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There is a natural ebb and flow in life. Sometimes you feel really inspired to write and create, and other times you just want to stay in bed all day. Don’t judge it. It is what it is. Life’s all about riding the waves, baby.
As women, we have an inbuilt ebb and flow rhythm called our ‘moon cycle’. This means that throughout the different phases of the month, our energy is going to wax and wane, just like the moon does. This cyclical aspect of your being is something you can’t escape, no matter how hard you try, and I’ve found that it’s far better to work with this natural rhythm than to struggle against it.
During the ebb phase of your moon cycle — your ‘red moon’ — you may feel like coming out of fifth gear and sliding back into first. You may also feel totally introverted and want to lay in bed, sipping rose and raspberry leaf tea (great for your lady bits) and journal all day. Then, after your red moon, you may experience a surge of energy — like you can conquer the world. It’s a natural rhythm of life and we must honour it.
Years ago, I would ignore this cycle and just push, push, push. I was very type A; always striving and wanting to do, be and achieve more. Go harder, push faster was my motto. Now — and maybe it comes with age, marriage, and officially becoming a step mama — everything has shifted gears. I don’t want to push; I prefer to flow. Life is much nicer that way. This doesn’t mean I’m not driven anymore — quite the opposite, actually. It just means I have taken the Sisyphean pushing-a-cement-truck-up-a-hill feeling out of the equation.
I have read a lot of books from successful entrepreneurs and leaders who say you got to work hard; that you’ve got to put in the 14 hour days if you want your business to take off. And I get it — I am all for putting in the work. But I took it a little too literally…
Someone once said to me that during the week, it’s all about ‘head down, bum up’. No catching up with friends for tea or going out for dinner, just sit behind your computer and work your ass off, sista.
So I did.
And promptly burnt myself out in the process. Not to mention made myself seriously unhappy. But then I realised something: All those people that had been telling me to lock myself in my office and not move my tush until I’d inspired billions around the world all had one thing in common… they were male.
Now, this is not an attack towards men, I love men. This is simply a conversation to highlight the difference in the masculine and feminine energy systems we all have inbuilt within us. Being an entrepreneur takes balls. It calls for you to step more into your masculine, ‘yang’ energy. However, I have learnt that women flow better when we listen to our body. When we tune in and follow the natural ebb and flow of our moon cycle.
I have also realised that we thrive off deep, soulful connections with each other. We feed off the energetic exchange we experience when we’re in the same room. It unlocks our sacred feminine and fires up our shakti, which is exactly why I started a Goddess Circle with my girlfriends. It inspires me to be around that feminine energy. And when I truly honour that, I feel liberated. No more guilt around not sitting behind my computer writing and creating 24/7; I’m able to enjoy being out in the world and experiencing my life fully.
It’s also important because I am a people person. I get off on connecting with people and hearing their stories. I freaking love it! I guess I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing if I hated people, that’s for sure. I love helping others and have done since a very young age. I’m extroverted. Big. Colourful. Bubbly. Enthusiastic. Passionate. Positive. Energetic and over-excited at the same time. It’s part of who I am and I am only now fully embracing it.
Respecting your own ebb and flow is essential for women who want to do more and feel good.
So these days, letting go of the masculine in me that wants to push-push-push, and instead sliding into my feminine energy is what lights me up from my core.
I had a friend ask me the other day how she could fire up her creative juices after her moon cycle. She said she sometimes struggles to re-light her fire within.
Here’s My Advice…
- Get out from behind your computer, get out of the house, and go be in nature — stat. Go for a walk in the park or on the beach. Dive in the ocean and get the sun on your skin.
- Move your body. Jump on a rebounder (great for your lymphatic system). Head to your favourite yoga class, dance class or turn up Beyoncé in your lounge room and dance like no one is watching.
- Paint. Draw. Knit. Or create something with your hands. (Lego is also a great option!)
- Journal it out. Write down exactly how you are feeling right there in that moment and then keep writing until you can’t write any more.
- Sip organic herbal tea in nature whilst reading a good book. There’s something super powerful and divinely feminine about the combination of tea, a good book, and nature that really fires up your creativity.
