Moon Lodges and Menstrual Magic: What Ancient Women Can Teach Us About Cycle Syncing

Cycle syncing may feel like a modern wellness trend, but its roots stretch back centuries, with ancient cultures honoring the menstrual cycle in ways that offer valuable lessons for today.

In 2025, as women increasingly turn to cycle syncing to align their lives with their hormonal rhythms, exploring these historical practices reveals a deeper understanding of menstrual health—one that prioritizes rest, community, and reverence for the body’s natural cycles.

In many Indigenous cultures, menstruation was seen as a sacred time, a period of spiritual power. Tribes like the Lakota and Cherokee had “moon lodges,” communal spaces where women would retreat during their periods to rest, reflect, and connect. These lodges weren’t about exclusion but empowerment—menstruation was viewed as a time of heightened intuition, and women’s insights during this phase were often sought for community decisions. This contrasts sharply with modern Western attitudes, where 60% of women report feeling embarrassed about their periods, often pushing through discomfort to meet societal expectations.

Ancient Egypt also revered the menstrual cycle, associating it with the lunar calendar. Egyptian women tracked their cycles using the moon’s phases, a practice echoed in today’s #MoonCycle hashtag, which has 20,000-50,000 posts on Instagram.

They believed menstruation aligned with cosmic rhythms, and women were encouraged to rest and consume nutrient-dense foods like dates and lentils—similar to modern cycle-syncing recommendations for iron-rich diets during the menstrual phase. This holistic approach integrated physical care with spiritual meaning, a balance often missing in today’s fast-paced world.

In ancient China, Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasized menstrual health, with texts dating back to 200 BCE recommending specific herbs and acupuncture points for each cycle phase. During the luteal phase, for instance, practitioners advised warming foods like ginger to ease PMS, a practice supported by modern research showing ginger can reduce menstrual pain by 25%. These ancient methods highlight a nuanced understanding of hormonal health, one that modern cycle syncing can learn from by focusing on natural, body-led solutions rather than commercial products.

What these cultures share is a respect for the menstrual cycle as a source of strength, not shame. Today, cycle syncing encourages women to rest during their menstrual phase, work creatively in the follicular phase, connect socially during ovulation, and slow down in the luteal phase. Yet, modern society often lacks the communal support ancient women had—moon lodges fostered sisterhood, while today, 1 in 3 women report feeling isolated during their periods.

Reclaiming these ancient practices could mean creating modern “moon lodges”—virtual or in-person spaces where women support each other through their cycles, blending historical wisdom with contemporary needs.