Cyclical Motherhood

Welcome back to the Cyclical Motherhood Podcast!

Today’s episode is our final for season 1 and is dedicated to the moon.

Together we explore how we can follow the moon cycle as support/guide/inspiration at times when we don’t experience our regular cycle for any reason: pregnancy, postpartum, amenorrhea for medical reasons or unexplained ones, being on hormonal contraception, after hysterectomy, during peri-menopause, menopause and beyond. 

This is a huge topic and we offer a short introduction to:

• the phases of moon cycles and how these relate to menstrual cycle 
• the earth/moon relationship and waters/moon relationship and how these affect our bodies
• our stories of times when we followed the moon cycle as an anchor while not experiencing our own menstrual cycle
• how the moon cycle relates to our cyclical motherhood journey
• the moon/family life relationship: simple rituals and practices for the whole family to connect with the moon

We hope you enjoy this conversation and it inspires you to cultivate your own relationship with the moon or reignite the one that you have already.

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References and resources:

Red Moon book by Miranda Gray 

Stephen Harding is the holistic ecologist who talked about gravity as love, and taught Hayley at Schumacher College. He also wrote the book ‘Animist Earth: Science, Intuition and Gaia’

You can buy Hayley’s moon log calendar tracking tool here

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Thank you for being here ♥︎

We hope you have enjoyed our conversation today. Please share with other mothers you know who might enjoy this. 

If you wish to connect to us, you can find us on Instagram @cyclicalmotherhood

To connect directly to Hayley @_hayley_anderson_ and https://hayleyanderson.co.uk/

To connect directly to Marinella @earthmoonmala and https://www.earthmoonmala.com/

Music is Medicine Tune by Julie Abbé https://julieabbe.com/

Welcome back to the Cyclical Motherhood podcast!

Today's episode is a shared exploration about why Cyclical Motherhood is needed now:

• for mothers
• for our children and families
• for the collective and beyond

We found this conversation super rich and inspiring. We leave you with a powerful enquiry to hopefully support you on your own exploration of being a cyclical mother during these times.

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References and resources: 

• the definition of 'whiteness' and 'modernity' that Hayley speaks about has been learned from the powerful book 'Hospicing Modernity' by Vanessa de Oliveira Andreotti

• the concept of emergency that Hayley refers to comes from the teachings of storyteller Michael Meade

• The poem On Children by Kahil Gibran from the book 'The Prophet' can be read here

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Thank you for being here ♥︎

We hope you have enjoyed our conversation today. And if you have, we would be so grateful if you could share with other mothers. 

If you wish to connect to us, you can find us on Instagram @cyclicalmotherhood

To connect directly to Hayley @_hayley_anderson_ and https://hayleyanderson.co.uk/

To connect directly to Marinella @earthmoonmala and https://www.earthmoonmala.com/

Music is Medicine Tune by Julie Abbé https://julieabbe.com/

You are warmly invited you to join our online Cyclical Motherhood Circle held by us, Marinella and Hayley, where we come together to share our experiences as cyclical mothers.

This is a nurturing, respectful, non-judgemental and inclusive space where we can witness and hold each other on our journeys with the cycles within and without.

Wherever you are on your motherhood journey (even if you are a first time pregnant mother), you are so welcome in this circle.

Bring yourself exactly as you are and prepare to embark on a deep transformational journey in the company of other likeminded mothers ready to explore a new story of motherhood together.

This is a closed circle, places are limited to 14 and babes in arms and first time pregnant mothers are very welcome.

We will meet online on Saturdays 10am-12pm, bi-monthly, starting 10th May 2025.

Please click on this link for more info and to book your place.

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Connect with us on Instagram: @cyclicalmotherhood

Welcome back to he Cyclical Motherhood podcast!

Today's episode, together with episode 7 are at the heart of Cyclical Motherhood, the second foundational piece of this work.

In this episode Hayley interviews Marinella on her journey of raising her boy (8 years old at the time of recording), as a menstrually aware and cycles aware boy.

