Women may find their periods annoying. An inconvenience. Something to be ashamed of.
But historically, many cultures – ancient Greece, ancient Egypt and indigenous groups, among others – have viewed menstruation as a sign of fertility, of strength, of connection.
Over centuries, many communities did away with celebrating the act and shamed it instead. They casted bleeding women away, and that reaction ultimately morphed into today’s hush-hush period culture.
But there are some on TikTok who are hiding no longer and channeling an ancient practice of returning menstrual blood to the Earth. One woman sprays her plants with said blood (the jury is out on environmental impact). Another adds water to her period-stained underwear in a bucket and dumps the excess liquid on the ground.
Many may ask: Why? And the question is fair. This trend is not for everyone, and some have visceral reactions to even hearing about it.
But several women who do it say it’s changed their thinking around their periods – from a place of shame to a place of gratitude – and helped them connect to their bodies and Earth.
“Part of giving my menstrual blood to the Earth is my way of just pausing and honoring, first, the process that my own body is going through every month that makes it possible for me to create new life,” says Jessica Marie Mckasson. “And then also honoring the cyclical nature of the Earth and the way that we mirror each other and the fact that if it wasn’t for the Earth, I also wouldn’t be here.”
‘A womb is this incredibly powerful place’
Mckasson assists women who suffer from issues related to their menstrual cycles like infertility and PCOS, as well as those looking to establish deeper connections with their bodies.
The Costa Rica resident suffered sexual trauma at a young age and sought to heal. “When we’re experiencing things on a physical level, it’s because we’re holding on to the trauma or these suppressed emotions that are living inside of our bodies,” she says. Mckasson studied energy work aimed to help women connect to their bodies.
“When I started understanding that a womb is this incredibly powerful place within our bodies … it’s where we have the ability to create life,” Mckasson says. “And without our menstruation, that wouldn’t be possible.”
‘It doesn’t need to be really gnarly’
Becca Piastrelli was always repulsed by her period. But once she started returning it to its roots nearly a decade ago – guided by women who advised her how to do so – she felt differently. “It’s made me feel more connected to my body, as someone who grew up feeling really disconnected from my body,” the Bay Area resident and “Belonging” podcast host says.
She knows people will be skeptical, but for what it’s worth, “it doesn’t need to be really gnarly in the way that I pictured it in my brain before I was doing it.” The author of “Root & Ritual” recommends giving it a try and finding groups of like-minded women to compare notes. It also doesn’t need to be an every-cycle kind of ritual. But it can be.
‘Entire other world that exists’ around celebrating menstruation
Talking about periods is the first step to more awareness about a glaring issue. About one-quarter of women and girls who menstruate – 500 million people worldwide – lack access to menstrual hygiene equipment and education, aka are in “period poverty.”
“There’s still a lot of blind spots in terms of how our society values (menstruation) in terms of a patient’s overall health,” says Melissa Berton, executive director of The Pad Project. The organization, behind the the 2019 Academy Award-winning Netflix documentary short “Period. End of Sentence.” and new film “Long Line of Ladies,” aims to put a stop to period stigma around the world.
“One thing that fascinates me and inspires and motivates and angers me to keep going in this work, is the fact that when you think about it, menstruation, of course, has been around since humans have been around because menstruation has to do with our ability to continue as a human race,” she says.
It’s no wonder, then, that the concept of returning this blood to the Earth would seem so taboo. Mckasson was stunned at how longstanding practices surrounding menstrual blood have existed with little fanfare.
“I couldn’t believe that there’s this entire other world that exists around the power, and the beauty and the abundance of a woman’s body,” Mckasson says. “Because of course, growing up in the modern day world that we live in most of us, as women, myself included, grew up thinking that my menstrual blood is something to be ashamed of, never talk about your period. It’s dirty; it’s an inconvenience. Certainly not something to be celebrated.”
In case you missed:These men tried a period pain simulator. Their wild reactions carry an important message.
For her part, Mckasson revels in her special relationship between her body and the Earth.
“It’s this really interesting and beautiful connection, between the Earth is sustaining our lives and as women you’re also sustaining the life of the planet in a different way,” she says. “It’s really beautiful.”
Important:Who decided a period leak was the end of the world?
