Jessika's Journey to Menstrual Cycle Awareness
I started bleeding at ten, well before I could fully understand why. At the age of fourteen I was sexually active with multiple partners. At the same age, I started on hormonal birth control for period pain and to prevent pregnancy. The years that followed were especially difficult trying to find hormonal birth control that worked for me. I was always part of the 1% who ended up having negative symptoms. In a few short years I’d tried over half a dozen different pills. I felt like a genie pig for drug companies. Frustrated, I finally tired the Depo-Provera shot, which caused me to bloat and bleed excessively and painfully, non-stop for nine months. Four years later I tried the Depo-Provera shot again. My doctor highly recommending it, saying that since my body was more matured, the negative side-effects shouldn’t be a problem anymore.
Can you guess what happened? Same negative side effects, only worse this time. The patch, I ripped off my arms after less than 24 hours, the nausea and vertigo were excruciating. Foolishly, I also tried the patch twice, (facepalm). I do not blame modern medicine, or my doctor at the time. While I have had a number of terrible doctors, I've had some exceptionally good ones, kind, caring and who I felt safe with, who simply do the best they can with what they are given. I can clearly remember, wishing to have been born a man, so I didn’t need to bleed or worry about getting pregnant. I’ve always known I didn’t want to raise children. At 29, after asking my doctor, for over 10 years if I could get my tubes tied, he finally conceded in allowing me to go ahead with the procedure. So at the age of 29, I had a tubal ligation. Several years later my right tube became badly infected. I ended up having a Salpingectomy, to have the tube removed. At the same time, the doctors removed some endometriosis. ‘The pain should improve,’ they said. It did not. It got worse. Painful periods were something I began to think could never be healed. I had thoroughly approached it from the modern western medical side AND from the alternative healing side. It was embassing that me, a professional energy healer, who had helped people to heal from menstrual cycle issues could not in fact heal herself. Then, I discovered Menstrual Cycle Awareness. I was forty years old when I first discovered Menstrual Cycle Awareness. At the age of forty, thirty years after I first started bleeding, I found menstrual cycle awareness. It was Shekhinah Mountainwater’s book, Ariadne’s Thread and Demetria George's Book, Mysteries of the Dark Moon, that first prompted me to explore the deeper spiritual and archetypical sides of my bleeding and my whole cycle. Followed quickly by the book, Her Blood is Gold by Lara Owen. I immediately set out to change how I navigate my cycle. Making big changes during my time of bleeding. I began to carve out more time to relax while bleeding, giving myself permission to rest, to cancel, to say no and tune into my own needs. My hot water bottle became my closest companion. Saying no to the world and yes to my what my body, and all my parts needed, during my most vulnerable time, became a profound spiritual practice. With my most painful and awkward time, slowly transforming into my most sacred time. I took a womb healing course and learnt how to flow with my inner seasons. I spent the three years of the pandemic practicing menstrual cycle awareness and deep diving into my own menstrual ecology. Wanting more training and guidence, I turned to Red School, after reading the incredible book, Wild Power by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer. In June of 2023, I completed their Menstruality Leadership Program (MLP), becoming a Red School Menstruality Mentor. Combining my 25+ years as a successful meditation guide and energy healer, with my years as a Pranic Healing Instructor, with my more recent studies in Depth-Psychology, End of Life Care and Spirituality, I have put together a pathway for creatively exploring and relating to your own menstrual cycle. One that you can take and make into your own practice, to deeper explore yourself and your power! My aim in this important work is to: +help mentruators build a menstrual cycle awareness practice that suits them + help people to process, release, move through, shame and trauma + breakdown undated, negative patterns of relating to the menstrual cycle experience +to help transform your cycle experience into a powerful practice to know yourself +create better boundaries, living a life that enables you to get your needs met +be more satisfied +and Sovereign! +embracing who you are and daring to express yourself and take up space! |
Below are some of Jessika's Certificates
Trained, starting in 1997 in Usui Reiki 1 and Usui Reiki 2 in 2000, continuing on to study all the classes available to her, in the Pranic Healing school, Jessika excels in her knowledge of energy healing and the energy body. With her more recent studies in Depth-Psychology, End of Life Care and Menstrual Cycle Awareness, Jessika embodies a deep practical knowledge and experience of cyclical living and using the menstrual cycle as a guide for better living. Currently Jessika is undertaking a Diploma in Counselling.
Her focus is on helping people to explore and understand, their unique cyclical nature during fun, informative, one day online courses, as well as group and individual zoom sessions. She aims to help people build a deeper connection with themselves, their needs, cycles and the whole environment. To experience themselves, as a vital, unique and important part of humanity. |