Hello and welcome to a Bay and a Bada podcast with me, Paulson Victoria. Today we are going to talk about menstruation and religious purity, a stigmatized cycle. So I found this obviously every topic I find interesting. But there is a lot in this episode to soak in. And I think maybe there'll be a part two. Because I I just feel like a lot of religious stuff right now is on the rise, as well as another episode we're gonna speak about later in date. Have you ever been told you couldn't do something because you're on your period? Have you been excluded from a religious or social event because of menstruation? Let's dive into why that is. Today we're gonna dive into why that is, and quite simply why it's time to break the stigma. Now we have previously talked about the power of periods, the myths and such, which we will be referring back to in this. Just just a little, but it is a good listen. So this episode, as I said, it it this is probably gonna be a two-parter because there is a lot. There is a lot to talk about, and there are so many religions, especially religions. I think pretty much all apart from one religion makes out that we're impure in some way just because we have periods. So we're gonna deep dive more into that. We're gonna deep dive more into the religious aspect, and it's gonna be about the bodily anatomy, gender equality, and reclaiming the power from centuries of oppression. Because I don't believe we have yet, I don't know if we will fully get the power back on what misogynistic people have done to us. And I know most of my podcasts I sound like men hating. I love men, I do. It's just the few that spoil it. But with more and more episodes coming out, there will be proof, there will be history to support my hatred of men. I love working in the sex industry. That that is my job. Anybody who is new to Behind the Powder Podcast, I am a professional dominatrix and a escort, among other things as well. So I have quite a lot of credentials, I want to say, when it comes to dealing with men and misogyny. So yeah, let's get into it. So why does this topic matter? The topic of menstruation and religious purity is not about just periods. It's about power, control, and deeply integrated systems that regulate women's bodies. This episode is essential because it touches on gender, equality, religious tradition, body anatomy, and social justice. I feel like periods also just need to get spoken about more, and they need to they need to get spoken about in a good, positive manner. Like it happens, we we really can't control it. So the first point we're gonna just hit on briefly is the stigma's everywhere. It is absolutely global. Across cultures, menstruation has been seen as dirty, impure, even dangerous, and this belief is often reinforced by religion. Women are still banned from temples, excluded from prayer, denied access to sacred places, and even isolated from their families because of something completely natural. Again, we can't help being on our periods. We can't help what goes on with our bodies. We could try like remedies and stuff with like food and medicine, but it it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. These restrictions aren't just historical, they're still happening today in places like India, Nepal, Japan, Israel, and even parts of the US. Religion has shaped menstrual taboos for centuries. Many of these beliefs come from scriptures, religious laws, and century-old documents. From Leviticus in the Bible to the Quran, Hindu Vidas, and Buddhist monocist codes. Menstruation has been associated with impurity across multiple faiths. But are these restrictions truly divine commandments? Already created by men in power to control women. That's a big question. I know. Is we're good, we're gonna hit on some very wah questions. And today's podcast isn't to offend anybody. I am literally stating the facts of what does go on. You might not specifically relate, you might not know anybody that has had this happen to them, but it's not to say that it doesn't happen to other people. So this podcast is like it hasn't happened to me, but this podcast is here to be a voice for the people who it has happened to and is still happening to, to make people aware that this is happening, and it has happened, and these are the results. So please don't be offended. As I said, this is just what is happening, what the Bible say and whatnot, and yeah, still happening to this day, and it needs to be made aware. Is this more about religion, or is it more about gender and power? Menstruation taboos aren't just rooted in spirituality, they are deeply embedded tools of social control. Across cultures and religions, the belief that menstruation is impure has been used to justify the exclusion of women from positions of power, sacred spaces, and decision-making roles. From barring women from religious leadership to enforcing restrictive purity laws, period stigma has long been a weapon of patriarchy designed to enforce male dominance and limit women's autonomy. In this episode of Behind the Paddle, we uncover the historical and cultural origins of menstrual taboos, expose how they have shaped gender and equality, and reveal the insidious ways they continue to oppress women today. By dissecting religious doctrines, cultural practices, and modern day policies, we reveal how ministration has been politicized and why dismantling this stigma is essential for true gender liberation. So, despite the progress in gender equality, the battle against menstrual stigma continues worldwide. Deeply ingrained cultural and religious taboos still dictate how menstruation is