When else in our lives are we daily faced with blood, shit and tears in such overwhelming abundance?
So the jump from becoming a parent to wanting to protect the Earth where your little ones will grow up is not that unexpected. It is just part of the slow process of maturity in humans. We come to realise our responsibilities belatedly, when they are forced upon us, much like the debate on climate change.
But it is significant that it has taken a generation of Baby Boomers with their free love, anti-war, anti-commerciality, pro freedom set of values to make us become aware of our global responsibilities as guardians of the planet.
By the time many women are approaching menopause they will have worked out for themselves where they stand on politics, religion, ethics and a host of other life choices. They may have become a parent or a grandparent. They may have become a spokesperson in their community or be considering taking part in a local re-education of others – sharing skills, experience, teaching morals, guiding the younger members of the community, and encouraging concern for the environment that is mother to us all.
The other effect of the menopause is that many women become aware of the inter-connectedness of all things.
To make this ethereal statement more earthly, imagine how you began your procreative years. Your first period, and your first sign that you are effectively just another animal,; born to live, reproduce and die like any other. Many girls will have felt the need to hide their menstrual status from boys, from some family members, from neighbours and may have associated a sense of shame with the discovery of the first messy blood. Even amongst close knit groups of women there may not be much talk of menstruation as you are growing up. The impact of menstruation on a burgeoning sex life may be the time you realise that men have no understanding of periods, monthly cycles, hormonal dips, and all the associated paraphernalia of the female life. Periods are sometimes unexpected, an inconvenience, erratic, uncontrollable. But they certainly tie you to your body in a way that you could hitherto ignore.
Then come the child-bearing years and the presence of periods becomes a signpost – whether it is of fertility, pregnancy, vulnerability, ill-health or simply femininity. We are different from men, and periods (and boobs!) make the very fact of this apparent. We watch for our monthly signal with a mixture of anticipation, resignation or relief. We mark their pattern and progress on charts and calendars across our lifespan. We feel our connectedness to other fertile or pregnant creatures, including the very Earth itself, which has its own lunar cycle of tides, growth patterns, changeable weather and occasional rages.
At this point we KNOW we are OF the Earth. We can see a long line of mothers and daughters stretching back into the mists of time, and forward into the unknown. We may have children and see their progress toward becoming fully sentient beings with a blossoming sense of responsibility. We connect with other women more strongly, share our stories, and hear their pain. And only now can we see that our mistreatment of the planet has been caused by this same slow progress of dawning maturity. We begin to own our problems. We accept our role in climate change, pollution, and unethical abuse of the natural world.
We have become our own doctors, teachers and philosophers. We know more about our own bodies, our own children and our own values. So as cyclical nurturing women we can see the connection between our discomfort with our own bodies and our disrespect for Nature and her ways. Once we accept our bodies, their imperfections and amazing abilities, we can also accept that the planet has a right to be healthy, whole and fully-functioning.
Our female bodies store blood and vital nutrients to feed potential babies. They must discard this regularly to build up fresh supplies. Once the blood is past optimum, it must be discarded along with all the other hormones and toxins that we do not need in order to retain cyclical health. Concurrently, our emotions may go through a roller-coaster ride of collecting, storing, assessing and discarding our thoughts, dreams and aspirations. This too is a balanced process that is vital for mental health. How can we live on this planet and not see that Mother Earth goes through this same process of replenishment? It is no more suitable for our health to take pills and refrain from periods than it is to dam rivers or over farm fields or poison natural systems with our toxins.
In connection with natural cyclical processes we can maintain our health and sanity. Balance and harmony require moderation, responsibility and tranquillity. It will take a generation of mothers making a difference before we can expect to see significant improvements – both in how we perceive ourselves, our bodies, menstruation and menopause, and how we approach our responsibility to Mother Earth. But it can be done.
And it will have to be done.
