Terminology
What is Natural Birth Control?
What is Body Sovereignty?
What is Menstrual Cycle Education?
What is Fertility Awareness?
To be completely honest, about 8 years ago, I had never even heard of these words, nor did I know what they ment.
Little did I know that these words, and terms, would be the foundation of the life I would be living several years later.
The more general or dominant cultures, and systems in place in the world, simply do not include a proper and thorough education about our bodies, about being human, or to be very specific, about reproduction and fertility. I will speak for myself, when I say that I did not receive a proper education growing up, from the more dominant cultures at play, or systems in place, as a young girl.
It wouldn’t be until I was 20 years old, and after the birth of my son, that I would take on very consciously, and passionately, the self-education, of learning about Natural Birth Control, Body Sovereignty, Menstrual Cycle Education, Fertility, and quite a lot more.
Lets break down these words together!
Natural Birth Control
Natural Birth Control, at its basic form, is what it sounds like!
A form of birth control that is natural.
Relative to birth control that is un-natural.
This means methods for controlling whether one will become pregnant, or not, that does not effect the bodies natural state of being. Furthermore, ways to control ones ability to conceive, (to become pregnant) or not, that are controlled by the individual themselves. No body else, no medical assistence, pharmaceuticals, prescribed drugs, or professional… other than yourself! Birth, that is controlled by the owner of the body.
Some folks choose to have medical professionals assist them on their birth control journey, and some, just don’t.
Some may choose to have support from other types of skilled people. From doulas, to midwives, to mothers, grandmothers, aunties, and wise women or people in your community.
Natural Birth Control, is what we deeply believe in here at Wind and Rain, and are here to passionately share on this topic.
To go deeper with learning about Natural Birth Control, please send an email to connect@windandrain.ca or, check out our Cyclic Arts page linked below, to dive into this topic one on one.
Body Sovereignty
This term is also self explanatory, as body, is pertaining to the body, but what does sovereign, or sovereignty mean?
This word is also relatively new to my own self. I started hearing it a few years ago, and it just started showing up more in my life. Now it has become on of those words I am choosing to connect with more and more.
Sovereign or sovereignty, generally means: a person who has supreme authority or power. For the context we are using here, this is not to be interpreted as having authority or power in a negative or controlling way. More so, in a positive, and empowering way.
A real life application to give an example, could be as simple as someone else choosing what clothing you will wear on a given day, instead of you choosing for your self, what clothing you will wear. If you choose your own clothing to wear, you could say that you are sovereign in your choice of clothing.
Apply this same theme, to your body.
It could really start with your clothes.
Do I choose what I wear, or does someone else?
What are my clothes made of? Do I like these materials?
Who chooses what food goes into my body?
Do I choose? Am I deciding what I will eat?
When do I get to go to the bathroom? Do I decide that? Or do I let others decide?
What kind of products do I use when I am menstruating? Do I even like them?
These questions above could be called the tip of the metaphoric iceberg, that is Body Sovereignty. Simply, having a healthy authority, power, and relationship, to the goings on, inside of, and outside of, your own body.
Body Sovereignty is a foundational concept that we aim to teach and lead in a healthy way. It will look different for everybody, as it aut to be. Our bodies are ultimately all we have when you really boil things down. Our bodies are sacred. Let us hold great love, and respect for our bodies, by holding our own unique power and authority within our own bodies!
Menstrual Cycle Education
Menstrual.
In relation to menses or menstruation.
These words are derived from the Latin term “mensis” which means month, and “mensis” is further derived from a Greek word “mene”, which means, moon. At its root, the term menstruation, was born out of the idea of this event we know as menstruation, as something that happened monthly, along with the moon. A menstrual cycle is generally around 28 days long, while a lunar moon cycle, is generally 29.5 days long.
It was observed a long time ago that these 2 cycles were connected, and in fact in synch! I can speak to this from my own experience, as my cycle definitely is in synch with the moon cycle.
Now that we know its origins a bit more, lets touch on what menstruation is.
Menstruation is a big word, that is meaning the part in the cycle where one sheds blood, roughly and generally, but not limited to, around every 28 days. This “shedding of blood”, is amazingly a natural process, that is necessary and a sign of health in the body. This blood, is not the same blood that occurs when we receive an injury. The blood that we are shedding, is the lining of the uterus. This happens monthly, as the body prepares itself for the potential action of conception (the first stages before pregnancy). This is the bodies intelligence at play! If we do not conceive, the body is aware of this, and then sheds this developed lining of the uterus, as it is not needed for the development of new life. If there is no conception, then no small being growing within the uterus, and hence, the release of the uterine lining, or endometrium, and the happening of blood being shed.
Cycle: Pertaining to something that is a reoccurring pattern, or something that is cyclic in nature. You may think of bi-cycle, with a bicycle wheel, being a circle, upon which one cycles!
As well, here in southern Ontario where I live currently, we have 4 seasons. Winter, spring summer, and fall. The 4 seasons are a reoccurring cycle which repeats itself. The Menstrual Cycle, is no different, as a cyclic cycle, that repeats itself! This is touched on in a deeper way within our Cyclic Arts offering, where you can learn the inner workings on what we know as the Menstrual Cycle.
Education: derived from the root word edu-care, which is to bring out and lead forth. The Guelph Outdoor School uses this word and definition on their staff t-shirts, which is my current place of employment. I believe deeply in this spirit of education, as a means, to bring out, and lead forth, in a way that is natural and aligned to ones own learning style. This is the goal that we have with Menstrual Cycle Education.
For some this may be a lot of information to take in. Understanding thoroughly about the Menstrual Cycle is foundational to what we are aiming share and teach with Wind and Rain. Please feel welcome to send us an email with your curiosities! We would be honoured to walk with you on your learning journey.
Fertility Awareness
Fertility.
Also of the same thread as fertile.
Rooted from the Latin word fertilis, meaning to bear in abundance or to be fruitful.
A simple way to think of this could be an apple tree. If an apple tree is mature and healthy enough, it could be fertile, and will develop in time, apples! The apple tree will become fruitful, literally bearing fruit.
However, if the tree is not healthy enough, it may not be fertile, and in turn, cannot and will not develop fruit, and will produce no apples.
Humans are like apple trees.
If we take good care of ourselves, if we are healthy, we are fertile! Able to bear fruit, literally… but not apples. Humans are fruitful in producing our own kind, apples trees make apples, and humans make babies. Similar to how the apples on the tree carry seeds, which can be grown, with the right care, into an entire other apple tree! Amazing! As a human, we too, carry seeds, that can grow into an entire other human! Amazing!
Yet, as humans, we often do not care for ourselves, or our planet in the right ways to maintain a good balance of health, and therefore, often, we are in-fertile or non-fertile. This simply means, unable to bare fruit, if we are to keep with the apple tree comparison.
Overall, fertility, is not something just for folks who want to create a baby. Fertility, is a level of well being. A sign of health. Fertility, is for everybody. We just have to know how to care for our selves, and our environment, to maintain that level of health, to maintain fertility, and optimal wellness.
Did anything on this page spark something inside of you?
Send us an email!
We are here to help you understand these concepts on a deeper foundational scale, so you can have this knowledge for yourself, for life and beyond.
We aim to help folks weave this knowledge back into their existence for generations to come, so you can live a sovereign, fertile, educated, and cyclic life!
