The crossover days are the moments in the menstrual cycle when you move from one phase or inner season to the next. Some of us notice them more acutely because we ‘stumble’ or are disrupted in quite distinct, and occasionally intense, ways. (Anyone who has suffered trauma may find certain crossover days particularly disorienting, even disturbing.)
They are:
Inner winter to spring: Menstrual to preovulatory phase (approx day 5/6)
Inner spring to summer: Preovulatory to ovulatory phase (approx day 11/12)
Inner summer to autumn: Ovulatory to premenstrual phase (approx day 19/20)
Inner autumn to winter: Premenstrual to menstrual phase (approx day 27/28)
The crossover days are void moments. They potentially expose you to emptiness, a subtle sensation of the metaphorical ground giving way under you, which can create an emotional wobble or unease. Mostly this won’t be strong – a mere blip on the screen, but sometimes it can be very disruptive…
The crossover days amplify during times of transition in your life.
If you’re in a big life transition, if you have compromised health in any way, or if you’re going through a developmental leap and there’s lots of inner work happening (such as working through old traumas) the crossover days can intensify.
Like a crack in the earth’s surface, where the molten lava can snake itself through to be re-integrated. When you find yourself in such moments, it’s good to know how to up your cycle awareness practice to both hold yourself through the emotional waves, and find the gold in what you’re experiencing. Here are a few of our suggestions:
Ways to work with you crossover days…
ONE: Carve out ways to turn towards the specific crossover challenges you face
Whether you feel rocked as you enter the premenstruum, vulnerable as your period completes, or submerged in a dark space just before your bleed (in our podcast we share lots of examples of crossover day stumbles from different places in the cycle) we invite you to lean into the challenge.
Do what you can to meet the moment of ‘falling into the hole’ with presence. Slow right down, step away from the world and gift yourself a few moments of sweet time with yourself, to feel and be with this moment. You’re not trying to change anything, you’re just expanding your awareness of the moment of tension, and bringing your loving attention to it (and yourself).
TWO: Consummate the previous inner season
Another powerful approach can be to focus on fulfilling the previous inner season, allowing more of its power and possibility to come through you. The more you experience and allow the gifts of the season before, the more ground you create beneath you - which means that the groundlessness of the crossover is easier to ride.
For example, if you struggle with the transition from inner summer to autumn, as Lauren shares in her story in today’s podcast, take some time before your inner summer ends to relish who you are and find things to acknowledge and appreciate about your summer self and what you have done. What are her qualities? What do you most appreciate about her? What are you proud of?
When you really savour yourself in this ultimate thanksgiving moment of the cycle, you’ll relax more into the pleasure of being you. And be more readied for whatever comes in the crossover into the premenstruum. You wrap yourself in a balm of self-love, so when you inevitably meet your inner critic, you are wrapped up in a cloak of your own goodness.
The cyclical self care practices we teach on our Cycle Power course are also super helpful for this consummation.
