The Menstrual Hut
by Kyeli on December 11th, 2009 @ 9:30 am in
Connection Paradigm
A few weeks ago, two of my good friends were talking. One of them said something about ancient Jewish menstrual huts.
I, being naive (and obviously not Jewish), said, “Oooh! I want a menstrual hut!” My mind filled with visions of a hot tub, soft blue curtains, bowls heaped with chocolate, someone available to make meals for me, pain relievers, a massage therapist on hand, quiet soothing music, and no annoying people whatsoever.
Heh. Little did I know.
I was about as far off as one can get and still be in some realm of reality. Actual “menstrual huts” were isolated tents with no comforts whatsoever where women on their periods were forced to go until they stopped being too unclean to touch.
Yeah.
I’d like to go back to my reality, thanks muchly.
In “The Body Sacred”, there’s almost a whole chapter on menses and our varied (and typically negative) reaction to our bodies and their cycles. It’s not just men who hate, fear, and misunderstand the menstrual cycle – we do it nearly as often.
I’m guilty of it myself. I used to hate getting my period. I would dread it beforehand and bemoan my sorry fate during. I would whine and complain. I would rejoice when my cycles were wonky and irregular because it meant I wouldn’t have a period every month.
This, while a fairly common reaction, isn’t fair to my body.
The menstrual cycle is nothing short of miraculous. It’s a shared experience that could bring us connection and community instead of even further isolating us – all we have to do is stop not talking about it.
Women of all ages and experiences have something to share in this: pre-menstrual girls would benefit from knowledge of what lies ahead and the gift of being able to talk freely about our bodies, menstrual women could share in their varied experiences, pregnant woman need community more when pregnant and during birth and with a newborn than ever, menopausal woman could share experiences on what’s to come and share the wisdom that comes with age, and women without cycles would benefit from sharing their own experiences as well as sharing in those of others. Even our men would benefit from sharing in our bodily processes; gaining understanding and respect and admiration for what our bodies do and can handle would bring them closer to the women in their lives.
Instead of being ashamed or embarrassed, relishing in the miracles of our bodies and sharing in our experiences brings us together. It makes us stronger. It reminds us that we truly are sacred, in all our messy wacky ways.
So now I’m seriously considering building my vision of a Menstrual Hut, or at least starting up a women’s circle where we could take turns pampering and supporting each other – building community and honoring our selves and our bodies.
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Have you read the Freak Revolution Manifesto? It tells the story of why there is so much hurt and sadness in the world, and how we can heal through connection.
11 Comments!
#2 Posted by 
Inge on December 11th, 2009 10:53 am | link
I like your version of the menstrual hut!
Over about 15 years of menstruating, I have had widely diverging experiences with it regarding levels of discomfort and I’ve learned that the symptoms mirror things going on in my life. About 5 years ago I was overworked, very stressed, and at the time my menstruation was painful, irregular and much heavier than ever before. Even ovulating was hard. During a frantic reading frenzy about what stress does to the body I learned that heavy menstruation could be a sign of stress. Now that I’ve learned to deal with stress I only experience slight discomfort for 1 day every month, hardly noticing the other days of the period. A world of difference! Turning it around, the first warning signals of too much stress come from the menstruation discomforts and it’s worth while to listen to the alarm bells.
#3 Posted by 
Kate on December 11th, 2009 11:01 am | link
Yeees, ‘The Red Tent’ had me nearly rolling my eyes out of their sockets for just this reason. We’re so quick to romanticise history.
But I like the sound of *your* hut. Especially if we can have chocolate and massage as *well* as the sharing.
#4 Posted by 
Nathalie Lussier on December 11th, 2009 11:14 am | link
Ooh I like it! It’s something we all have, why not talk about it and help each other and stuff? :)
And yes, your hut sounds awesome! The other one… not as much.
Nathalie Lussier´s last blog ..What Are Goji Berries? 
#5 Posted by 
Dee on December 11th, 2009 12:46 pm | link
I like your hut!
You should check out Rob Breszny’s book “The Televisionary Oracle” – he has a bit about having Oprah open Menstrual Huts like you describe in every city in the country. ;-)
#6 Posted by 
Coollagab on December 11th, 2009 3:22 pm | link
Amazing – really awesome topic. I am going to write about it as well!
#7 Posted by 
Amelia on December 11th, 2009 5:49 pm | link
I’m lucky enough to experience pre-menstrual depression (while my period itself is light and shortlasting!) so I have mixed feelings towards my cycle. Your hut and menstrual community idea sounds amazing; I’m still shocked by how out of their way girls will go to control their periods!
xx
Amelia´s last blog ..Rage Against the Sublime
#8 Posted by 
Pace on December 11th, 2009 6:12 pm | link
Thanks for including women without cycles in your menstrual hut. I’m a fan of all of us learning from each other’s varied experiences. (:
#9 Posted by 
Oliver Danni on December 11th, 2009 11:55 pm | link
Also, some of us man-like humans do actually know firsthand about menstruation. ;-)
Oliver Danni´s last blog ..condoms are much harder to test-drive than cupcakes.
#10 Posted by 
Lydia, Clueless Crafter on December 14th, 2009 8:56 am | link
I agree with Kate that we are quick to romanticize history.
I think it’s a great idea to share the experience of our body and mind during this unique experience, but if we can have a “tent” that is nothing like the isolating tent devised by others for us then we’d be better off.
What about a roundtable? Just thinking. . .
Lydia, Clueless Crafter´s last blog ..When the Art Market Is a Big Bully, You Got to Get Arthletic
#11 Posted by 
Leah/DefytheBox on December 15th, 2009 9:45 am | link
Have you read the book the Red Tent by Anita Diamant? It is a wonderful book to curl up with.
Have you heard about the Red Tent Movement? This is something that was created by Alisa Starkweather. She is an amazing women who facilitated the Priestess Path Apprenticeship that I did back in earl 2000. The Red Tent Temple is all about what you are wanting to create. There just might be one happening by you already, and if not, I am sure they would support you in starting one. http://alisastarkweather.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=25&Itemid=48
If you talk to ALisa, please tell her that i sent you. She is amazing.
Rock On,
Leah
Leah/DefytheBox´s last blog ..Embracing Your Freakiness and Making Money Too
#1 Posted by
china on December 11th, 2009 10:46 am | link
a long but very interesting article on the history of periods
http://www.gladwell.com/2000/2000_03_10_a_rock.htm