To the Woman Wondering if the Moon Really Affects Her Cycle

During the Blood Moon, I made myself the most indulgent, sacred cup of hot cacao, sipped it slowly, and sat down with my journal. I wrote about my new direction with Period Bloom and asked myself if I still felt aligned. I went back to why I started this journey in the first place and dug into that deep craving to serve women, to protect them from shame, to give them back their power.

And girl… was it a good time to journal.

Reflection moments like these are so powerful. They keep us aligned. They remind us to evolve in the right direction instead of rushing without awareness. Maybe you’ve felt it too. Restless on a full moon. Extra calm and at peace during the new moon. Or maybe you’ve brushed it off, told yourself it’s silly or just a coincidence....?

But I’ve read the research. Some studies call the connection weak. Others show slight shifts in sleep, mood, even when our cycles start. And traditions? Traditions say the moon has always been our mirror.

So which is it? Let’s talk about both.

How the Moon Moves Us: Science + Cycles

Sleep + Mood Shifts

Do you ever have those sleepless nights on a full moon, tossing, turning, restless, and then you check the moon phase and think, ahhh… that explains it? Or even catch yourself during the day saying, “tonight won’t be my best sleep” because you saw the full moon on the calendar.

It’s real. Studies show sleep often gets lighter around the full moon, and deeper, longer, more restful during the new moon.

But the moon doesn’t just shift sleep. She amplifies emotions. Tears come more easily. Intuition sharpens. It’s like the full moon turns the volume up on everything you’re already feeling.

Bleeding or Ovulating with the Moon

Your cycle feels this too. If you bleed on the full moon, your flow might feel heavier, and PMS symptoms more intense, because the moon’s yang energy (expansive, outward, bright) magnifies what your body is already processing. If you ovulate on the full moon, your natural “summer energy” is even brighter: magnetic, social, expressive. Power turned all the way up.

The new moon, on the other hand, is yin energy, soft, inward, hidden. If you bleed here, your period often feels calmer, lighter, more peaceful. If you ovulate here, you may not feel as extroverted as you would under a full moon. Same hormones, but the energy is expressed differently: subtler, more intimate, more inward.

Gravity + Syncing

Cycles sometimes “sync” too. Women living closer to nature, without artificial light, are more likely to bleed on the new or full moon. In cities, that rhythm often fades. But when we dim the screens, or step outside, our bodies remember.

And gravity may play a role. The moon doesn’t just glow, she pulls. Her orbit moves ocean tides, and our bodies are mostly water. Long-term studies suggest menstrual cycles sometimes align with these gravitational cycles (when the moon is closest or farthest from Earth). Subtle, yes. But sometimes the smallest shifts are the ones we feel most deeply.

The Four Phases of the Moon + Your Cycle

The moon also mirrors your menstrual phases.

• When the moon disappears into darkness (new moon), it reflects menstruation, our winter season. Yin energy: soft, inward, a time to rest, review, and release.

• As the moon grows brighter (waxing moon), our follicular phase rises too. It feels like spring: playful, light, full of fresh ideas and beginnings.

• When she is full and radiant (full moon), we often feel our own summer fullness. This is ovulation, hormones peak, energy surges, we shine outward. Magnetic, joyful, sometimes overwhelming but always powerful.

• As she wanes into shadow (waning moon), our luteal phase mirrors her autumn descent. Energy slows, intuition sharpens. It’s the season to clear space, set boundaries, and prepare for release.

Some women bleed with the new moon (White Moon Cycle), which often feels nurturing, fertile, inward. Others bleed with the full moon (Red Moon Cycle), which often feels creative, bold, wisdom-sharing. Neither is better. They’re simply mirrors of the season you’re in.

How Women Before Us Honored Their Moon Time

Long before electricity, women’s nights were lit by fire and moon. And in many cultures, bleeding time was not hidden, it was honored. How beautiful is that?!

The Ojibwe people, one of the largest Indigenous nations in North America, called menstruation moon time. The name itself reveals how they saw it: a sacred pause, directly tied to the lunar rhythm. Women stepped back from daily work to rest and reflect, believing their bodies were shedding not just blood, but the weight of the past month.

The Yurok tribe of Northern California believed women were at the height of their power while bleeding. Moon time was cleansing, powerful. Some took baths in sacred ponds, others sat under the moonlight to bring their cycles back into balance.

In Ayurveda, India’s ancient system of medicine, menstrual blood (rakta) was believed to be ruled by Chandra, the moon. Women were considered lunar beings, building energy with the growing light, and releasing with the return to darkness. Today, as Ayurveda grows in modern wellness circles, many women are finding comfort in this reminder: our cycles aren’t random, they’re rhythmic, a mirror of the moon above.

And in Wicca, a nature-based spiritual tradition, the moon’s phases were always central. Women mapped their cycles to her rhythm, slowing down and turning inward on the new moon with practices like rest, journaling, or intention-setting, and celebrating the full moon with rituals of release and expression, like dancing, chanting, or gathering in circle. It was one of the first modern traditions to reclaim what ancestors always knew: that each moon phase holds wisdom, and so do we.

Even now, women gather in Red Tent circles worldwide, from New York to Sydney, Amsterdam to Spain. On the new moon, they rest together, share stories, and honor their cycles as sacred. You might have even seen them on Eventbrite or Meetup.

→ Let’s play for a moment… if you lived back then, which tradition would you have called home?

1. Like the Ojibwe, seeing your bleed as sacred rest and release?

2. Like the Yurok, feeling your strongest and most outspoken while bleeding?

3. Like in Ayurveda, embracing your energy as it rises and falls with the moon?

4. Or like the Wiccans, honoring each phase of the moon (and your cycle) with simple rituals?

There’s no right answer. Just an invitation to imagine.

Simple Rituals for Full + New Moons

If you’re craving a deeper connection with yourself, keep it simple. These rituals are easy to remember — because they’re tied to the two most powerful phases:

New Moon Rituals → Rest + Reflect

• Journal on what you’re ready to release.

• Set one small intention for the month ahead.

• Practice yin yoga or a slow walk.

• If you’re bleeding, honor your blood: water plants with it, or create a grounding ritual to return it to the earth.

  
  

Full Moon Rituals → Express + Celebrate

• Write down what you’re ready to let go of — then burn or tear it.

• Host a women’s circle, or simply share a meal.

• Move your body expansively: dance, swim, or sweat.

• If you’re bleeding, honor your blood as power: some women use it in a face mask, others paint with it, or simply take a moment to acknowledge it as sacred.

  
  

These rituals aren’t about perfection. They’re about remembering.

You don’t have to believe in the moon’s influence for it to matter.

Because whether science calls it weak or tradition calls it sacred, what matters most is what you notice.

Your body is cyclical. Like the moon, you rise, shine, wane, and rest.

So tonight, when you look up at her... ask yourself:

• Where am I in my cycle?

• What energy is moving through me now?

• What am I ready to release, or to receive?

  
  

When you honor the moon, you’re really honoring yourself.

With so much love from Spain,

Ruby 🌙