Map of your cycle

When we participate in the daily practice of cycle tracking we build a deeper understanding of ourselves all month long. 

Cycle tracking is a way to keep track of which self care tools are most effective throughout your month. 

Take your time back by not losing it at all. When you understand how you show up throughout your month, you can better plan the events in your life around this information.

A daily practice might be using images like the ones below or drawing by hand or writing in a journal. The practice of cycle tracking is an artistic endeavor. 

Tracking your cycle can reveal patterns in how you think, pivotal relationship moments, and even big ideas that occur at certain a certain time of your month. 

Your cycle holds your super powers. The variety of attributes and wisdom you have inside of you reveals itself in different ways throughout your hormonal cycle. When you track, you can more readily spot those super powers and learn how to work with them.

Day 1: Pitching the red tent, can't stop the stop. Day 1 energy for me means a stop that can't be stopped. Down time. Even if I can't totally stop on my Day 1, I start to care less about everything external and become deeply grounded, like an airplane that has just kissed the earth and slowly started taxiing to the gate.

Day 2: always my heaviest day. On this cycle day I always try to stay close to home and tend to my flow carefully. Today, however, I was equipped with 9 hours of sleep, vibing out on mother's day and felt a lot less than stressed. Sleeping in so late today was luxurious and supported me all day.

Day 3: You know the feeling when you just wake up from a long sleep and want to get going out into the world but you have to move kind of slow because your body needs to adjust to waking up? Yeah, well that's my day 3 this month. Much more present but also know I need to move slowly. Highlight of my day might have included dancing to Talking Heads, in the driveway, with the dogs.

Day 4: Still bleeding but ready to look out into the world, marvel at it's beauty and allow myself to feel a hopeful excitement as I ready for re-entry into my inner spring. Still very present with myself and unwilling to run at my goals and dreams but very much in tune with the arrival of new guidance from within. This is a great day to check-in with my inner mentor.

Day 5 of my cycle and I am feeling inspired all over! Many great ideas flooding in and I'm ready to collaborate, plan, savor the magic of ideas. This is when I begin to enter into my inner spring...I also happened to get WAY less sleep than I needed and am giving myself permission to take a nap and reproach the world a little more equipped for greatness. Again, not running at my next cycle phase, as excited as I get about it, I am taking the time to truly tune into what my brain and body need right now.

Day 6 of my cycle and I'm not yet ready to run and travel but definitely feel like doing yoga, cooking dinner, being present with my kids, and standing during zoom meetings. The estrogen is rising, filling my tank and the world is beginning to feel more full of possibility and hope. Also, still quite shy and repelled by anyone's bad vibes...but that might just be an age thing!

Day 7 energy had me working late into the evening and interweaving work with home and work with yoga breaks and work with anything else happening. Work work work. My inner spring really turns into a focus on work. This is when I know I can leverage my energy and focus to get a lot done and really strive for results and establishing systems that will support me once my spring and summer come to a close and I am in the withdrawal energy of inner autumn. Because I respect my cyclical nature and because I'm an entrepreneur and need to be my own boss, I know that when I get hit with the work bug I need to capitalize on it. Inner spring is a great timenfor planning, producing, and starting new projects. What about you? When are you the most work oriented and how does it change throughout your cycle?

Day 8 and the creative juices are flowing! I still can't seem to pull myself away from work and it's Saturday. These are the weekends I could just work straight through. Neglecting my self care needs, however, will not serve me so I am forcing myself to take a break for the rest of the weekend. .

Day 10: I'm fine, I swear I'm fine. In lockdown, without financial or professional clarity, in massive life transition, with no idea if school for my kids will restart, with the injustice of the world, the killing of yet ANOTHER unarmed black man on friday night in Atlanta, to join the flood of alteady existing extra judicial police murders already caught on video in the midst of historically large civil unrest about exactly that! Sure...I'm fine...just fine. These turbulent life conditions are overriding my usual day 10 vibes and yesterday I found myself in a depressing flood of overwhelming tears. #blacklivesmatter
Artwork from my brand new Modern Witch Tarot deck by Lisa Sterle.

When I start reaching this summit of my cycle my ability to concentrate and move mountains of work starts to kick in. I used to feel that concentration energy in my inner spring but in the past two years I've started to get into my concentration and work zone once I'm here. What about you? What's your cycle orientation? ie when do you feel the most productive and comfortable in your monthly hormonal journey?

Day 12 is always my idea download day. I look forward to this day for guidance and inspiration. Sometimes I get hit with really big ideas that feel like they are being yelled at me, and sometimes it's more like a subtle whisper in my ear. Each and every time, I write them down in my journal and I'm always astounded to go back, sometimes years later to read what came true for me. What my body knew and what ideas I birthed into existence long before I knew they would actualize. 

Day 13: This could very well be ovulation day for me and my body is sending me all kinds of things to inform me! I am very hungry and a bit weepy to begin with. I also happen to be in intense physical pain today (unrelated to my cycle). Not my favorite day 13. Often times this part of my cycle is when I get all my big idea downloads and tons of inspiration.

Day 16 boss energy has me too busy to explain. Plus a real boss doesn't tell you how you feel but rather asks...what is your day 16 energy like? Does it involve a red pant suit?

Day 17 energy be like...mission oriented, purposeful, shifting, powerful, present, chatty, sociable and standing in my power. What about you? What was your day 17 like this month? Does it change for you? Here's a way to answer that question if you haven't been actively tracking your cycle: https://28ish.com/blog/f/remembering-your-cycle

Day 20 and I am sailing along. I am capable and strong in every area: design, ideation, systems thinking. No fatigue and no brain fog. Day 20 is good for me this cycle! Not quite slipped into my inner autumn yet but I've started listening for the call to the temple.

Day 21: what's a cross over day you ask?
For me a cross over day is a disruption from business as usual, when I move from one inner season to another. My cross from summer into autumn, post ovulation into pre-menstruation, is usually the one I feel the most. Day 21 of my cycle might be a cross over day for me but it's hard to know exactly. All I know is that I TIRED! Business as usual changes for me my entire cycle anyways but the cross over days are usually a little uncomfortable. Today...I started strong and showed up for the world but ended it completely depleted of energy. It wasn't a bad day but I have learned to listen to my inner calling and this evening's call said "take a bath and don't cook dinner" loud and clear!

Want to know which part of your cycle you can't work through? Well...tell us! I guess it's different for every woman. I had this kind of a day this month on my day 24 but sometimes when I'm at the tail end of my cycle, I'm more likely to be tying up loose ends and working a whole bunch. Inspiration comes in bursts these days and I take it when I can. A huge part of my cycle practice is to listen to my body and respect what it is telling me that it needs, so on day 24 of my cycle this month I did anything and everything but work all day long. What about you? Do you see any patterns in your cycle in relation to your productivity?

I love this song by Laura Marling. It has such a tough message in a very beautiful voice.  It feels like a theme song for my cycle day 27. These days I get annoyed easily and my needs take center stage. Society loves to throw a negative connotation on PMS that we all buy into but I reject that. Each month just before my period, instead of thinking that I am being mean or senselessly agitated, I try to listen to those messages and take note of what needs changing in my life. I also relish in the natural authority it gives me. I take my space, respect my boundaries and patiently await my bleeding time. I'll post the lyrics in the comments.

I am facing the close of yet another cycle. I am ready for my bleed and so grateful to be living this practice of menstrual cycle awareness. Day 28 is the return home after a long flight. I am feeling the call to the tent.