How To Sync Your Menstrual Cycle With The Moon (And Feel In Flow)

Have you ever wondered how to sync your menstrual cycle with the moon?

I started working with the moon phases a few years ago, and I realised that my menstrual cycle didn’t follow the natural cycle of the moon.

So, what do I mean by that? What is the natural cycle of the moon?

The moon has four main phases, and the menstrual cycle also has four main phases. Each of the moon’s phases is linked to one of our phases. And each phase represents one of the four seasons of the year.

• New Moon – Phase 1: Menstruation Phase (Winter)

• Waxing Moon – Phase 2: Follicular Phase (Spring)

• Full Moon – Phase 3: Ovulatory Phase (Summer)

• Waning Moon – Phase 4: Luteal Phase (Autumn/Fall)

It takes the moon around 29 days to complete a full cycle, which is a similar length of an average menstrual cycle. But of course, our bodies are all different, and our cycle lengths vary.

If you’re synced with the moon’s cycle, then as you can see above, you’ll bleed around the new moon, and you’ll ovulate around the full moon. This is also called a white moon cycle.

The white moon cycle is historically viewed as the most optimal cycle for women. This is because full moon is the most fertile window for nature; tides are higher, and plants and crops get an extra boost of light from the moon. So it makes sense that this is linked to the ovulation phase of the menstrual cycle; the time when a woman is most fertile, too.

The benefits of syncing your cycle with the moon are that you’ll feel more in flow. Your cycle will no longer feel like a burden, but an opportunity to ebb and flow the way the moon does. And instead of fighting against the tide, you’ll swim with it, and feel harmony and peace.

But don’t feel you need to force your body to fit a certain length or cycle. As long as you’re healthy, and you have a fairly regular cycle, then it doesn’t really matter what the moon is doing. Because you can still align and work with her energy no matter what.

However, if you feel called to sync your menstrual cycle with the moon, then I’ve put together a list of small but powerful things you can do to get there.

The origins of syncing with the moon

In ancient American Indigenous culture, women were the central figures and leaders of their families and communities. This also meant they felt a great deal of responsibility for other people’s troubles, and took their burdens on as their own. But they couldn’t do it alone. They needed to call on the wise elders—the grandmothers—for help.

“Grandmother Ocean spoke to her sister of the women’s plight. Grandmother Moon responded, ‘I am the power of the feminine. I will send into the women, my sisters, your waters carrying my power. Once every moon cycle, you shall come into the women through me and purify them.’ And, she did this. Ever since then, every woman has a time each moon cycle when she embodies the power of the moon and her flow is the cleansing of the ocean. We call this the woman’s time of the moon, or moon-time.”

—Nicholas Noblewolf

In moon lodges, women would come together to bleed, creating a sacred space for cleansing and connection. And this period of rest and reflecting inwards would allow these women to receive feminine wisdom, which they would then bring back with them to their community.

But over time, this practice and deep connection to the moon has been lost. A woman bleeding is seen as disgusting or bad luck in many cultures and countries today. What was once sacred has been turned by the patriarchy into something vile. The natural rhythms and flow of our bodies and hormones have been medicalised. While all the magic and beauty and wonder has been dismissed.

But many women are returning to their forgotten gifts. They are remembering. And they are waking up. To their power, their strength, and their grace.

If you’re here, then you are waking up, too.

Here’s how to sync your menstrual cycle with the moon

1. Tune into the moon and her energy

To sync your menstrual cycle with the moon, you have to first align with the moon and her energy.

If you’re new to working with the moon, head here to look up the different dates and phases for where you live. There are also moon phase apps you can download and have on your phone for easy access each day.

This will help you know when she’ll be visible in the sky, so you can get outside and feel her illuminating down on your skin.

Start looking for where she appears in the sky, and go outside in the evenings as often as you can and just be with her. Your back garden (if you have one) is perfect for this.

This is the first step to connecting with the moon, and tuning in to her sacred cycle.

2. Be in nature during the day

In ancient times, there was no such thing as a computer or phone; and no one had an office job where they were forced to sit inside at a desk for 9 hours each day.

This meant that women would spend much more time outside, immersed in the natural beauty and rhythms of nature. And this caused most women’s cycles to naturally sync with the moon.

So try and get outdoors as much as you can in the day. Stepping outside first thing in the morning and grounding your bare feet on the earth is a wonderful way to feel connected to nature. Maybe you could go for a walk in the park on your lunch break, and even eat outdoors if weather permits.

Expose your body to as much natural light as possible in the day, because this will help your body return to its natural rhythm.

3. Minimise light pollution in the evenings

It’s easy to find yourself on your phone or laptop or even watching TV in the evenings. But all this extra screen time messes with our body. Because your body thinks it’s night time, but all the light confuses it.

