Blood is the signature of all, it is the index of our being in time and space. Womankind are the keepers of the sacred fire, that spark of life which is of divine origin. The womb is the cradle of our kind. When a woman menstruates she sheds the nest of our kind and as such the blood carries the signature of that time. It is not suitable for nurturing because it contains hormonal substances which give it a different magnetic signature. In that phase the blood is not suitable for the nurturing of new life.

To label it as unclean is to misunderstand. It is not unclean, it is different. In one condition it is supportive of life and in the other it is not. Nature discards it. Woman is the mirror of Nature, in her one may see the beginning and the end of life as it manifests in this realm. When a woman menstruates, her energies or magnetic signature is in the catabolic (breaking down) state, this is the opposite of those energies which are in the anabolic (building up) state at the commencement of a new cycle. The four seasons, the four philosophical elements, all are mirrored in her, just as she mirrors the four phases of the moon.

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1.The gestation period of 9 months during which the (transmutating) organism takes on its earthly form.

2. The age of 0 to 7 years. This is the character building phase and determines all that is to come. The individual is asexual and by that I mean they are not sexually active.

3. The age of 7 to 14, this is the adolescence phase in which hormonal changes are set in train. The manner in which these sexual changes manifest are dependent on the first and second rite of passage.

4.  From 14 to cessation of menstruation, in this phase of the passage the person is sexually active from the reproduction of the species angle. Sexual energy is very powerful, in fact there is a whole branch of Yoga which is dedicated to diverting this energy (Shakti) to awaken the Goddess Kundalini who lies curled at the base of the spine and sets her in motion. In this school of knowledge the spiritual journey is the length of the spine. Literally, the sexual energy is used to pierce the ascending chakras until liberation is achieved by union with God within the thousand petalled lotus at the crown of the head. At that point all duality is shed and the individual achieves Cosmic Consciousness.

Menstruation as a function of nature diverts a lot of energy in order to ensure the continuation of our kind. When the woman ceases to menstruate that extra energy is available for her to use or sublimate, which is a better term to use. Because at that point she has been freed from the burden of the Moon which has the effect dissipating her energy. Freed from that burden she has a lot of extra power at her disposal. Hence that great tradition of the Crone or Wise woman. She has completed the rites of passage, she understands those rites of passage. For the Male of the specie the journey is essentially the same but without the menstruation. He becomes the Warlock and she becomes the Crone. This is the initiate phase of a whole new journey in nature.

There are reputed 7 levels of consciousness, the Crone or the Warlock is at level 3 or 4. This with the proviso that they have not become stuck along the way, then they may accomplish the final stages in a conscious manner.

The 7 deadly sins are an example by which the individual may become mired in a certain type of mindset which is a hindrance to their spiritual development.

The White Witch invokes and allows the energies to flow through her like a cool clear mountain spring that becomes a great river on its journey to the sea. Not my will Oh Lord, but thine. So it is all completed in a natural manner. The Black Witch or the male equivalent diverts those energies for their own use and their own purpose. When the Crone or Warlock repeatedly attempt this they finally exhaust themselves and eventually burn themselves out, so that it all comes to naught. In other words the energy was directed by the head and not the heart.

In trying to present these concepts to you then necessarily it can never be perfect by the nature of the medium (words) which we use. For example Law and the vast and expensive armies of people needed to interpret the law. These things are seeds which you must grow within the crucible of self (the heart) Take what you need and discard the rest. Above all remember ... Crone or Warlock ... It is a spiritual path. Only you can decide what your duty is.

Ivor Hughes
Auckland New Zealand 2005