Sitting
here today during my bleeding cycle, I try to imagine what it was
like for the mooning women of the Maya, thousands of years ago. After
studying the Mayan culture for eight years, I feel I've come to know
them. The women of Meso-America have not been researched and discussed
in the academic world very extensively, save for a few writers like:
JoAnn Roman Brisco and Barbara Tedlock. Their works explain the Mayan
women as Goddesses and Shaman, instead of just the wives and mothers
of the noble men.
In other literary realms, the work of Hyemeyohsts Storm, in a book
called Lightningbolt, describes the women and men of the Maya living
as equals, following the "Great Circles of Law." He tells
of the women as spiritual warriors, defending their villages along
with the men. A great priestess/general named Temple Doors who lived
2600 years ago in an area south of Mexico City, led 24,000 people
on a northern migration from the Yucatan to the southwest area of
the United States, in particular, to Chaco Canyon in northern New
Mexico. Storm was told this story by Estcheemah, a descendant of the
ZERO CHIEFS of long ago. His story also credits Temple Doors with
bringing the "Great Circle of Law" and the "Medicine
Wheel" to the people of North America. According to Storm, this
information has been kept hidden for hundreds of years and is surfacing
at this time.
The Mayan Sacred Calendar follows a path of thirteen moon cycles.
Thirteen moons, instead of twelve months. Twenty-eight days in a moon
cycle represents a woman's bleeding cycle. The more my husband and
I studied this system, the more their calendar seemed to represent
a woman's body. We began to keep a count of days on a device called
the Tzolkin. A grid of 260 days repeated over and over. My husband
figured out how to use this Tzolkin as a woman's bleeding chart, a
MOON MAP. I charted by own bleeding cycles on it and watched as wonderful
patterns emerged. The feminine principle oozed forth, the calendar
came to life. When we acknowledge thirteen moon cycles, we honor the
female cycles.
I think the ancient women of the Maya enjoyed their moontime bleeding
because they followed the true cycle of the thirteen moons. They felt
the rhythm of the moon tides pulsing through their bodies and celebrated
this joyous time together. They nurtured and cared for each other,
making their moontime a special visionary time. When they emerged
from their moon lodges, they shared their visions with the tribe.
Our studies continue about these fascinating people and everyday we
find more connections to the women of the Maya. If you dig deep and
read between the lines, the roles of the females in the Meso-American
traditions were ones of power and accomplishment. The female bloodlines
were actually the acknowledged lineage of a king or nobleman. The
importance of recognizing the female parameters of this society is
a step in the worldwide acceptance of women as equals in our world
today. The Mayan Calendar has many secrets to discover and Lady Tzolkin
is just one of them. Play with her and experience the MOON CYCLES
OF THE MAYA for yourself. Happy Mooning...
Read
Article two: Breast Care, the Wise
Woman Way
