What Kind of Witch are you according to your cycle?
Have you heard people saying they are a ‘red witch’ or ‘white witch’ and wondered quite what they meant?
It’s all about how your menstrual or energetic cycle aligns with the moon cycle. You don’t need to menstruate to utilise these cyclical living insights – we are all naturally cyclical because we evolved alongside the Moon!
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Let’s start off with a quick list in the simplest terms:
The energy of the Moon is at its lowest during a New Moon. This is equivalent to day 1 of a menstrual cycle
The Full Moon is equivalent to ovulation and a high energy time, or around day 14 of the menstrual cycle
If you menstruate or feel at your lowest energy point around the New Moon, you are a white witch
If it’s around the full moon, you are a red witch
If somewhere in between then you’ll either be a pink or purple witch… more below
The White Moon Cycle: You align with Moon energy
The white moon cycle is typically the most common cycle and is linked to the new moon. This means that if you’re on a white moon cycle, then you bleed around the new moon, and ovulate around the full moon.
Because this cycle mirrors the traditional cycle of the moon, and mother earth; a woman with a white moon cycle is said to be in the Mother phase of her life. In traditional terms, it’s about getting pregnant and starting a family, or focusing on nurturing and raising children. In more modern terms this could be maturing into a more confident, nurturing leader, stepping away from those teenage and 20s insecurities.
This is because the full moon is considered to be the earth’s most fertile time, and the New Moon, the least fertile time. So when a woman goes through the most fertile stage of her cycle simultaneously, both energies align and are magnified.
Women on a white moon cycle pull energy inward towards them and harness this to replenish and deepen their emotional, mental, and spiritual energies.
White Moon Cycles were historically favoured by the Patriarchy because the energy was naturally more focused on the traditional role of nurturing a family.
The Pink Moon Cycle – Feeling low energy whilst the Moon is Waxing
Your cycle starts more than 3 days before a full moon but whilst the moon is waxing (growing towards a full moon)
This is about being explorative, being curious, learning, trying new things. Caring less about failing.
A pink moon cycle may represent a transitional phase in your life. When the moon waxes, it’s going from darkness and reflection to light and expansion. So this may mean you’re leaving a period of rest or shadow, and coming into your strength and your power.
The waxing crescent moon is aligned with the Maiden archetype: full of new enthusiasm, mental clarity, and physical vigour, ready to go forth and take on the world.
Think of the moon in its waxing phase: it’s not the new moon anymore, but it’s not the full moon yet either. It’s going somewhere, and that place is bigger and more vibrant — but it’s not there yet.
As a Pink Moon Woman, you may be wrestling with a new stage of self-discovery: Who am I? Who am I becoming? What am I here for and how can I fulfil that purpose?
The Red Moon Cycle- feeling low energy around the full moon
Your bleed starts within 3 days either side of a full moon
This is about sharing your learnings, creating, bringing something new into the world. You act in response to others. You are called to be a teacher at this time.
This is less common than the white moon cycle and is known as the wise woman’s cycle – in ancient times, these women were the priestesses, the healers and the oracles the village would have relied on. In contrast to the white moon, these women are focused on channelling their creative energy outward.
These people may also be raising children, but they are focused on and passionate about being in sacred circle with their community, and teaching and leading others. (This really resonates for me).
Women with a red moon cycle have a deep desire for self-actualisation, self-growth, creativity, business, mentorship and development. Everything they learn and experience helps to empower them from within, and this then enables them to empower the women around them.
Historically, women with a Red Moon Cycle may have been punished for being witches, orr natural healers challenging more traditional approaches and may still feel a bit unsafe using their intuitive abilities. (Again I really still feel this is happening even in modern days).
The Purple Moon Cycle – Feeling low energy whilst the moon is Waning
Your cycle starts more than 3 days before a new moon but the whilst the moon is waning
This is about tending to manifest something you already started, not something new. Use your downloads from your bleed time to instruct the rest of your cycle. You are very intuitively connected at this time. It’s about developing your knowledge and being stable.
This means you bleed when the moon is waning (transitioning from full moon to new moon).
A purple moon cycle also represents a transitional phase, but in the opposite direction. When the moon wanes, it’s going from fullness and strength into reflection and rest. So this might symbolise you entering a quieter stage of your life, or exploring your shadow self.
It could be a time to get clear on what’s no longer serving you and needs to be released, or a time to retreat into your cocoon. And this is vital before you can emerge again, revitalised, and ready to spread your wings and soar.
