I first became aware of the personal, cultural and religious
significance of menstruation during my post-graduate research of the origins
of male circumcision. Among other theories, the term “menstruation envy” –
men’s desire to equal and imitate menstruation, creating parallel menstrual
rituals - were suggested in studies of different cultures all over the world. This revelation was the opening to me to search for,
and discover the Goddess. (First published in "Goddess Pages")
Olympia
The Temple of Hera at Olympia is
thought to be by far the oldest and predates the temple of Zeus (470 BCE -
completed circa 456 BCE). In fact the earliest Greek temple, according to
Carl Kerényi, was that of Hera, and it was a prototype for the later, more
"Olympian structures”.
Hera’s first Temple - the Heraion
of Samos - was a sanctuary on the
Southern region of Samos. Research has revealed many of construction phases,
the first dating to the 8th century BCE. The religion of Hera included
menstrual rituals to follow the cycles of the moon and every four years the
Goddess Hera was celebrated at the games & feast of the Heraia, where
only women ran races. Runners were selected from three age groups
representing the phases of the moon. These special games, Carl Kerényi
believes, originated what became the Olympic Games.
Pre-Olympian Myth: On the day of
the new moon, women of the city walked together to the river Eleutherion
(ελευθεριον - freedom) - the Water of Freedom. They bathed and then gathered
branches from the lygos bushes, which they laid in a circle. With the
blessing of Hera, the lygos encouraged the flow of their menstrual blood that
would complete the cleansing. As evening approached, they called upon the Goddess
in Her appearance as the Moon. Or as Carl Kerényi has called Her "the
spellbinding moonlight of Greece", the "origin of all things".
Gradually Hera drew forth the blood of purification and renewed fertility.
********
Working as a complementary therapist
in London, I have seen a significant increase in the number of women seeking
help for menstrual problems in the last few years. During the course of
treatments, I have time and again observed an overwhelming need to talk in
detail about the physical and emotional experience of menstruation, as if
there was an unstoppable desire to make it a shared experience.
Having read Comparative Religion at
post-graduate level, I often see these occasions as an opportunity to recall
the history of the Goddess as Her origin relates inextricably to the rituals
and mythology of menstruation. Clients find these sessions especially
healing, but Her story has not only engendered amazement, but often rage –
anger, that this rich heritage is not in the public domain and is missing
from general culture and awareness.
During treatments, these
conversations have repeatedly developed into integral part of some sessions,
leading to requests to give talks on the history of the Goddess as it relates
to menstruation. Consequently I have returned to the library of the University
of London, my alma mater, to have another look at the literature and some of
the archaeological, historical and etymological sources on this topic.
The Moon
 The phases of the Moon affect the
ebb and flow of the tides on earth. The Moon also affects our mood as well.
The gravitational pull of the Moon affects all bodies of water, including the
human body system, primarily made of water. Most commonly, women tend to
ovulate around the time of the full moon and begin menstruating just before or around the new
moon. Many cultures throughout time have referred to a woman's menses as her
"Moon time". From ancient times people recognized the connection of
the Moon’s cyclic nature with the cyclic nature of women's menstrual cycles.
Many creation myths follow the familiar theme that menstrual blood was the
source, from which the World and humans were created. Greek, Roman, Norse,
Celtic, Egyptian, Hindu and aboriginal Australian creation myths, all refer
to the mysterious and sacred nature of the Moon's cycle and menstrual
blood-flow as the very origin of life and Creation.
While Genesis, the most familiar
creation story to the Western mind, in the Bible does not appear to echo this
premise - God creating Earth simply from chaos and later
forming the first man, Adam from earth, breathing soul into him. A closer examination of
the original Hebrew text, however appears to reflect earlier creation myths
that place a kind of primordial blood as the fundamental source of creation.
Thus an examination of the Hebrew reveal that words for earth - adamah - and human/man – adam - can be traced to the actual root word: dam meaning blood. It is also important to note that unlike English, in the Hebrew
language nouns are divided into feminine and masculine gender and
interestingly both words (mother) earth (adamah) and soul(nefesh) are in the feminine
gender.
