Opted to try a northshore pull up today at work. Had an inservice day so I figured something light would do. I have to say, I do enjoy how discreet they are and how easy they are to remove, but the fit is a little tight . Maybe I’m just getting thicker lol!! Enjoy your Tuesday friends !! Xo
I was bored so I designed a cool tampon brand I’d actually like, with no pink, purple or flowers. Fucking goddamn flowers… We deserve a badass brand for bleeding every month!
I actually liked the idea so I may update it later and make it better
Never thought I‘d upload a picture with blood on my face and many of you are probably thinking wtf Jil. But let me explain… because this is actually something I am very passionate about.
As many of you know I struggled with Amenorrhea and didn’t get my period for over 3 years. This healing journey has been such a blessing and completely shifted the way I understand and relate to my cycle
I tried many different things along the way but ultimately it was all about healing the relationship to my femininity. Due to abuse / sexual trauma and subconsciously rejecting aspects of being a woman no supplement or diet change was the true answer - but facing the pain of the past and allowing for a reconciliation with the parts that were bruised.
There is no one-fits-all solution to menstrual issues - what truly allowed this healing process to unfold was making my body feel safe again, allowing it to go through changes, transmuting shame & guilt and unblock whatever was in the way of fully arriving in myself as a woman.
I have been celebrating every period since the first bleed back in fall but especially my last two periods were such a beyond magical experience for me. Now I truly treasure my womb and the miracle of menstruation, enjoying the time in the “red tent” with ritual and deep communion with this sacred part of my body. It’s a time of release and shedding not only on a physical level and truly such a sacred experience when we open up to it
Therefore I’m more than happy and proud to use this day to speak up about menstruation and support the #stream4water livestream special by @vivaconagua (join me 12:30pm). It hurts my heart to think about how many women suffer with pain & shame because of their menstruation or even experience discrimination. Let’s bring light into this heavily shadowed topic ♥️
This is literally now my favorite post ever, because its become thousands of reblogs consisting of passing on good fortune. Meanwhile many of y’all added your own comments saying your thanks, and continuing the chain by adding your own little bit of wishful thinking. You are all wonderful.
may you not leak even once
NOT EVEN when you sneeze or cough!
may you always have what you need when you need it.
May you have no cramps.
May you have no headaches
may you start in your own home/somewhere you are comfortable, in your least favourite underwear and with plenty of pads/tampons on hand
May you have no backpains or stiff limbs either
May your breasts not ache or do anything abnormal.
May you not have fatigue in the middle of a busy day
May you have the fortune of crying in the comfort of your blanket at home instead of abroad
Quipu Womb (The Story of the Red Thread, Athens) - Cecilia Vicuña
“Although better known as a poet in her adoptive North American home (she has lived in New York since the 1980s), Cecilia Vicuña has stayed true to her youthful calling as a genre-bending visual artist for more than forty years, and her site-specific projects highlight the artist’s talent for composing poems in space, for a visceral lyricism in three dimensions. Vicuña refers to these particular works as ‘quipoems’—a contraction of poem and quipu; an online dictionary defines quipu, rather reductively, as ‘a device consisting of a cord with knotted strings of various colors attached, used by the ancient Peruvians for recording events, keeping accounts, etc.’ A pre-Columbian type of writing, in other, more poetical words—product of a literary tradition that has given the world such luminaries as Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda, and Nicanor Parra. Vicuña, who was born in 1948 in Santiago de Chile, is supremely aware of the weight of Indigenous history anchoring twentieth-century Latin American culture.
“Blown up to the monumental proportions of immersive ‘soft sculpture,’ her recent Athenian quipoem consists of giant strands of untreated wool, sourced from a local Greek provider, dyed a startling crimson in honor of a syncretic religious tradition that, via the umbilical cord of menstrual symbolism, connects Andean mother goddesses with the maritime mythologies of ancient Greece.”
While the ability to menstruate is highly regarded in Witchcraft, it doesn’t mean that the process can’t suck. Here are some witchy ways to ease your period pains (note: if you have a medical condition that affects your menstrual cycle and/or are on medication please remember to research the interaction information when it comes to ingesting herbs):
Teas can be lifesaving when it comes to cramps. Use one or a mixture of these herbs:
Nettle
Ginger
Frankincense
Oat Straw
Dandelion
Red Clover
Yarrow
Chamomile
Valerian
Dong Quai
Red Raspberry
Motherwort
Black Haw
Basil
Cinnamon
Fennel
Parsley
Blackstrap Molasses (Add one to two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses to a cup of warm milk. Drink it as soon as you start having cramps and continue as long as needed)
Here are some tea recipes designed to help get rid of cramps and other menstrual symptoms:
High Tide Tea
3 cups water 1 tablespoon dandelion root 1 tablespoon oatstraw 1 tablespoon chamomile 1 teaspoon raspberry leaf 1 teaspoon rose hips 1 teaspoon ginger root Put herbs and water into a stainless steel pot. With the lid on bring the herbs to a boil and then turn off the heat and let the herbs continue to steep for two hours. Strain and reheat the tea and drink two cups a day to support a healthy menstruation.