perceived, often leading to discrimination, exclusion, and even harmful practices, but activists, scholars, and grassroots movements are pushing back against these outdated beliefs. Feminist theologians and scholars are re-examining religious texts, uncovering evidence that menstruation was never meant to be viewed as impure, but instead misinterpreted to justify patriarchal control. Their work challenges centuries of exclusion and aims to reclaim a more empowering narrative around menstruation. On the ground, movements like Happy to Bleed in India are directly confronting religious and social restrictions that bar menstruating women from temples and public spaces. In Africa, period equality campaigns are fighting for access to affordable menstruation products, education and policies that end period poverty. Meanwhile, feminists meanwhile, feminist theology initiatives worldwide are working to dismantle period related stigma within religious communities, advocating for inclusive interpretations that affirm bodily autonomy. By challenging these taboos head-on, activists are not only fighting for period equality but also reshaping broader conversations about gender, power, and body agency. Bodily agency. I know for my experiences is that we didn't in my family we didn't talk about periods. And I remember the sex ed we got in school included a portion about periods. Now this is going back twelve? 12 years? No, even more than that. Sixteen years? Yeah, 14, 16 years. Being 12 years old? Yeah. In primary school. So we got sex at that, and that was horrendous. It was just a terrible depictation of what sex was in puberty, and in the it hopefully it has improved, but we'll get on to that, however stupid it is. Where people are so embarrassed and shamed, and it is still a taboo to talk about sex and to teach as well, because that's what it was like. Like they were dancing around on how to actually show and teach and get these kids to learn about puberty periods and sex. It was ridiculous. Looking back now, I don't really think it taught me that much. What we got taught was that there was a book, and this man and woman who had massive pubic hair were like sharing a bath. It was well weird. I didn't understand it. And then when it came time to talk about periods, the men and the women, this is at the age of like 12. We got split up. So the women went and learned about periods, and the guys learnt about wanking off, I think. So I I wanna hope that they did. I'm not actually quite sure. It was quite a long time ago, and I don't even think we discussed it. Because it was literally one lesson where a quote specialist came in. Yeah, it was weird. And I feel like everybody, whatever gender you are, you need to know about periods. You need to learn about it. It's gonna happen to somebody you know. And it would be nice for you to take care of them, or like actually acknowledge on their period. And you don't know if their period is hard for them or piece of piss or if they have things like endometriosis. Like, I remember one of my family members had horrific period pain to the point they would like throw up. And it was just never discussed really in my family. Like that was the most exposed I would say I was to seeing somebody on their period and actively talking about it. I remember when I did get my period, I just wiped in the bathroom and my mum was like, Oh yeah, that's your period, and that was it. There wasn't like discussion or anything like that. Um yeah, it's very frowned upon in some parts. Like, I remember my dad giving me a very easy talk about drugs rather than sex or periods. I didn't get any talks from my mum. So, like, that's like my that's my own personal things that have happened. And in work and outside of work, I've had relationships and clients who don't want to do anything with me on my period, who do not even know, who don't know what happens when I'm on my period, if it hurts, if it doesn't hurt. Um there are so many side effects to having periods and hormones and everything like that. And the partners which I have had haven't wanted to do anything while I'm on my period, and they haven't been able to like pick out the period products in the store when I need them. It's like that that I feel like should be so simple to do is just be like, oh yeah, I I need this from the store, please can you get it? I'm unable to move right now, but they need so much help, and I'm not just saying this about men, I'm saying it about people as well. We all need to learn this knowledge. If you look statistically, then there's a lot more men who do not know that much about periods at all. They don't know how much we bleed, where the blood actually comes from. So yeah, that's my personal experiences where like I've told people I'm on my period, and like they've gotten grossed out. And it's like, mate, it's just blood. Like, chill, chill. You go down there and it looks and then you come back up, and it looks like you've ate some spaghetti. Like, it's fine. It's fine, it's not gonna kill you or do anything like that. So, yeah, personal bits. I think I'm done with my little rambling now. But yeah, that that's my personal. So, first on the agenda, I want to talk about the Sabarimula temple. I will try not get that wrong, but if you've listened to previous episodes of Behind the Paddle, I'm a tribe with my words. So this case is one of the most significant and controversial. Don't know why it's controversial, in my eyes, if I'm honest. Examples of menstrual taboos intersecting with religious practice, legal rights, and gender equality in modern times. So I'm gonna highlight