Researching and analysing this
theme from entirely diverse backgrounds, Chris Knight , Judy Grahn , as
well as authors of ‘The Wise Wound’ and
others, in their writings on different cultures and world mythologies, have
shown that all religious ceremonies, rites originated from ancient menstrual
rituals. Menstrual blood was considered by the earliest cultures to be one of
the most sacred substances since it is the only kind of blood that's not
linked to death and dying – but to the potential for new life.
In ancient times, the obvious and
visible relationship between phases of the Moon and the female cycle clearly
indicated women’s special relationship with nature generally and uniquely
with the Moon. It has been suggested that the very first religious rituals
developed, when in harmony with nature, as the New Moon menstrual synchrony
was celebrated in small communities by women. In various cultures the Moon
became the symbol of menstruation and femininity. This is again reflected in
language: in Latin languages - luna and once more in Hebrew - levanah, one of the expressions for moon is feminine.
Wisdom
A woman's cyclical life opens her
to a vast elemental force that is both deeply intimate and at the same time
cosmic; euphoric, creative, erotic and healing. She can enter the depth of
this sphere monthly at menstruation and the menstrual cycle is itself can be
the guidance for fully understanding and realizing this power, writes Alexandra Pope in the “Wild Genie”.
For our ancestors this power
reflected the rhythms of Mother Earth as the female body is also able to
renew, nurture, give birth, nourish and feed new life. For early humans it
seemed that it is by design that the menstrual blood, the only blood that is not
the result of illness or violence, holds the blessing and wisdom of Goddess
Earth and each and every woman carry within herself HER wisdom and blessing.
The negative patriarchal attitudes
to the Goddess, menstruation and women generally during the last 5,000 years
are well documented today. Yet it is significant that in ancient Greece the
Goddess Athena remained the representative of “Wisdom”. Later with the
emergence of Christianity the very name Sophia, meaning “wisdom”, perpetuated
this link between female blood and wisdom.
In the English language the words
“blood” and “blessing” has been traced back to a common root: bleodswean - “to sanctify with blood” - according to The Woman's Encyclopaedia of Myths
and Secrets. Here, Barbara Walker suggests
that the word has its origin in menstrual rituals.
The Kabbalah teaches us the
Scriptures are full of alluded meanings. So it should not come as a surprise
that the Hebrew word for blessing - berachah - is feminine. Moreover, in
Hebrew, words that represent wisdom - hochmah, insight - binah, knowledge – daat, are all feminine.
Healing
Menstrual blood was not only seen
as fundamental and central part of ritual, and perhaps magic. It was also
widely viewed as a universal elixir of life. Ancient Taoist teachings imply
that a person consuming it, could achieve longevity or even eternal life.
Ayurvedic medical practices recorded the use of menstrual blood, and in the
past it could be prescribed, both for internal and external use.
In Olympia the life of the Gods
depended on ambrosia: the mixture of the Goddess Hera’s menstrual blood and
honey ensuring their immortality. As well as the Moon, honey was also associated and used as a synonym for
menstrual blood in many cultures. The word “honeymoon", according to The Woman's Encyclopaedia, refers to the lunar month following the wedding
that would include a menstrual period, the real source of what was
euphemistically called moon-honey. According to ancient beliefs, the groom
had to be literally in contact with the source of life; the menstrual blood
of the bride. There are similar expressions today in different languages. The
Hungarian language has comparable traditions, calling this time mézeshetek - “honeyed weeks”.
Milk and honey
In popular thinking, the Jews of
the Hebrew Bible shared a common belief system, ruled by a male God. The
evidence from the Bible itself paints a different picture. Raphael Patai, the
noted Biblical scholar and author of The Hebrew Goddess states: "... it would be strange if the
Hebrew-Jewish religion, which flourished for centuries in a region of
intensive goddess cults, had remained immune to them." Archaeologists
have uncovered Hebrew settlements where the goddesses Asherah and
Astarte-Anath were routinely worshipped. And in fact, for about 3,000 years,
the Hebrews worshipped female deities.