Menstrual Tea
¼ cup nettle leaf
¼ cup alfalfa leaf
½ cup lady’s mantle
½ cup red raspberry leaf
¾ cup lemon balm
Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl or put them all in a large jar, cap and shake until they’re well mixed. Store in a jar in a cool, dark place and don’t forget a label!To use, brew 1 tablespoon in 1 cup of hot water for 5 minutes. Make one batch at a time or a large amount and drink hot or cold. It’s up to you.
External pain relievers can provide temporarily comfort when needed. Try:
Massaging warm/hot (not too hot!) Castor oil on the pelvic region
Heat therapy on the lower back and pelvic region
Acupuncture
Soft, slow massage around the pelvic region
Grounding
Focused breathing
Avoiding stagnant air
Avoiding strenuous physical activity
Letting yourself rest
Stretching slowly and gently
Bath Magick is extremely useful when dealing with period pain. Here are a few herbal bath recipes and ingredients to make bathtime soothing:
Here are some bath recipes designed to help get rid of cramps and other menstrual symptoms:
The Menstrual Bath 4 gallons water ½ cup lavender flowers ½ cup rose petals ½ cup chamomile ½ cup hops In a large pot bring herbs and water to a boil then turn off the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Pour herbs and water directly into the bathwater. Relax and let all of your pain wash away
Moontime Footbath 6 cups water 2 tablespoons rosemary 2 tablespoons lavender 2 tablespoons mugwort Bring herbs and water to a boil. Pour the mixture into a foot basin and when cool enough, soak your feet in the tea for about 15 minutes. This foot bath is very helpful for calming any anxiety and tension during menstruation.
Food choice can also help you out. See if some of these cramp-fighting foods work for you:
Note: I want to be polite and not intrusive with this post, so I’ve applied a lot of tags that would allow people to filter it if they’re not comfortable viewing content like this. I thinkI did that right, but I’m not entirely sure, so if anyone knows other ways to make filtering easier, let me know and I can edit this.
This spell is designed to help those who menstruate have an easier, shorter menses, with less pain. It does not involve any herbs or chemicals or ingesting anything - it works purely through sympathetic magick.
As usual, spells (including this one) should not be used as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. This particular spell should not be used if you suspect serious problems - in that case, see a doctor instead. If things are mostly normal for you, or you’d like to use magick in conjunction with medical treatment, you might try this spell.
All you need for this is a small bit of red cloth, paper, or tissue paper. If you don’t have that, you can simply take a small bit of normal paper or tissue and color it red (even just a dot will work!) with a pen or marker. Essentially, you just need something small and unobtrusive that has a red color to it, even if it’s just a small amount of red.
This spell should be performed right after your menses begins. When I use it, I tend to perform it exactly when I realize mine has begun.
To begin: once you realize your menses has begun, take the scrap of red cloth or paper (etc.) and hold it just in front of your pelvis. Hold it tightly with both hands, and fix your eyes on the red color of the scrap. Then, whisper to yourself:
Red calls to red as redness flows Cause not pain, nor trouble, Quickly flow and quickly go.
Slip the bit of red paper/cloth/whatever into a pocket of your pants, skirt, or other attire. If you have no pockets, you can safety pin it to the inside of your garment. Just stash it below your waist in some way, but pockets do work best, and I’ll often wear jeans with pockets specifically so I can do this.
It definitely helps to perform the spell month after month, and the effects seem to be cumulative, with the spell working better each time. This is just what I have noticed from using it for the past seven months.
There are, of course, herbal remedies and potions that can help ease menstrual symptoms, too, but I’ve not tried many, and most I would not recommend without consulting a doctor first. I tend to drink cinnamon tea, and that helps, too, but still, make sure you’re being safe!
Because period cramps suck, and no one should have to suffer through them
Softcup is a flexible cup that is worn internally, around your cervix. It collects, rather than absorbs menstrual flow. It’s hypo-allergenic, latex-free and completely safe when used as directed.
The very first poem I wrote for the book. From my book, She Dreams When She Bleeds: Poems About Periods now available on Amazon. Link in my bio.
Words and art by Nikki Tajiri @nikkitajiri on Tumblr and Instagram.
My book sales have picked up recently! Thank you all for your support, I feel so grateful and honored when someone chooses to spend their hard-earned money on my book. Hope you are all safe and hopeful. - N
Access to menstrual supplies is a basic human right. Last week, New York City Council dramatically improved menstrual supply access by approving a policy that provides free tampons and pads in every public school, jail, and shelter in the city.
City Councilor Ferreras-Copeland said in a statement that the bill enhances self-esteem to combat that stigma:
“Providing menstrual hygiene products privately, immediately, and for free is also about sending a body-positive message by not perpetuating shame and humiliation, and acknowledging that women’s bodies, even those of women serving time in prison, deserve some dignity during their periods.”
Les inscriptions pour mes ateliers d'avril sur le #squirt (ou éjaculation féminine) et de mai sur les #menstruation et les #contraception sont ouvertes!! Check ma page facebook pour plus d'info ou alors écris moi un mail : https://www.facebook.com/petitbordellemisungui/