how ancient purity beliefs continue to impact women's rights today, even in a country with a constitution that guarantees equality. So the temple ban, a deep dive. What is this temple? The Sabramula temple is one of the most revered Hindu pilgrimage sites in India. Located in the state of Kerala, the temple is dedicated to Lord Ayapa, a deity believed to be a celibate or eternally pure god. Millions of devotees, primarily men, following the strict vows of purity before making the pilgrimage. So we've already just established a lot of men go there. And strict vows of purity, I genuinely would love to know if they stay pure. Just saying. Just saying. So what was the ban? For centuries women between the ages of ten and fifty, essentially those of menstruating age, were prohibited from entering the temple. One of Hinduism's holiest pilgrimist sites dedicated to Lord Ayapa. This ban was rooted in belief that menstruating women were impure and that their presence would disturb Lord Yappa's eternal celibacy. Excuse me? What okay? Devotees and temple authorities argued that allowing women of reproductive age into the temple would violate religious tradition, as the Lord is revered as a celebrate deity. This belief was reinforced by generations of temple customs, religious doctrine, and social conditioning that upheld the notion of menstrual impurity. So throughout the years, over and over and over again, now mate, you're a woman, you're not coming in, you're on your period. Fuck off. Basically. They've carried on being sheep, the men. And one after another, they've just said, no. Nope. Because it's tradition. We're not gonna let you in. And so the women basically were like, nah, fuck this. Fuck this. We're gonna go and we're gonna pray on that to this deity, whether you like it or not. So the legal challenge and Supreme Court verdict. So this is the Supreme Court in India. The ban was formally contested in 2006 when the Indian Young Lawyers Association filed a public interest litigation case, arguing that the practice was unconstitutional. The petitioners contended that preventing women from worshipping at the temple violated fundamental rights, including gender equality, obviously, Article fourteen, freedom of religion, Article twenty five, and protection against discrimination Article fifteen under the Indian Constitution. After twelve years of legal battles, public debate and widespread protest from both sides, the Supreme Court of India delivered a landmark ruling in twenty eighteen declaring the temple's ban on women unconstitutional in a four to one majority decision. The court ruled that religious traditions could not override constitutional principles of equality and personal freedom. Yes, mate. Chief Justice DePak Mizura in his judgment stated Religion cannot be the cover to deny women the right to worship. The court emphasized that practices rooted in gender discrimination, even if justified by religious beliefs, could not be allowed in a modern constitutional democracy. The ruling was seen as a historic victory for gender justice, reinforcing the principle that faith should not be used as a tool for oppression. However, the verdict also sparked massive backlash, with conservative groups staging violent protests and temple authorities refusing to comply. The ruling innovated a nationwide debate over the intersection of religion, tradition, and women's rights, highlighting the ongoing struggle between progressive legal reforms and deeply entrenched patriarchal norms. Now this backlash, man, oof about a year it lasted. So the Supreme Court in 2018 verdict of allowing women of menstruating age to enter the temple triggered a massive, massive backlash. So there was protests that erupted across India, particularly in Kerala, where millions of devout Hindu groups, conservative leaders, and even some women opposed the ruling, arguing that it was an attack on religious tradition and temple autonomy. What you want that it says, really? That's that's my take on it, is that you can just pick and choose what beliefs you want to actually believe in and what who you pray to. Because I am atheist, that's it. If you look up footage, the majority of people in these protests are men. And I understand that women, in my opinion, are brainwashed when it comes to seeing the actual point of religion. Because you can go ahead and copy somebody, but it should all be about freedom and love and doing what's right. Not stopping somebody from going into a temple just because they're bleeding out their vagina. Yeah, that's that's just my take on it. Hindu nationalist organizations like the RSS and the BJP for short, along with the temple's governing body, actively campaigned against the judgment, claiming that the court had no right to interfere in matters of faith. But what made what gives you the right to intervene in faith? In somebody else's faith. Like this is what I mean. It's so pick and choose, and you have to follow us and you have to do this. No, you can't be like, oh, you don't have a say in faith, but we do. That's that's not how it should work. So again, many devotees believe that allowing menstruating women into the temple would desecrate its sacredness and violate the vow of celibacy attributed to the Lord. When women attempted to exercise their newfound legal right and enter the temple, they were met with widespread resistance, violent mobs, and even physical attacks. Now to me that screams get a frickin' grip. Again, people have their own opinions, but physical attacks, violent mobs ridiculous, disappointing in human life, really. It really is the amount of anger that I've got towards this podcast episode when it's all meant to be religion about like freedom and choosing and none. The roads leading to the temple were blocked, female devotees and journalists faced frets, stones were thrown at them, and police clashes and Kerala saw some of its largest protests in history over women while on their periods going into a temple. We're not gonna disturb the god. We wanna do what you guys were doing, which was praying to him. