La Última Luna: 2024 ended early
thoughts on blood, renewal, and time
Dec. 13, 2024
Hoy desperté sangrando, el último ciclo del año terminando desgarrado y abundante. Agradezco la libertad que brinda el ciclo menstrual. Este renacer lo observé más cerca que cualquier otro antes. Gracias por este último sangrado purificador del año. Le entrego lo que fui, las decisiones que tomé. No deseo quedarme con nada más que lo aprendido. Mi año acabó hoy.
This last entry was written two days ago as a prayer. It came to me as I woke, the moon becoming full as the soft morning awakened. A wind rushed in to tell me: you’re bleeding, you’re alive.
These past months, I’ve been paying close attention to my body’s voice. It spoke through the pain and pleasure, the surges of energy, the tiredness. Its fluctuating nature, rooted in the womb, whispered the liberty of living cyclically. To understand how we operate through cycles of death and life, constantly renewing—finding periods to heal and others to create.
I’ve been off social media for a few weeks, but a few days ago, I returned. Why? Well, duh, it was Friday the 13th. Though this date is often associated with bad luck, fear, and an almost Halloween-esque twist, a year ago, I was redirected by
and her work on Nación Ovulación. She teaches women how to harness their inner clock, their archetypes for each part of the cycle—how to love and care for ourselves beyond the systems of society. Systems that don’t belong to us, or more importantly, don’t take our womb nature into account.somos un círculo,
dentro de un círculo,
sin un principio y sin un fin.
Ale taught me how Friday (Viernes) is the only day named after a Goddess: Venus.
The 13th represents the moon’s cycles, the lunar calendar used by pagans and indigenous communities, past and present. A time to connect with the mystic and mysterious—not of black witchcraft or prohibition.
She shared how this day was celebrated by women through dance, reverence for the moon and the natural world. Lighting fires, holding hands to elevate our song. Uplifting the feminine, the raw and true being of a witch.
Or as Ale put it so wisely:
Bruja (Witch) : sustantivo
“A woman who lives in harmony with the cycles of nature, trusts her intuition when making decisions, and harnesses the magic of the universe to make good things happen.”
Like… why would I choose anything else to commemorate a day but this?!
BTW - (if you speak Spanish or even if you don’t lol): Alejandra also offers a bunch of different other courses on the menstrual cycle, fertility and natural contraceptive methods. Yes girl, (you too lads x) check out her Instagram: Nacion Ovulacion
This time, as I cycled through my last bleed of the year, the moon’s grandeur illuminated my balcony. I undressed and moved to the rhythms of the majestic pine trees in front. I am learning to live cyclically, connected to my body.
It’s really tough sometimes. Just a few months ago, I would have suppressed the pain and emotions I experienced during this phase—sometimes not even aware of what I was feeling or why I felt physical pain. I am a crier by nature, and during this time, I tend to soften at every edge and touch. Everything becomes tender and new. I sleep a lot. I take warm showers. I stretch. I keep my feet warm. I am truly a newborn. I am now aware of this, and I am more capable of communicating it to those around me who care.
I’ve found a deeper connection within myself—less judgment, more compassion.
I deepen my connection to those who love and care for me too.
It’s been such a journey because by starting just over a month ago, my womb has become my source of intuition—learning how to self-regulate, what things to eat or drink– like enjoying a cup of cacao tea instead of caffeine. It’s the little things that have made my cycle a thing of beauty, introspection, and connection with myself, and naturally with those around me.
As I journaled through this last phase of my cycle, I wrote: ‘my year ended early.’
I realized I wanted to begin my blooming phase as if it were already a new year (though, according to the Gregorian calendar, I was 18 days early). But nothing felt truer to me—nothing spoke more truthfully than the silence, my blood, the shining pine tree, and the moon that shone for us that night.
All this to say, I felt liberation in deciding to mourn and give space for 2024 to die when it felt right for me and my body. I feel at peace with not giving in to the anxieties of planning dates or thinking of the holidays ahead. I know that’s not a reality for many people. This is not to say my way of viewing the calendar is better than how others view it. The beauty lies in how we choose our time and reality through intuitiveness and presence, regardless of how others may see it.
I hope this post serves as an invitation to reflect on your own phases. How do you want your time to feel as the year cycles through and ends? Knowing that we will all begin again. The months will pass, and we will be here once more. I want to be more present in how time is subjective to each being. I want to be conscious of the clock of nature—in the changing leaves, the coldness of night, the quiet of a new dawn—and for women, in the blood we shed.
So, happy new year to you all.
May this renovation and renewal be one of presence. Of listening to our bodies. Of learning to live life by our own inner ticking of the clock, not the ones hung on the wall. Let us remember to breathe—beyond the rush, the noise, the systems that don’t encourage our growth. May your voice be louder and truer every day, a little more.
With much witchy love,
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆,
Natalia, La Lejana