- Catch up with an inspiring friend, either in person or over the phone. I am incredibly inspired by energetic, uplifting people. I always leave feeling lit up from my core.
- And finally… Meditate. It fixes everything!
Now it’s over to you, gorgeous: How do you get your creative juices flowing? Share with us in the comments below.
Remember, people from all over the world come here to be inspired and your comment may be the one thing that inspires dramatic shifts deep within them. So share your love.
As always, thank you so much for being here. Writing for you truly lights me up.
Dear Melissa,
when and how did you start meditating and was it hard at first? Any advice?
And I also wanted to ask you for some great tips for a good night’s sleep?
Love
Hey Antonia,
I started meditating in yoga class over 6 years ago now and I loved it. I started with guided meditations much like my guided meditations then after a few years I wanted to go deepen within my practice so I learnt TM with Tom Cronin. For any newbie I would start with guided meditations, they are great and super powerful. Try that and see how you feel.
In regards to sleep start meditating and your sleep will deepen.
Let me know how you go darling.
xx
What beautiful advice to remember to honour our feminine energy, especially when running our businesses. Thank you Melissa.
For me, I got my creative juices flowing when I started waking up early again. I was naturally an early riser but had gotten into the pattern of sleeping in, lured by morning snuggles with my beau.
Once I got back into rising early, I found my most creative and productive time was first thing in the morning, after meditation :o)
Thanks, Melissa for encouragement and inspiration! I am at the beginning of this beautiful journey “Unlocking My Femininity” and for now being able to start and end my day with meditation and little moment of stillness really helps to be more aware of my heart. When comes times I’m a little stressed or worried I listen to mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum. It is calming and somehow after a while I am calm and everything around me seems more brighter.
Such a great post Mel and a great reminder!
I have now started to listen to what my heart needs and not feel guilty about it. Some days I want to sit at my laptop all day and work away and some days I want to step away and sit on the couch with a good book. I now listen to that. I love sitting in the sunshine with my toes in the grass, I find this grounds me and clears my head. I also go for a walk and find a spot to sit and just be for a while. Or I grab a book, a cup of tea and soak into my couch.
xx
I love this!! So gently written and so very wise – just listen! such a simple sentiment. Thank you!
Thank you beautiful Vanessa. So glad you enjoyed it. x
THANK YOU… I abosuetly love this post Mel. As a new coach and blogger starting out I didn’t want to show a lifestyle of sitting at a computer 12 hours a day or pushing my limits I have done that in careers that skilled me yes but didn’t make me feel purposeful on a deeper level.
So thank you, I have relised my biggest creative asset is being in new experience and catching up for tea with loved ones where we don’t have to focus on ourselves and our goals but on what is happening in our friends lives (it’s like a pause button).
PS had to look up what Sisyphean means 😛
Have a great day.
Beautiful post Mel. I’m one for flowing with the natural rhythms. I feel as though we come down from our creative highs because we need to and a woman’s cycle is the perfect reminder to slow down and go within.
When this first started happening I would panic, I wondered where the next blog post would come from, the next big idea, had my well of creativity dried up for good? and this is where I learnt that after a creative high, my body needed time to come down and just be and during this time I would allow myself to do whatever feels good.. rather than worry about what I “should” be doing or feeling. Our bodies are always sending us messages hey babe.
Big love.
xxx
Totally honey. Our body is always talking to us and it’s our job to tune in and listen up.
xx
I love this post Mel!
Thankyou. I am exactly at the beginning of a new moon cycle, and was asking for guidance on this in my meditation this morning. Bless you, sister!
Love Hayley x x
So beautiful, sweet lady. I agree that it’s so easy to get swept away in the DO and PUSH; embracing that yin energy can be tricky to start, but it’s so delicious!
Since really tracking the moon and my cycle, and honouring how I’m feeling, I am much, much more in tune with my feminine energy. What had felt like such a gigantic revelation, now feels so true in my body. You definitely can’t “un-know” this one! Love you x
This is great Melissa. I’ve had my head-down, bum-up for the past week or so and I’ve been forgetting to eat and look after myself properly. The result, obviously, has been irritability, aches, pains and bad sleep.