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So despite the hostility, in January 2019, two women, I wanna actually get their names right because they deserve to be said, Bindu Amini and Kanaka Durga entered the temple under heavy police protection, becoming the first menstruating age women to do so in modern history. Their entry was met with fury leading to riots, strikes, and temple purification rituals conducted by priests who claimed the sanctuary of the temple had been violated. Now I'm sorry, this is like it doesn't matter where it goes on in the world. Like you can see India and be like, oh India, it's so in the past, or like gross, or whatever. Whatever your opinion is about India, there is no denying that women have to go through this. That women have to go through this in India on a daily basis, all because we bleed from our vagina. Now you could be sitting and listening and being like, oh, I'm in like the United Kingdom or the United States or wherever. And maybe we'll we'll freaking get to you. But right now, you could be like, oh, we don't really deal with that. And it's like, okay, but it's still happening, and there still needs to be action that is taken. Whether that be you understand more about periods, again, whatever gender you are, make an effort and actually research what people what women are going through. So we're gonna up to date here. So the current temple, even after years uh of the ruling that has passed, the issue still remains highly continuous with ongoing legal battles and persev persistent and persistent resistance from religious groups. The Supreme Court agreed to review its 2018 judgment following the multiple petitions, and while it has not overturned the verdict, the ruling r remains in legal limbo. Like what the fuck? That mm mm that oh you're gonna hear a lot of mm mm. That is so annoying and disgusting, disappointing that the Supreme Court would be like, mmm. There is a lot of people that don't want us to do it, so We'll have a thing. And it's just like nah man. Freedom. Freedom. The Indian government has not taken decisive action to fully enforce the ruling, largely due to political sensitivities and opposition from influential Hindu groups. This means that in practice, many menstruating women still hesitate to enter the temple, fearing backlash from devotees and a lack of adequate state protection. The temple remains a flash point in India's battle between religious tradition and gender rights, symbolizing the broader struggle of women's anatomy in deeply patriarchal societies. So what we've just spoken about, it aligns with similar purity taboos in Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism. Which we're gonna look at? Oh potentially not today, because there is quite a lot, and I might have to do it in part two. So my question to you guys is where do we draw the line between respecting religious traditions and upholding gender equality? Should religious beliefs override constitutional rights? Would love to know. I feel like just talking about the temple, it highlights the power of religious patriarchy. Even though the Supreme Court ruled in favor of women, societal resistance kept the ban alive in practice. Women who challenged the tradition faced death threats, social protests, and even exile from their families. The temple priests performed purification rituals after women entered, reinforcing the belief that women contaminate these sacred places. I just find it disgusting that women are seen like this. So, as I've touched on briefly, the stigma surrounding menstruation is not unique to one religion or culture, it's a global issue that has been used for centuries to control and restrict women. Across the world, women are challenging deeply ingrained period taboos that continue to dictate their roles in religion, social, and even legal spaces. So some examples are in Nepal, despite a legal ban, the practice of sheppedee, where menstruating women are forced into isolation in unsafe huts, persists in rural areas. Women subjected to this practice have died from exposure, snake bites, and asphyxiation due to the lack of ventilation. The continued enforcement of shopiti shows how deeply entrenched cultural beliefs can override legal reforms. So in Japan, some Shinto shrines still prohibit menstruating women from entering sacred spaces or participating in rituals, reinforcing the belief that menstrual blood is impure and disruptive to divine forces. This restriction is rarely questioned, even in modern Japan, but gender equality has progressed in many other areas. Like, how are they to know that you're on your period? Like how? You you glow today. You in pain? You look like you're in pain. Orthodox Judaism and Islam. In Orthodox Jewish communities, menstruating women in the state of Nida are barred from physical touch with their spouses, attending religious services, and engaging in prayer until they complete a ritual bath. Mikvah In Islam, menstruating women are often discouraged or outright prohibited from praying, fasting during Ramadan, or touching the Quran. These restrictions, while framed as religious laws, often serve to reinforce