Apps I use to help with tracking Menstrual cycle alongside the Moon Cycle
A great app to track and find it is the Stardust App – I love this app as it’s a crossover between Astrology and cycle tracking. More info here – https://www.thestardustapp.com/
Another app I use is called P-Tracker. It’s less pretty and doesn’t tell you about the Moon, but I’ve been using it since 2014 and found it really reliable.
My own Cycle tracking
At the moment, I tend to bleed just after the last Quarter- I do feel like I’m going through a phase of release, shedding old beliefs and rebirthing myself!
I also noticed when I did my tracking back a few years, that when day 1 of my cycle was the exact day of the full or New moon, each time BIG things have happened!
Dec 14- Full Moon – Got engaged
Jun 16- Full Moon – Moved into new home
Jan 18- Full Moon – Appeared on This Morning- huge TV and newspaper piece about breastfeeding
April 19- Full Moon -Tony Robbins fire walking experience
July 20- Full Moon – Completed my coaching training- new focus, divine connection, started new direction for my coaching and mentoring work that was integrated with Moon Cycle tracking
June ’22 – New Moon – Just before I was diagnosed with bowel cancer and my life took an unplanned detour! But there is always magic to be found in detours…
How I visually worked through my cycles (and free download to help you!)
I simply drew a circle, marked down when it was the New, Full and Quarter Moons – full moon I always have at the ‘midday’ position, and go around clockwise)
I looked back on the dates for day 1 of my cycle and marked in the circle when it happened in relation to the Moon Cycle.
This is an example I did with one of my clients who was mainly a Pink Witch with some Red cycles and one White cycle over the course of the year. It’s so interesting to go back and reflect what was happening / what themes were present as her cycle shifted through these different patterns.
Download my free Lunar Living Guide below
Join the Waitlist for my upcoming online course on The Power of Natural Cycles here.
How do I apply this?
As with all of the menstrual-moon cycles, the connection is not about being really strict and putting yourself into a box- it is all fluid and you may change ‘types’ from one month to the next. It’s all about noticing, observing, reflecting and thinking about what it means for you.
What if I don’t have a cycle or am on Contraceptives?
I was on the pill between ages 16 to 29 so I totally get it. If you can, I’d say to come off it (I’m no doctor, so seek medical advice) but I found after a few months of my body getting back into sync with itself, I felt so much more ‘me’ and connected with my true self. The pill to me felt like I was masking myself.
Whilst I do get PMT more off the pill, I have come to learn to love it (yes really!) Like I enjoy living in a country with annual seasons, I also enjoy experiencing the shift in my own seasons. The PMT version of me doesn’t take any shit and is great at making decisions!
If you are a man, peri-menopausal, have gone through the menopause, or have the Coil fitted, or have any other reason for not having a regular cycle, this means you can use the Moon as your main cycle. We are all naturally cyclical beings, no matter your physical gender, so once you get into the flow of it, you can feel each season of the cycle as much as someone with a menstrual cycle.
Free Monthly Tracker Download
Whilst you can draw out a Moon cycle as I did above, I also have a free download with a Moon Cycle diagram you can print out and use to mark your cycle dates on- check it out here.
You can use to mini-journal how each day of the cycle feels as well as marking visually where day 1 falls if you have a menstrual cycle (otherwise use the New Moon as Day 1).
Free Monthly Tracker download check it out here.
Is one cycle type ‘better’?
Absolutely not! We need people with all 4 cycle types to make society work effectively. If we were all one type, we’d all need to rest at the same time.
There used to be a common misconception that a red moon cycle is inferior, because it doesn’t align with the natural phases of the moon. But it’s really not. Whilst you may find your energy levels are the opposite of the Moon, it’s all about how you choose to work with your energy and the Moon energy that matters.
For me, as a Red Witch most of the time, I find the time just before the Quarter Moons my most powerful time of the month. I rest with the Collective peaceful energy of the New Moon and also with my own declining energy with the Full Moon. Though this does vary month to month.
How you can still use this if you don’t have a cycle (yes even if you are a man!)
If you don’t have a cycle and are wondering if you can apply this- you totally can. I would say to find the cycle you align with, think about which part of the cycle you typically find more challenging…
Red: Putting yourself out there, being visible, external energy
Purple: Completing what you started
White: Connecting to your intuitive, creative side
Pink: Starting new projects, courage, spontaneity
JOURNAL PROMPTS:
What can I learn from my cycle?
Do I resonate with the type of cycle I have right now?
Is my cycle consistent or inconsistent? Does that reflect me, and am I comfortable with it?
Other Free downloads
If you’re new to Moon cycle tracking, check out my free downloads page where I have a Lunar Living Guide, Monthly Moon tracker and Intuitive weekly Planner.