We discuss:

• how we can share about our menstrual cycle with our boys 
• what we can do to bring our boys into our menstrual experience
• how we can share about the wider cycles of life with them
• a story of a time it was clear that Marinella’s son had the understanding of the menstrual cycle and the wider cycles of life
• How to begin this conversation about the menstrual cycle and wider cycles with our boys

This conversation is an invitation to normalise menstrual cycle awareness among boys and men too. It is an opening to widen this topic beyond the container that what we have been used to so far (women’s and girls’ circles) and we hope will inspire you in your menstrual mothering of boys.

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Thank you for being here ♥︎

We hope you have enjoyed our conversation today. Please do share with any other mothers you think might receive something from our conversation.

If you wish to connect to us, you can find us on Instagram @cyclicalmotherhood

To connect directly with Hayley @_hayley_anderson_ and https://hayleyanderson.co.uk/

To connect directly with Marinella @earthmoonmala and https://www.earthmoonmala.com/

Music is Medicine Tune by Julie Abbé https://julieabbe.com/

Welcome back to he Cyclical Motherhood podcast!

In this episode (& the next episode - episode 8), we introduce the second foundational piece of Cyclical Motherhood: raising menstrual aware children.

In this episode Marinella interviews Hayley on her journey of raising her daughter (4 years old at the time of recording), as a menstrually aware and cycles aware girl. 

We discuss: 

• how we can share our menstrual cycle with our girls
• what we can do cycle by cycle to bring our girls into our menstrual experience
• how we can share about the wider cycles of life with our children
• a story of when it was clear that Hayley’s daughter had the understanding of the menstrual cycle and wider cycles of life
• how we can begin the conversation about the menstrual cycle and wider cycles with our girls

It is a really beautiful, rich and intimate conversation, that we hope will inspire you in your menstrual mothering of girls. 

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Thank you for being here ♥︎

We hope you have enjoyed our conversation today. Please do share with any other mothers you think might receive something from our conversation.

If you wish to connect to us, you can find us on Instagram @cyclicalmotherhood

To connect directly with Hayley @_hayley_anderson_ and https://hayleyanderson.co.uk/

To connect directly with Marinella @earthmoonmala and https://www.earthmoonmala.com/

Music is Medicine Tune by Julie Abbé https://julieabbe.com/

Welcome back to the Cyclical Motherhood podcast!

Today’s episode is the final one of our exploration of the seasons, where we explore Autumn:

• nature’s autumn 
• our inner autumn or luteal/premenstrual phase 
• autumn in our motherhood journey 
• how our inner autumns have changed since motherhood
• some monthly autumn rituals that carry us through our mothering

It’s another very rich conversation - one that we didn’t want to stop - that brings us back full circle to winter, where we began.

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Thank you for being here ♥︎

We hope you have enjoyed our conversation today. Please do share with any other mothers you think might receive something from our conversation.

If you wish to connect to us, you can find us on Instagram @cyclicalmotherhood

To connect directly with Hayley @_hayley_anderson_ and https://hayleyanderson.co.uk/

To connect directly with Marinella @earthmoonmala and https://www.earthmoonmala.com/

Music is Medicine Tune by Julie Abbé https://julieabbe.com/

Welcome back to the Cyclical Motherhood podcast!

In this episode we explore Summer:

• Nature’s summer 
• our inner summer or ovulation 
• summer in our motherhood journey
• how our inner summers have changed since motherhood
• some monthly summer rituals that carry us through our mothering 

It is a very juicy conversation with some great insights, reflections and stories. 

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References and resources:

Hayley’s Charting Your Fertility Cycle Course

Nikki McCahon's work, Seasons of Matrescence: https://www.seasonsofmatrescence.com/, https://www.nikkimccahon.com/

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Thank you for being here ♥︎

We hope you have enjoyed our conversation today. Please do share with any other mothers you think might receive something from our conversation.