I actually read an article the other day about business building from a (woman?!) who said it’s “ok to ruin your life for a few years to make your business sustainable”. I felt there is something deeply wrong with that statement. Thanks for being the voice that says it’s OK to not go gung-ho among all the voices that say otherwise.
M x
You’re welcome darling. There are times which call for us to go gung-ho and there are times to flow (hay that rhymes). It’s our duty to tune in and listen to what our body needs moment to moment.
xx
LOVE IT Melissa! Such true and powerful words. Only now am I learning to tune into my body and listen to when it needs to rest. It is so empowering to just let the feminine in me flow, and as an added bonus I am rekindling the creative spirit in me. Thank you for always speaking the truth and being such an inspiration to me! Erica x
Thank you for such beautiful insights Melissa. I very much enjoyed reading your advice on the ebb and flow of life. I especially loved the point you make on respecting our natural rhythm, instead of trying to ‘push’ through.
I find (strangely enough!) that making a salad is very inspiring for my creativity, as well as being a therapeutic exercise. I love chopping up the different array of vegetables into fine slices, mixing it all together with my hands in a bowl, and garnishing it with fresh herbs. The vibrant colours-red capsicum, orange carrots, purple beetroots, green leaves and red tomatoes ( to name a few) get my creative juices flowing, my mind opens up, and I feel calm and free.
I am really inspired by your words I want to do it all right now. I would like to know more about the moon cycle can you elaborate on how the cycle flows e.g ups and downs or is it individual to each person. Thanks your awesome
Right on target beautiful lady! I just finished writing an ebook on this subject 🙂 You can head on over to my website and check it out if you would like it’s free of course. http://www.leoniemosdell.com
I’m all for women supporting their moon cycles and its very important that women of all ages learn to honour and nurture their feminine energy. When a women is empowered the whole world becomes empowered. Love and hugs always
Leonie
xxx
Another beautiful, simple and inspiring piece, thank you Melissa ❤️ This is so refreshing to read and I need to take more of this on.
I am new to Melissa’s page but love what I have read and received so far! I dont write a blog, nor am I an entrepreneur! I was wondering if anyone could explain how you know which part of your moon cycle you’re in when. Thanks! Big love xxx
Hey Jess,
Welcome to the tribe beautiful!
I would suggest downloading the add period tracker and start tracking your cycle. You can also read this article here.
I have been tracking my cycle for years now and I feel very in alignment and in tune with my body. It really is a very beautiful and empowering thing.
Let me know how you go darling.
xx
Not sure how you do this. But your posts always come at the perfect moment for me. Thank you! I have to say these days I feel slightly overwhelmed. I am trying to build my own business and have so many ideas and plans. I keep pushing myself towards my goals with endless to-do lists of which I only can achieve a few things as time is always running out. What I experienced though is once I start my day right, meaning meditation and some movement, things start to look and feel different and more relaxed! However, its a challenge to stay in this state of mind throughout the day. Its great to have you and your lovely posts as a reminder every now and then. Go with the flow – this is my new mantra! 🙂 xx
Hi Eva, you are totally right! If for any reason I ever miss my morning session, it’s like the day just does not flow with as much ease and grace. So glad you are enjoying my posts. Thanks for visiting 🙂 x
P.S. Just reflecting on what you said about overwhelm and having so many ideas… why don’t you check out enrolling in B-School?
This is so good Melissa! I’m writing a book this year and so I’ve started working at my desk for hours on end. This is such a great reminder that sometimes our most important “task” is to step away from our desks.
I’ve made a new rule for myself that if I notice I’m going on social media or any other site to pass the time then that’s a sign I need to get up and go do something else.
I’m my own boss so there is no reason to sit at my desk and keep office hours.
Thanks for the reminder to go outside! (Even if it’s -29 (F) right now!)
So true Katie! Make sure you let us all know when your beautiful book is birthed into the world. x
Wonderful reminder that we are not always being “lazy” when we feel like sitting down with a good book or simply sitting. Melissa, I love your website and emails but am having a problem feeling as if they apply to me because of my 57 year-old age. I am in great health, have a 17 year-old son, and am very active. I am irritated with myself for giving in to the thought that “it’s too late to really do anything or change.” Please give me just a few words to help get me out of this negative thinking. Thank you!!