patriarchal control over women's bodies and behaviours. So I'd like to talk about ancient beliefs about blood, fertility, and power. Now, we did hit on this a little bit with the power of periods in an episode way back. So, menstruation has long been regarded with a mix of reverence, fear, and misunderstanding. Across ancient societies, menstrual blood was seen as both life-giving and dangerous, a symbol of fertility, yet something to be controlled. I'm sorry, but mate, you ain't controlling my period. There is no control in this bad boy. Mm-mm. Mm-mm. These beliefs shaped early medical theories, religious doctrines, and social norms that continue to influence menstrual stigma today. And as I said in previous episode, PowerPeriods, we explored the deep-rooted myths and misconceptions surrounding menstruation, misleading ideas that have been passed down through generations and continue to influence how society views menstruate and individuals. These myths have historically been used to control shame and stigmatize menstruation, often obscuring the natural process. So the first myth we're going to talk about is you can't swim and you can't bathe all on your period. This myth has been around for centuries and originates from ideas about the impurity of menstrual blood. Ancient Greeks and Romans were particularly adamant about avoiding water during menstruation. The Greek physician Hippocrates suggested that menstrual blood could contaminate water sources, reinforcing the belief that menstrual was a form of pollution. This idea persisted throughout history, leading to cultural taboos that restrict menstruating women from engaging in daily activities, including swimming and bathing. Even today, this belief persists in some communities despite the lack of scientific evidence to support it. Yeah, sorry, here at Behind the Vatter Podcast, we do look at the science part of it. I mean there's not that much science on women in general, but the parts we look at we do try and make a podcast episode about it. So some of these myths we have included in the previous episode, and some of them we haven't. So we're not like redoing that episode just for this little segment. So there was another myth about how you can't exercise on your period. So this misconception stems from outdated medical beliefs from the medieval and Victorian eras, where menstruating women were seen as weak and fragile. In ancient Rome, the philosopher Pliny the Elder wrote in his Natural History that menstruation made women physically unfit for exercise, echoing the border beliefs that menstruation was a debilitating condition. The idea that women should rest during the period continued into the nineteenth century. When doctors like Dr. William Acton, a prominent British surgeon, recommended that women avoid physical exertion during menstruation. Today, modern science recognises that exercise can actually alleviate menstrual cramps and improve overall health, though the myth still lingers in some parts of the world. Now, me personally, I remember whenever it was bloody PE, we would use the excuse of, I miss them on my period. And then the teacher would literally be like, nah, mate, PE helps. And I was like, what? But it would never like get explained to us why it would help. It would just be, oh yeah, it is actually good for periods. Like, it helps them. And it's like, we need the description. I feel like we need the this is why. So again, we need more research about this third myth. So certain foods affect your menstrual flow. This myth can be traced back to ancient superstitions and cultural taboos in ancient Egypt. Menstrual blood was thought to have magical properties that could affect the growth of crops, which led to dietary restrictions for menstruating women. Later in the Middle Ages, European medical texts warned against consuming certain foods like garlic, onions, or spicy foods during menstruation, as they were believed to aggravate the flow or alter its nature. This myth persists today in culture, despite scientific research showing no connection between diet and menstruational flow itself. Yeah, because I see a lot of people, mainly on like TikTok and things, influencers, saying how this soup helped or this um remedy helped, this food remedy. And I'm like, does that actually work? Because everybody's different. So I don't know, like even if they did do a test, I feel like because everybody's different, everybody would just r react differently. So yeah, it's not with that one. Oh, fourth myth. There's there'll be a fifth one, I think, after this. Using a tampon will cause you to lose your virginity. The concept of virginity has long been tied to patriarchal ideas about women's purity, and this myth emerged from cultural attitudes in the Victorian era. Doctors and religious leaders like Dr. William Acton perpetuated the belief that a woman's value was tied to her quote untouched state, linking the use of tampons to the loss of virginity. This idea was often reinforced by cultural fears about women's sexuality and the ideas that menstruation was something to be hidden. These notions were especially common in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with many believing that tampons would somehow defile a woman's purity. This obviously isn't true, and tampons have no effect on virginity whatsoever. Like me personally, I I just free bleed. Unless I'm going out, I will just free bleed while I'm around the house. Like, and if you say ew at that, then that you're a part of the problem. So, myth five is you shouldn't have sex on your period. The belief that menstruation is unclean or