty, to become a silent, smiling, nodding people-pleaser. There has to be a correlation between our society's menstrual taboo and rampant low self-esteem expressed by eating disorders (and other things).

[innerSpaceman]

Media-driven images to dread menstruation??!!? Pardon me, but WTF?

First of all, since when has the media been necessary for women to dread the bad moods, nasty pain, and bloody inconvenience of a cycle that affects a third of their existence?

Secondly, please point me to more than one of these purported media images. Perhaps I'm not as attuned to it as a women, but aside from tampon commercials - I've not witnessed any advertising, any movies, tv shows, music or fashion that in any way even addresses the menstrual cycle. Perhaps the taboo of the subject in our society is not the best thing ... but it hardly makes for lots of media-driven images.