Educating & empowering young girls in menstruation & cyclical living while reducing the shame & stigma of femininity & periods.
about
First Moon Circles are an educational and sacred experience. They provide menstrual cycle education, covering the basics of period care and options, while also empowering young girls in femininity, cyclical hormonal living and destigmatizing the shame that has attached itself to menstruation. Circles are designed for ages 9-12, whether they have started their periods or not.
Our current culture has lost its connection to this important ritual to assist, guide and enable young girls on their journey towards womanhood. Empowering them to listen to their bodies, promote their innate intuition, understand their options and what to expect from menstruation and how to care for their bodies throughout their monthly cycles is vital for how they will view themselves and their bodies throughout their lifetimes.
These rituals are also the chance for young girls and their mothers or caregivers to bond and celebrate this upcoming transition in their lives. Mothers, in turn, are given an opportunity themselves to embrace their own cycles and rid of any generational menstrual shame. Menstrual shame and the disconnect from our own bodies deeply affects not only how we live our lives but also how we experience the process of birth and menopause.
I was deeply drawn to become a certified First Moon Circle facilitator during my own healing journey to reconnect with my body and desire for my daughter to have the beautiful and educational experience that I, like many other women, did not receive. I am excited to share this ritual and spur young girls toward practical education, innate knowing and empowerment.
All the best,
Melly
We start with a 2 hour experience just for the children to come together, have fun, be silly, make new friends, and learn accurate information about what’s happening to their physical body, as well as their emotional and spiritual selves as they approach and encounter menarche (the first period, or first moon).
Here First Moon attendees learn about:
* What periods and puberty are, what happens during this stage of development and what they can expect to notice, sense and feel within their body and emotions.
* An introduction to the female body, hormones, and the reproductive system.
*Cycle awareness (the period is just 1 part of a 4 stage cycle) and how our energy, superpowers and needs change across the month.
* Self-care for their cycle (a couple of examples include: why rest is important, why its ok if suddenly they might feel a bit cranky and how to nurture themselves through the pre-menstrual phase).
* Body and earth friendly period product options and instructional guidance.
* Any and all awkward, embarrassing, curious questions they’ve not felt able to ask yet.
Final Hour
A celebratory afternoon tea where Moms, Grandmas or Caregivers are invited to join us to share what the girls have discovered, whilst the elders are invited to share positive guidance and beautiful wishes they have for the girls in their lifetime. The girls will be making a special symbolic gemstone bracelet to help remind them of their cycles and all they have learned. Here the intentions are for Moms, Grandmas or Caregivers to:
* Role model that it is possible to talk openly about periods and puberty amongst friends and adults.
* Affirm the positive learning and experience, and to encourage the girls to be able to talk to them about personal topics.
* Share wisdom with everyone present, which helps the girls feel supported and remember that they are not alone, and that all woman before them have been through the same experience.
* Hold space for girls to share what they have learned with the adults which will no-doubt offer you new knowledge yourself!
* Celebrate a very special time in a person’s life – and to frame the natural process as normal, healthy, magical, and a time a girl meets her power.
Benefits of a First Moon Circle
* Each child leaves feeling more confident and empowered through greater knowledge, understanding and acceptance of what’s to come, and how powerful, important, special and transformational this phase of their life is.
* Mothers are supported to open up communication with their daughter. When girls begin to pull away during puberty, it's so important to help our daughters know we are truly there and able to meet them as they grow. Together we normalize asking for help, asking about the unknown, and sharing about what is traditionally too awkward.
* If friends attend together, they gain the added benefit of sisterhood, having this shared experience to refer back to, and to share wisdom with their other friends.
* Moms learn and reclaim what they never knew, learning alongside their daughter, feeling safe, heard and guided with tools and language.
* Moms are able to heal their own relationship to their menarche and menstruation, through giving their child the support they wish they’d had as a child, and learning about their own cycles.
Each Booking admits one child for the three hour event, their mother or guardian for the final hour.
Each child will receive:
Each child will receive a thoughtfully and practically curated 'moon kit' containing a combination of sanitary samples and self care items as preparation for her menstruation and as a reminder of this special day.
A copy of the ‘First Moon Guide’ – a keepsake 22 page resource full of fact sheets, guide to self-care for the cycle and a beginner cycle tracking sheet. This is full of wisdom to see both daughter and mom through puberty.
Her own handmade gemstone bracelet to remind her of cyclical magic and self care throughout the month.
Celebratory tea for both child and parent.
Investment
Cost per child and parent is $250. Please consider this an investment in both your child and yourself.
I feel strongly that each child should have access to this rite and education. If you are in financial need, please reach out to me for a sliding scale fee.
First Moon Circles welcome people of all racial, gender, sexual and cultural identities and are committed to holding safe and inclusive spaces.
circle details
Three Hour Duration
