Women's-blood Healing Ceremony

 A woman’s sacred, monthly, moon time is a wonderful opportunity to return the gift of life given by Mother Earth back to Her.

 A menstruating woman sheds the sacred blood and tissues of her body monthly. Though we have been conditioned in this society to see the menstrual blood as dirty or gross, it is actually a very sacred, natural act that is one of the pivotal expressions of a woman’s power. The uterus, the sacred womb of creation, creates a nourishing, soft place for a baby to grow. When a baby does not utilize this holy space, that nourishing fluid and tissue is released back into the world. 

Returning this life-affirming fluid to the Earth is a very healing act. Generations of women past would return their life’s fluids to the Earth by way of soaking and washing their blood-cloths. In recent generations, we have relied on disposable products that then sit in a landfill, never truly breaking down or returning to the Earth (in order to biodegrade, organic products need air, water, and sunlight in order for the microbes to break down the material; inorganic products can take hundreds to thousands of years if they ever do break down [1].) Cloth pads are not only reusable and compostable (if made of 100% cotton,) in this author’s opinion, they are far more comfortable! 

For those who use cloth pads, you can use your pad soak-water to drench the Earth with life-giving nourishment. Simply place your used pads in a bucket of water for a few hours, squeeze the pad to release as much material as possible, then wash as normal. The contents of the soak-water are beneficial to plants, providing nitrogen and other nutrients [2]. For sanitary purposes, you may want to use the soak-water on ornamental plants rather than edibles as blood can contain pathogens. If you have a high-heat composting system, you can probably add it to compost since potential pathogens will be destroyed by the heat [3]. 

The pouring of the soak-water upon the Earth is a ceremony in and of itself. Without much effort on your part, you are returning powerful energy to the Great Mother who has provided for you. As you pour the water, say a prayer during this blessed, healing time. An example: 

To the Children of the Earth
Especially the sacred line of mothers and daughters
Including the Great Mother Herself
This life-giving essence that has been given to me
I now return to you imbued with my own sacred energy
Heal and grow healthy by my gift

This act is very simple yet very powerful. It doesn’t require more materials than you already are dealing with and only requires minimal extra time and a space outside to spill the water. Not only will you benefit from the connection to all women and the Great Mother, the Earth will benefit in return, and your plants will look lush and green!

 Recommended cloth pad resources: http://www.manymoonsalternatives.com/

Sources:

 [1] Article “Do Biodegradable Items Really Break Down in Landfills?” http://environment.about.com/od/recycling/a/biodegradable.htm

[2] Blood meal as a nitrogen amendment to soil: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_meal

[3] Most pathogens are destroyed at temperatures of 131 degrees or higher. See section on composting in the following article: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystems/DI8544.html