If you wish to connect to us, you can find us on Instagram @cyclicalmotherhood

To connect directly with Hayley @_hayley_anderson_ and https://hayleyanderson.co.uk/

To connect directly with Marinella @earthmoonmala and https://www.earthmoonmala.com/

Music is Medicine Tune by Julie Abbé https://julieabbe.com/

Welcome back to he Cyclical Motherhood podcast!

In this episode we continue our exploration of the seasons and discuss Spring:

• Nature’s spring 
• our inner spring or follicular/pre-ovulatory phase 
• spring in our motherhood journey
• how our inner springs have changed since motherhood (and in relation to the perimenopause)
• some monthly spring rituals that carry us through our mothering

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References and resources:

Hayley’s Birth Story Listening Therapy

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Thank you for being here ♥︎

We hope you have enjoyed our conversation today. Please do share with any other mothers you think might receive something from our conversation.

If you wish to connect to us, you can find us on Instagram @cyclicalmotherhood

To connect directly with Hayley @_hayley_anderson_ and https://hayleyanderson.co.uk/

To connect directly with Marinella @earthmoonmala and https://www.earthmoonmala.com/

Music is Medicine Tune by Julie Abbé https://julieabbe.com/

Welcome back to the Cyclical Motherhood podcast!

This is the first of four episodes focusing on the inner and outer seasons. Understanding and embodying the seasons is one of the foundational pieces of our work with Cyclical Motherhood. 

In this episode we discuss:

• nature’s winter
• our inner winter or menstruation
• winter in our motherhood journey
• our understanding and experience of this season within our bodies and the resonances with this season in nature and in our lives as mothers
• the importance of the preparation for winter as crucial for a “good winter” and consequently crucial for a good overall cycle
• how our inner winters have changed since motherhood
• some monthly winter rituals that carry us through our mothering

This is a very rich and longer than usual conversation, as we both love winter so much and we couldn't stop talking!

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References and resources:

Hayley’s moon charts for cycle charting

Read more about Hayley's 'crone cloth' practice here

Midwife Robin Lim’s book on postpartum: “After the Baby’s Birth: A Woman’s Way to Wellness”

___

Thank you for being here ♥︎

We hope you have enjoyed our conversation today. Please do share with any other mothers you think might receive something from our conversation.

If you wish to connect to us, you can find us on Instagram @cyclicalmotherhood

To connect directly with Hayley @_hayley_anderson_ and https://hayleyanderson.co.uk/

To connect directly with Marinella @earthmoonmala and https://www.earthmoonmala.com/

Music is Medicine Tune by Julie Abbé https://julieabbe.com/

Welcome back to the Cyclical Motherhood podcast. In this episode we share what is at the heart of our work through offering Cyclical Motherhood:

- centre mothers and cyclical wisdom

- acknowledge our whiteness and privileges 

- welcome and amplify marginalised mothers

- welcome and amplify mothers whose physiological experiences of the cycles are disturbed or medicated and don’t fit in the standard menstrual awareness map

- name/rename some of the key experiences of menstruating mothers

- promote a body centred approach (your own body) when it comes to experiencing the menstrual cycle

- consciously move away from ideas of perfection, niceness and productivity first and let go of the idea of the ‘perfect mother’ myth or even the ‘good enough mother’

- raise menstrually aware and cycle aware children and share our journeys to inspire far and wide

This is quite a list. We don’t claim to have solutions, right ways or answers to it all. Please receive it all with curiosity and join us, as we altogether contribute to the new story.

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Thank you for being here ♥︎

We hope you have enjoyed our conversation today. Please do share with any other mothers you think might receive something from our conversation.

If you wish to connect to us, you can find us on Instagram @cyclicalmotherhood

To connect directly with Hayley @_hayley_anderson_ and https://hayleyanderson.co.uk/

To connect directly with Marinella @earthmoonmala and https://www.earthmoonmala.com/

Music is Medicine Tune by Julie Abbé https://julieabbe.com/