Moon Medicine for the Forest Dweller
Synching with Lunar Rhythms in Menopause
As women move through menopause—the great turning of the inner tides—our cycles may shift from being ruled by hormones to being ruled by something older, quieter, and just as powerful: the Moon.
When bleeding slows or stops, many women feel unmoored from the rhythms that once gave shape to their months. But just because your physical cycle ends doesn’t mean your cyclical nature disappears. In fact, menopause invites a new kind of attunement—one that is less about fertility and more about wisdom, clarity, and timing.
🌑 Synching with the Moon in Menopause
The Moon’s cycle mirrors the rhythms of the menstrual cycle:
New Moon ~ Menstruation / rest
Waxing Moon ~ Follicular phase / rising energy
Full Moon ~ Ovulation / fullness & expression
Waning Moon ~ Luteal phase / turning inward
For menopausal women, syncing with the moon offers a ancient way to remember when to rest, when to act, and when to listen inward. It becomes a kind of external cycle to align with, as the internal cycle becomes more subtle or irregular.
🌘 The Moon as a Mirror
You may notice your moods, energy, sleep, or cravings fluctuate with the moon’s phases. The Full Moon might stir you, energize you, or bring old emotions to the surface. The New Moon might invite solitude, dreams, or release.
By tracking the moon, you gain a mirror—a way to reflect on your inner world even when the body no longer bleeds.
Try this:
Keep a small journal or calendar.
Note the phase of the moon each day.
Track your mood, energy, sleep, dreams, and cravings.
Notice patterns that repeat from moon to moon.
Over time, you’ll start to see how your body still dances with the tides.
🌕 The Menopausal Moon Cycle
Many menopausal women find that they become more attuned to the moon's wisdom:
New Moon: Rest, visioning, letting go of what no longer serves.
Waxing Moon: Clarifying goals, building energy, planting seeds.
Full Moon: Expressing truth, feeling emotions deeply, connecting.
Waning Moon: Reflection, releasing, tending to the body and spirit.
Even without menstruation, you can live in tune with this sacred arc. You may even choose to create rituals at each phase—lighting candles, journaling, making herbal infusions, or gathering with other women.
🌿 The Wisdom Years and Forest Dwelling
In Ayurveda, the wisdom years—the post-menopausal phase of life—are honored as the time of the Vanaprastha, or Forest Dweller. This is the third stage of life in the Vedic tradition, when one begins to turn inward, releasing worldly obligations and returning to simplicity, reflection, and spiritual integration. No longer governed by the cyclical tides of reproduction, the energy of the body and mind naturally shifts from outward productivity to inward wisdom. This stage is governed by Vata dosha, bringing qualities of air and space—lightness, intuition, insight, and subtle perception. If well supported, it becomes a time of profound clarity, creative flowering, and dharmic fulfillment. The Forest Dweller is not isolated but deeply connected—to nature, to soul, and to source—offering medicine not through doing, but through being.
