This is a project based upon a research paper I have written, which you can find under “Blog posts” on my homepage.
I chose to present my research through visual art. For the first portion of my project, I used previous moon dials I made to create the Menstrual Cycle Chart you see above. The chart consists of 4 distinct hormone phases MB’s (menstruating bodies) experience in addition to my own personal understandings. I hope other MB’s can benefit from this as they explore or are interested in understanding their own physiology. Each ‘season’ has words / themes that I think are important to focus on. My hope & intention behind this is to accurately represent the subtle energetic shifts MB’s go through each month, and to instill confidence to those who may not understand themselves. Personally it has been extremely helpful to sort through previous dials I had made and be reminded that I am cyclical and fluid by nature, so I don’t need to be hard on myself when I feel that energy drop on day 16, as it usually does around ovulation. (see below for past moon dials)
The second portion of my project included more visual imagery with 4 different colleges. Each page represents an internal expression of the seasons (Menstruation, Follicular, Ovulation & Luteal). For example, because ovulation is viewed as the most productive phase by society, I have added plenty of color, imagery & contrasting activity (Northrup 105). The phase leading up to and during ovulation is the time of the month where an MB’s are also more outgoing and attractive to others, so I tried to represent that excitement and energy (Burriss 1). Menstruation is left relatively blank, with some black & white or simple imagery, and for fall I used some old sketching I had drawn to represent the chaos, blandness, & heart opening experience that can be the luteal phase. As a disclaimer this is a very personal take on my experience as a menstruating body, and others can vary, especially during the luteal phase.
Menstruation (winter) 
Follicular (spring) 
Ovulation (summer)
Works Cited:
Baker, Claire. “Menstrual Charting.” _clairebaker_, Instagram, www.instagram.com/_clairebaker_/?hl=en.
I cannot remember where I drew in the idea of menstrual dials. Likely I read it in a book long ago. I’ll credit Claire here – but if you know of any bloggers or authors who have introduced this concept – please let me know!
Burriss, Robert. “ The Secret to Ovulation Is in Women’s Faces (but Men Can’t See It).” The Conversation, 1 July 2015, 9:52, theconversation.com/the-secret-to-ovulation-is-in-womens-faces-but-men-cant-see-it-44093.
Northrup, Christiane. “Part Two, Chapter Five: The Menstrual Cycle: Our Cyclical Nature.” Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom, Revised ed., Bantam Books, 1998