Women Ruled by the Moon

[Anonymous]

This probably won't be news to anyone. The menstrual cycle takes roughly a month to complete, and a month is based roughly around the orbit of the moon (in fact the prefix 'men' in menstrual and 'mon' in month mean moon).

Anyway, given these facts, do you think that a woman's cycle is based on the moon, or that the apparent relation is a coinicidence? And if women are ruled by the moon, what are men ruled by?

[Lark]

If women's cycles were truly ruled by the moon then one would expect that every woman's cycle would come at the same time every month, and that every woman's cycle would match exactly the cycle of every other woman.  And that just doesn't happen.

As for what men are ruled by...well I was always under the impression that they were ruled by whatever "heavenly body" they were looking at at the moment! (LOL!)

-Lark-

[Anonymous]

If women's cycles were truly ruled by the moon then one would expect that every woman's cycle would come at the same time every month, and that every woman's cycle would match exactly the cycle of every other woman.  And that just doesn't happen.

There's that. One could argue that different women are attuned to different phases.

As for what men are ruled by...well I was always under the impression that they were ruled by whatever "heavenly body" they were looking at at the moment! (LOL!)

It's that damned lower brain syndrome.

[Zenon]

There's that. One could argue that different women are attuned to different phases.

Each woman has her own "phases"....  it takes a certain amount of days for menstruation to occur anyways.

I tested the lunar cycle myth by simply observing my wife's menstrual cycles.  of course, she had her period, but not during a full, or dark moon.

[TheBriarRose]

My cycle is 33 days from start to start.  That doesn't fit any lunar cycle I've ever seen  Unless maybe I'm run by a moon on another planet or something....

No, the only connection people have drawn between the moon and a woman's cycles is the old belief that the moon could make you crazy, and that female hystrionics were caused by sitting in the moonlight.

However a number of doctors believed that this hysterical lunacy was successfull treated by "medical devices" that are now sold as "sex toys"..... go figure.

[Sebbi]

Whenever I've seen that link drawn I've also seen it as a symbolic/poetic one - not a literal one.

[Fillionous]

Like Sebbi, I have always seen it as a historic poetic/ symbolic assosiation. And like TheBriarRose, my cycle is not fixed to any 'classic' number of days, being alternitly 24 days and 36 days.

But that being said, I do love the Moon, prehaps more than any other 'sky' object and I do see some symbolic connection between my feminine and the Moon, not only in the monthly-ish cycles of my own body, but in the longer cycles of life itself. I do not though, feel 'Ruled' by the moon.

In a similar symbolic way (or at least in most western mythologies) Man, the male, is 'ruled' by the Sun, which incidently also goes through daily and yeary cycles of strenghtening and weaking, rising and setting... In myth showing the progression of a mans life from babe through strong virile youth and early manhood to the dark knowledges of old age.

Just thoughts,
Be bright, be bold
Fillionous

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the responses; they make sense. It's interesting how the link was made. The word 'lunatic' actually comes from the idea that people went mad at the full moon.

[mermdotcom]

Thanks for the responses; they make sense. It's interesting how the link was made. The word 'lunatic' actually comes from the idea that people went mad at the full moon.

Some months I wonder if that isn't true!  The weirdest things seem to happen under a full moon.

[Beith]

Apparently, in tribal cultures where women are not exposed to artificial light, the female cycle coincides exactly with the moon - with ovulation occuring on the full and menstruation on the dark moon.  This also enabled people to practice natural contraception, allegedly.

Not sure if there is any scientific evidence to back this up!

I definately cycle mood-wise with the moon, but my periods are every 26 days or so.

I have a few male friends who really feel the moon cycles as well, getting tired on the new moon and more energetic/crazy on the full.

I've also heard of some research into higher admission rates to casualty units at the full moon - again, not sure if this is a proper scientific study or just hearsay.

[Still Kate]

Ah ..... but men go a bit funny during a Full Moon too.

I had a friend who always used to say 'Is it a full moon?' whenever her husband or son started up. Invariably she was right.

Blessings

Kate. xx

[Sebbi]

It's true.

I'm sorry to go a bit off topic but has anyone seen that episode of Spaced?

Womens menstrual cycles syncronise when they become close but men share an unspoken bond too.

Invisible slow motion gun-fights.

If you're male and go up to almost any male and pull out some invisible wepeons and start shooting they will nearly always shoot back.

I tryed this with the deputy princible at college and it worked!