Honoring menarche to menopause

As my body moves through its Autumn season, slowly inching toward menopause, I wanted to honor the wisdom and creative power of my monthly bleed. This set of dolls honors my journey from my first bleed (menarche) to my last.

I’ve adorned both dolls with red glass beads - with a single bead representing the seed at menarche that blossoms more fully as the cycling years progress. Small, double-terminated quartz crystals over the heart space represent enhanced intuitive wisdom and spiritual connection. The large doll is also adorned with red wool to represent the flow of creativity and power.

Each doll also holds a unique blend of plant and animal medicines in their womb space:

For menarche this includes moss, motherwort, red clover, rose, and meadowsweet.

For my cycling years through menopause I’ve included mugwort, mandrake root, moonstone, smokey quartz, and snakeskin. In addition, this doll carries wool anointed with menstrual fluid, as a way to carry this medicine with me as I journey into my winter years.

It was important for me that these dolls remain simple and faceless - to tap more fully into the archetypal wisdom of my bleeding years and also to honor the many phases of life that I’ve moved through on this journey.

A note on shame and stigma:

I’m sharing these dolls because they are important to me. They’re powerful representations of the many monthly bleeds I’ve moved through over the course of my life (since experiencing menarche at age 9). I’m also sharing them because I feel it’s important to destigmatize menstruating bodies. I spent the majority of my life dreading my monthly bleed, only to discover its power within the last decade - right as my fertile years began to wind down.

In truth, I feel some discomfort sharing them - this is rooted in the shame that people who menstruate are so often steeped in. We learn to hide our monthly bleed and ignore our body’s call to turn inward rather than to honor our cyclical nature. As I transition closer to menopause, I suddenly feel exhausted by all of this. I’m tired of feeling uncomfortable about my body - I’m ready to embrace myself fully, in all stages and cycles. And so I’m sharing these dolls here.

Menstruating bodies are beautiful, wise, and powerful. May we all be safe to embrace our inner cycles - and be empowered by the wisdom they hold within. 🩸