Red School

In the beginning ‍From our very first periods our deep instinctual selves ‘knew’ something significant was at work but we had no language to name it. Mainstream consciousness distracted us with the message to keep quiet about the fact of the cycle and menstruation itself and we were both temporarily seduced by the apparent liberation of hormonal contraception. Thankfully our deep instinctual knowing broke through that illusion and each in our own ways found fertility awareness in our 20s, the first conscious step of awakening into the power of menstruality. ‍ From pain to power ‍At thirty one Alexandra was seized by the most outrageous menstrual pain that was to return for 3-4 days each menstrual month. In an attempt to heal her body she decided to give space to menstruation whenever she could and feel into the pain rather than take drugs. It was profoundly challenging but in the wake of that pain came revelation and importantly healing. Her perception of menstruation radically altered she began sharing with other women in workshops and her psychotherapy practice what she was discovering about the psychological and spiritual forces of the female body. The more she taught the more she learnt. Women’s stories held the gold. When she stopped to listen, to follow the natural impulse of the cycle, it was as though a whole new world, a new cosmology revealed itself. The feminine cosmology, the power of menstruality. ‍ A high definition life ‍When Sjanie came off hormonal contraception her feeling life exploded into glorious technicolour. She came alive in ways she had not known before, as though she were tasting herself for the first time. From that day forth her fascination for the cycle grew and grew and lead her to study hypnotherapy and psychotherapy, and to develop an expertise in the area of fertility with women who are struggling to conceive. As the mother of two young girls she brings the menstruality consciousness to bear on the realities of child rearing, relationship and running a business.