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It is said that the first shamans were female, and that menstruation was the original shamanic journey. In ancient cultures, a woman’s menstruation was treated as a rite of passage and sacred ritual. Women bled together in red tents or moon lodges, where they shared wisdom. During this time, a woman was considered to be more in tune with the spirit world. A woman’s menstrual blood is considered to hold healing and regenerative powers.
The piece explores the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle, which are each connected to a woman’s inner “season”, corresponding to the seasons of nature. The artwork follows a cycle of the seasons: from left, clockwise, we go through Spring (the follicular phase), then Summer at the top (ovulation), Fall on the right (the luteal phase), and Winter at the bottom (menstruation). Each season/cycle phase is associated with an archetype (Maiden, Mother, Enchantress, Crone) and with an element (Air, Fire, Earth, Water).
Historians believe that the first calendars were created by women, who tracked their menstrual cycles in connection with lunar rhythms, by creating markings in pots and bones. Women were the first observers of the basic periodicity of nature.