impure is rooted in religious and cultural ideas that span many ancient civilizations. In the Old Testament, High Bible, Leviticus 1519 to 30, menstruation is described as quote unclean, and some Jewish traditions have laws about sexual relations during menstruation, which we'll get to later. In ancient Greece, the philosopher Aristotle to three twenty-two BCE held the view that menstruation was a discharge of harmful humours, and could be harmful to both women and men if they engaged in sexual relations during a women's period. In India, some Hindu texts are also prohibited sexual activity during menstruation, associating it with spiritual impurity. Despite these beliefs, there is no medical reason to avoid sexual activity during menstruation, and many people do engage in it comfortably. Hello, I'm one of those people. It is absolutely fine. So some of the myths that were from the previous episode was menstruating women can vaporize children with a mere glance. Yep, you heard me. So this bizarre myth comes from various cultures around the world, particularly in the Middle Ages, when menstruating women were often thought to possess mythical and dangerous powers. In Europe, particularly during the witch hunts, 15th to 17th century. Menstrait and women were believed to have the ability to curse or harm others. The idea that menstruating women could kill children with a mere glance was prevalent in some superstitions, notably in medieval England. The belief was rooted in the concept of miasoma, or the idea that menstruating women emitted an invisible toxic aura that could harm others. The association between menstruation and danger led to widespread fear and ostracism of menstruating women, even leading to them being kept separate from society to protect children from the supposed danger. Wrote that menstruation was a removal of bad humours. Another myth was that snakes can enter the vagina during during your when you're on your period, which sounds really freaking weird, but that's all I'm gonna give you because we did actually discuss this in a previous episode, and of course menstruation is a curse from the gods. Another myth which I found quite funny is that women are inherently unstable during menstruation. The concept of hysteria, meaning uterus, and it has been used for centuries to describe women who are believed to exhibit irrational or emotional behavior during menstruation. The term hysteria was popularized by ancient Greek physicians like Hippocrus, who believed that a woman's uterus could wander through her body and cause psychological instability. This idea was perpetuated by early physicians such as Jean Martin Charcott in the nineteenth century who linked women's emotional instability to the reproductive system. The idea that menstruating women were inherently unstable continued throughout history, reinforcing harmful stereotypes about women's emotionally and rationality. These myths were originating in different places and eras, reflect a long history of cultural beliefs and medical misconceptions. They were used not only to control women's bodies, but able to perpetuate powers, structures that viewed women's natural biological processes as something to be feared or hidden. Understanding the origins of these myths helps us see how deeply ingrained they are in our collective consciousness and why it's important to challenge them today. So this is one of the nice things which I found. In many prehistoric and indigenous societies, menstruation was not viewed negatively or as a sign of impurity, but rather as a powerful and often mystical process that carried significant spiritual and physical influence. These societies recognized the menstrual cycle as a natural and essential rhythm of life, often associating it with the forces of creation, renewal, and sometimes destruction. I freaking love that what I find on indigenous societies is so beautiful. It's so beautiful. Especially compared to like other religions and other societies. So menstrual blood as magical and sacred. In various indigenous cultures, menstrual blood was regarded as possessing unique and potent qualities. Rather than being seen as something to hide or suppress, menstrual blood was often viewed as a powerful force with the ability to heal, protect, and even curse. For instance, in many Native American and African traditions, menstrual blood was believed to have magical properties that could influence the environment, fertility, and the balance of life. In some Native American cultures, such as the Navajo and Zuni tribes, menstrual blood was thought to hold the power to both nourish and protect. It was believed to have the ability to promote growth in plants, animals, and human life. In this context, menstrual menstruation was not viewed as something dirty, but as a vital force in the cycle of life capable of renewing and nurturing the earth. Navajo women would sometimes bury menstruational clothes or use menstruational blood in rituals to encourage fertility and ensure the health of crops and animals. This practice was seen as a sacred interaction with natural world, emphasizing the interconnectedness between women in nature and the divine. So now we're going to talk about spiritual power and the role of women. So following on from that, among many indigenous cultures, we've already just spoken about how women were regarded as spiritually powerful beings while menstruating. This reverence stemmed from the belief that menstruation was a manifestation of a deep connection to the earth and the divine forces that governed life. The cycles of menstruation were often linked to the