The enduring presence of the
feminine facet of God, the female deity, Sechina, in the Hebrew Bible also
backs up Patai’s thesis. This is supported by evidence from wall paintings in
the earliest known synagogue - built in the middle of the 3rd century CE at
Dura Europos (in present day Syria). In the most sacred area of the building,
the heroic women of the Old Testament are portrayed on the murals. Only one
central figure is shown nude on the frescos. Raphael Patai, relying on early
rabbinic literature, the Midrash, convincingly presents a case that the naked
female figure is God’s female aspect - the Shechina.
The eternally present, but never
actually revealed divine feminine, never ceases to permeate the language - lashon, soul - nefesh and land – eretz, of the Hebrew Scriptures. Can it be
just a coincidence that these words are all feminine?
It is universally known that in
Judaism, contact with menstrual blood is not permitted and consuming any kind
of blood is forbidden as blood is believed to contain the (feminine) nefesh - soul (Leviticus 17: 14). The Kabbalah points out however that, after
giving birth, the mother’s body transforms menstrual blood, to life-giving
milk to feed the baby.
The familiar biblical phrase in
Deuteronomy (11:9) “A land flows with milk and honey” - 'eretz zavat halav udvash’ - appears several times in the Bible, and serves as the description of
the land of Israel. This phrase can be understood at many levels. The simple
meaning is - a rich and fertile land. In Numbers (13:23), we read that the
scouts return with pomegranates, figs and grapes as a confirmation that it is a land 'flowing
with milk and honey'.
Here, repeatedly, the reader comes
across an imagery of the feminine that was widespread in the ancient world.
Pomegranates were a universal symbol of fertility because of their many
seeds, and at the same time of menstruation because of the vivid blood red
colour. In mythology, the pomegranate was a symbol of the Aegean Triple
Goddess who evolved into Hera, who is often represented offering the
pomegranate. The fig in early and oriental cultures was similarly a symbol of
the feminine and fertility. In ancient Rome, where Hera has evolved to Juno,
She was celebrated as Goddess of the wild fig tree. Ancient rabbinic
literature also records discussions among the sages, suggesting that the
“forbidden fruit” of the ‘tree of knowledge’ in the Garden of Eden was either
the fig or the pomegranate that has given Adam and Eve sexual knowledge.
It is difficult not to notice the
rich sexual and clearly menstrual imagery here. The fact that milk and honey
are both considered feminine substances, literally or symbolically,
strengthens this argument. Additionally the word 'zavat' , which is translated as ‘flowing’ or 'oozing' ,
usually appears in the Bible within the context of sexual and body fluids,
including semen and menstrual blood.
There is further evidence to
support this interpretation of the feminine. The sexual imagery of the Bible
in King Solomon’s poetry uses similar expressions. In the Song of Songs
(4:11), we read: 'milk and honey are under your tongue’. Later (5:1) the erotic imagery of the feminine
or even menstrual, seems even more explicit: “I have come into my garden, my
sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh, with my spice; I have eaten my honey-comb with my
honey; I have drank my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yes, drink abundantly, O beloved.”
Searching for an additional layer
of meaning, when exploring the word “honey” again the Kabbalah puts forward an effortless but compelling
argument, simply by using numerology - gematria, the study of the numerical
value of Hebrew letters to reveal hidden meanings of words of the Bible. It
draws attention to the fact that the value of the letters in the word dvash - honey and the word isha - woman is equal. The numerical value in both words is 306. 3+0+6=9. Once again the timeless, pre-Olympian
Hera comes to mind, Goddess of fecundity, renewing her fertility in the river
at the new moon, revealing Her sacred number - 9.
©André Zsigmond
References:
Grahn, J (1993) Blood,
Bread, and Roses: How Menstruation Created the World, Boston: Beacon
Press
Shuttle, P; Redgrove, P (2005) The Wise Wound,
London: Marion Boyars Publishers
Pope, A (2001) The Wild
Genie: The Healing Power of Menstruation, Sally Milner Publishing
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