It’s NEVER too late Pam. You only have this precious moment right here right now, nothing else exists my darling. Time is an illusion and so is your age, you’re as old or young as you feel 😉
Thank you for this article Melissa!
I find that some days I don’t have anything to say or to write, and other days I write three posts on a row… and now I know why.
Personally I never realized that much about the moon cycle and my relation with it since I live in the city and work 9 to 6 (sometimes 8 to 6) in an office with little natural light, so many days I can’t appreciate the changes in the sky, in the sun or in the moon.But now that I read this text I find that could be a huge relation between my mood, my creativity and my energy depending on my clycle.
When I feel I can’t write or create anything I just FORGIVE MYSELF, which is something I recently learnt.
Thank you again, and keep inspiring us as you do!
Hugs from Spain,
That’s perfect Irene forgiveness is key.
If I was you I would try and get out in the fresh air as much as possible. Eat your lunch outside and even if it’s for 5 minutes only get outside. It does wonders for your creativity.
xx
I am exhaling. Your blog came so timely. I felt like I was going nuts and coming apart at the seems. I am a grief/palliative care counsellor at a Hospice, wife, mother to two amazing active teens and an starting my own business. I was told to have it all you need to do it all and now in my mid 40’s going..”what happened to me?”
I have been pushing myself to complete endless to do lists, be there for my kids, husband and friends all the while loosing pieces of me. I have become impatient, overwhelmed and starting to panic now which is so not like me. I have ignored my body and mental needs to order to swim up stream with my colleagues but now realizing that I need to step back and refocus. I am not where I want to be.
I am new to your blog and love the connection and sense of village, something that I truly miss in my life. The ebb and flow has disconnected in my life, its time to reconnect to my femininity. Exhaling again and asking the universe for guidance.
Continuing to breath.
Erin –
Isn’t it amazing how things find us right when we need them? I feel the same way and can totally relate to you. As women we have to understand that we absolutely have to make time for ourselves. We need to love ourselves wholly and that means sometimes saying no to the demands of others. I also started suffering panic attacks and one day woke up and realized that I have become a person I didn’t like. But the amazing thing about that is that we hold the power to change and be whoever we want- our pasts do not define our future selves. You inspire me with your honesty, and I will be rooting for your on your journey.
Melissa
Amen sister!
xx
Melissa –
This hit the nail right on the head! You are right, it is so important to be in sync with the natural ebb and flow of life. Like you, I am also very Type A and would often feel like a failure if I was not “doing” something or completing a task from my endless to-do list. I would push myself to the limits and would always be run-down and burned out, and I never had energy for any of the fun in life. About 6 months ago, I crashed and burned. I knew in that moment that my life had to change if I wanted to live a happy and healthy one, so I have started making changes. I found an amazing therapist, took up yoga and meditation (truly the best medicine ever!!!!), began eating organically , and started perusing for self-love blogs like yours. 😉 (You are amazing, btw) I still have a long ways to go, and I am still trying to find my “purpose”, but I am healthier than I have ever been. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me on my journey. I wish all the others who read your blog health and happiness as well- we are all in this together.
Melissa
🙂
Thank you so much beautiful. You made me well up.
It sounds like you did my program Get Your Glow On 😉
I am so proud of you for making so many awesome shifts and so glad you are feeling the benefits. How good is yoga and meditation… bliss!
Keep going my darling and keep me updated with your progress.
So much love and light to you beautiful.
xx
Wonderful post, thank you for sharing, Melissa!
For me cleaning up my diet always works if my mind feels cluttered – I’ve noticed that whenever I indulge in too much sugar or refined carbs feel down, unmotivated and just plain miserable. I know, I know – it’s no brainer! So whenever I feel like this I detox, put away those nasties, drink more water and exercise. It always helps, somehow!
I agree with every factor that you have pointed out. Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts on this. Check This Publisher –> ReadersMagnet.club
Thanks!