cycles of the moon, further reinforcing that the idea women were initially tied to cosmic rhythms and energies. Certain Native American tribes, including the Lakota and the Ojibwa, saw menstruating women as possessing heightened spiritual energy. Far from being considered impure, women on their periods were thought to have access to a form of power that others could not tap into. This belief was rooted in the idea that menstruation was a sign of life-giving potential and cosmic connection. Because of this, menstruating women were often believed to have the ability to perform certain rituals, meditations, or healing practices more effectively during their menstrual cycles. With all these beliefs and women's spiritual power, it reflected in how they were treated by their communities with great respect and often an awe. So I did more and more digging in the indigenous cultures. Because I really I was like, this is so good. Is there literally anything freaking negative? So let's talk more about it. So many indigenous cultures prescribed a form of ritualistic isolation for menstruating women, but this isolation was not driven by the belief of impurity. Instead, it was believed that a menstruating woman's energy was so powerful and intense that it needed to be contained in the sacred space. In many of these cultures, menstruating women were encouraged to rest and refrain from certain activities to protect themselves and others from being overwhelmed by their heightened spiritual and physical energy. For example, in certain Native American tribes, women would retreat to a quote moon lodge or a separate area to honor their menstruational cycles. These spaces were often surrounded by reverence and respect, was seen as a time of spiritual renewal and reflection, not a punishment or exclusion. During this time, women were encouraged to meditate, pray, or engage in creative or healing activities. The purpose was harness and focus the energy generated by menstruation, allowing it to flow towards sacred or ritualistic activities such as healing, blessing, or protecting the community. This ritualistic seclusion also provided a sense of safety and respect for the women's power during menstruation. It was understood that she needed time to replenish her energy and to manage the spiritual and physical forces she was believed to possess. The retreat was not seen as a form of shame, but as a time for spiritual growth, introspectation, the connection with the natural world. It was also a time for women to teach younger girls about the power of their cycles, ensuring that the connection with Earth and the sacred mysteries of womanhood would pass down from generation to generation. While the specifics of menstrual reverence varied from culture to culture, the broader theme of menstrual blood as a sacred force is a recurring motive in indigenous worldviews. In many African cultures, for instance, menstrual blood was also considered a life-giving substance that held both healing and destructive potential. In some religions, menstruating women were believed to have the ability to cause storms, droughts, or misfortune if their menstrual energy was not properly managed or respected. At the same time, it was also understood that women had the power to use this energy for positive purposes, such as ensuring good harvests or healing the sick. This is a difficult word for me. Similarly, in some Aboriginal Australian cultures, menstrual blood was revered for its connection to the land and the ancestral spirits. Women's menstrual cycles were often seen as reflecting the seasonal cycles of the earth. The menstrual blood was believed to be connected to the ancestral beings who inhabited the land. As such, menstruating women were regarded as spiritual intermediaries, with their blood symbolizing the flow of life itself. These prehistoric and indigenous views of menstruation highlight a profound connection between women and the natural spiritual world. In many early societies, menstruation was not feared or hidden. It was seen as an essential and powerful force that could heal, create, and protect. Menstruating women were often regarded with respect, reverence and awe, as they were believed to possess a unique spiritual energy that was tied to the cycles of Earth and the cosmos. Today, while many of these cultural attitudes have been overshadowed by Western medicine, by Western medical views of menstruation as a biological process to be managed or concealed, these indigenous and prehistoric beliefs offer an alternative narrative, a narrative in which menstruation is not a shameful or deliberating experience, but a source of power, wisdom, and connection to the earth's rhythms. In contrast, some cultures viewed menstruational blood as dangerous, believing it could wither crop sour milk or weaken warriors. These beliefs reinforce the idea that menstruating women need to be kept separate from men and sacred spaces. There's more about this in Power Periods. And yeah, I think we're just gonna end here, mainly because I actually have a session. So yeah. But we've ended on a like a really nice note of the good that some people do see in menstrual cycles, and it's such a tongue twister now that I've said it so many times. But yeah, this has been Behind the Padder Podcast with your host Porsum Victoria. If you would like to see more, there's Spotify, Apple, all sorts, and of course, right now, if you would like to see me naked while talking about the episodes, then there is a dark fans and a many vids. So yeah. This has been Behind the Padder Podcast. Please enjoy this episode and many, many more. Bye.