So if possible, switch everything off as early in the evening as you can. If you are using screens, use a blue light filter (I love Flux).

And try and minimise artificial lighting, and opt for Himalayan salt lamps and candles instead.

4. Block light out of your bedroom when sleeping (when the moon isn’t visible)

When the moon is in its dark and new stages, it won’t be visible in the sky. Similarly, on a cloudy night, it won’t be visible either.

So on these nights, try and keep your bedroom as dark as possible when going to sleep. This will help your body produce more melatonin – a natural hormone that helps control your sleep cycle.

Blackout curtains or blinds are a great option if you live in a city or town. But a cheaper alternative is to invest in a comfortable eye mask.

5. But sleep with your curtains open when the moon is full

When the moon is waxing or full, and it’s a clear night, your chances of seeing the moon are good. So on these nights, sleep with your curtains a little open (if you can).

This will allow the moonlight to trickle in while you sleep, and bathe you in her warm glow. The more time you spend in her light, the more your menstrual cycle will begin to sync with hers.

Alternatively, if your bathroom has a window that has moonlight pouring in, you could take a bath and bathe in the moonlight before going to bed.

6. Start tracking your menstrual cycle

If you’re new to menstrual cycle tracking and planning, I highly encourage you to give this a try. There are so many apps out there designed for this, including HelloClue, Flo, and Natural Cycles. Or if you prefer pen and paper, you might want to invest in a moon planner or diary, and track your cycle in there.

You’ll begin to notice the natural pattern and rhythm of your cycle, and how this aligns with the current phase of the moon.

And even if you don’t want to sync your menstrual cycle with the moon, knowing how it works is such a valuable tool when it comes to planning your life and giving yourself what you need during different phases.

See Also

9 Waning Moon Rituals To Help You Release & Surrender

Some days you’ll have low energy, and rest and self-care will be important. Other days, you’ll feel highly creative, and giving yourself permission as well as space to be creative is what’s needed at this time.

7. Ditch the pill (if you can or want to)

Medical birth control is a wonderful thing, because it has allowed women to enjoy sex without worrying about an unwanted pregnancy. This has meant women have been able to delay marriage and settling down, and enjoy a thriving career the way men always have.

But contraceptives like the pill and implant disrupt our bodies, and throw them off course. When you’re on the contraceptive pill, even though you bleed, you’re not having a real period. It’s like a simulation of a period. So naturally, your body gets really confused.

So if you can, and you want to, take a break from contraceptives that effect your body. This could really help you find a more natural rhythm in your menstrual cycle, and feel more aligned with the moon.

8. Seed cycle

Seed cycling is an alternative medicine that involves incorporating seeds into your daily diet to balance your hormones and regulate your cycle. It is often prescribed by holistic doctors and health practitioners to women who have irregular cycles, when transitioning off birth control, and also for women approaching menopause.

Here’s how it works:

You add one to two tablespoons of ground pumpkin seeds and ground flax seeds to your diet every day from the first day you bleed until you ovulate. Next, add one to two tablespoons of ground sunflower seeds and ground sesame seeds to your diet from the day after you ovulate until the day before your next bleed.

If you have an irregular cycle, you can use the moon phases to guide you instead of your internal rhythm.

9. Live and lead with the moon phases

Another beautiful way to tune in to the moon is to start creating your own new moon and full moon rituals.

The new moon is all about resetting, reflecting on the past moon, and creating new intentions. While the full moon is about expansion, celebration, and completion.

I have a moon journal, where I keep all my reflections and intentions from my moon rituals for the year. You might like to do the same.

Moon rituals can be done on your own, or in a sacred circle with other women. I’m witnessing more and more women returning to their forgotten gifts and power, and the number of moon gatherings being held is rising.

So see if there’s one going on near you that you could attend. Alternatively, call some women you know and think might be interested, and host your own.

Remember – there is no “bad” cycle

Now you know how to sync your menstrual cycle with the moon, so that it follows the same pattern as her. But remember, if your cycle doesn’t match a typical white moon cycle, there’s nothing wrong with that, and there’s nothing wrong with you.

You don’t have to bleed with the new moon, and ovulate with the full moon, and follow an exact 29 day cycle to feel in flow or aligned with the moon.

Maybe you don’t bleed at all, or you’re experiencing menopause right now. Maybe your cycle is irregular and erratic. And all of those things are okay.

There was a time when I thought my cycle was wrong, because it’s the opposite of the moon’s, and follows a red moon cycle. But I started researching what that symbolised and meant, and found great meaning and a connection to what I discovered. It made complete sense to me that I’m currently on a red moon cycle.

And that hasn’t stopped me working with the moon. In fact, I’ve never felt more in tune with her than I do now.

Over time, this may naturally change, and maybe it won’t. But I have made a choice to love my menstrual cycle the way it is today. And I offer you that same invite.