The Inner Champion is your ally in the first half of the cycle (via positiva) and it is, as it sounds, the voice within you that champions who you are and what you are doing. It’s the voice in you that spots everything that is right about you. Deliberately cultivating this voice supports you to access the ‘Yes’ power within your cycle.
by Kirsty Morris
Returning home from the first week of Red School Apprentice Training 2017 I had homework to do. Spring was the weak spot of my cycle, an area where I was most confused and most vulnerable. It needed attention for balance to resume.
Alexandra’s advice was play. Let the spring of your cycle be playful. Try things out. Do things differently. Be frivolous with time, with no need for a result or an outcome. ‘No need for a result or outcome’ No wonder Spring was chaotic – achieving goals, getting results. I’d set my goals too high, trying to run before I could walk. Time to kick back and experiment with Spring.
In the month that followed Spring was chaotic. I ran the gauntlet with my Inner Critic, which was everywhere in my cycle. Somewhere during the bleed I thought, “Crikey, there must be some match for this Inner Critic? Some positive force to balance the scales?” and in that moment the Inner Champion stepped forward, as if standing in the sidelines all these years, and was revealed to me.
My Inner Champion is an old sage, the wise one, ancestor.
As soon as the image of sage formed in my mind it was accompanied by a presence. A quiet, stoic being stood at my shoulder, patiently waiting for me to discover it and, in the peacefulness that ensued, listen. That soft, quite voice that gently coaxes one out into the world.
My experience of the Inner Champion is a presence of few words, sometimes there’s no words at all, just a gesture, an impulse, some inner encouragement to follow a thread into playing, exploring, experiencing more through life. It feels gentle, loving, peaceful, powerful. Interestingly I also experience this presence to be masculine. Sitting, as it does, in the Via Positive stage of the cycle. And I’m curious – will this be the same for you? Or will it be different?
How to recognise your inner champion
It is your:
It is the Guardian Angel of your cycle, the part of you that unlocks your magnificence.
How does it manifest?
Where does the inner champion live in the cycle?
The Inner Champion sits in the Spring of the cycle. It’s a quiet voice; It waits patiently for the silence to speak. It won’t butt in or demand the stage, nor will it interrupt the inner chatter, argue or be forceful in any way. The Inner Champion quietly waits in the wings until I’m ready to receive the wisdom. Don’t expect big speeches or detailed instructions. A nod of encouragement, a gentle touch of the arm, some supportive presence that gives you the courage to “go on” – this is your Inner Champion at work.
The Inner Champion is an inner voice of everything that’s RIGHT with you! And that can be difficult to hear. Literally.
Polar Opposites As I see it the Inner Champion and the Inner Critic are opposite each other on the wheel of the menstrual cycle. And this is important. They are a necessary and equally opposing force. One cannot exist without the other. The Inner Champion sits at Spring and the Inner Critic in Autumn. They work together and their sacred task is the same, to coax and encourage and challenge us women to come out of ourselves, to become more each month than we were before. To grow into our power. With my Inner Champion I know I am experimenting, learning. Then I see my Inner Critic’s role is to help me develop the technique, hone the skill, master the form. The Inner Critic helps us to graduate. And we need both. We are constantly upgrading. We have the power and potential to constantly grow ourselves, month after month. How extraordinary!
It is the Inner Champion that digs out the rough diamond of ones being and the Inner Critic that polishes that gem.
The inner champion at work At the same time this Inner Champion was being revealed in my inner world my best friend had a baby. In the days and months that followed I watched her coax her daughter ever step of the way. Every burp, squeak, wobbly step and sticky handful of food that made it somewhere near her daughters mouth was cajoled, encouraged, applauded and cheered. This is the Inner Champion at work. Everything encouraged. “Go on”, “Give it a go” and my favourite personal mantra “There’s only one way to find out”.
So think of the Inner Champion in Spring as a mentor to a newborn child. Where everything is new, needs exploring and mastering, a champion encourages you ever step of the way. By setting the intention to call in and work with the Inner Champion navigating the Spring energy of my cycle has changed dramatically. I’ve given myself permission to experiment with my ideas and impulses, so vivid coming out of Winter. Just play, test things out, learn something new with no goal in mind. No commitment necessary.
Invoking the Inner Champion on my cross-over day from Winter to Spring has also resulted in an unexpected bonus - the Inner Critic is no longer trespassing that boundary. The Inner Champion rules the space. Now that my Inner Champion is in place I have also come to appreciate the qualities and the role of the Inner Critic. There’s a growing understanding of how both Champion and Critic have a complimentary role to play in my full cycle.
I feel like I’ve just unearthed something precious. It’s taken months to be able to put into words my sense of the Inner Champion and the more I engage with it the greater my understanding becomes. It’s very much an ongoing enquiry.
Growing the inner champion The archetype of the Inner Champion is a growing form here at Red School and the best way to learn more is through your experiences. Yes you!
The more women that join in the enquiry the greater the depth of knowledge we can reveal and share. Which is important, because it’s much easier to navigate your cycle when you’ve got some clear markers on your map! So do let us know any Inner Champion experiences you are discovering. We’re excited to see what you unearth next.
Discover your inner champion Set an intention to meet your Inner Champion in the Spring of your cycle. How does its presence reveal itself to you? What words come? Is it masculine or feminine? Could you give it a face? A name? A form? An archetype?
The Sacred Task of the Inner Champion is to tutor us to learn through experience. What invitations does your Inner Champion offer for you to play, explore, stretch, grow? The Inner Champion gives you the encouragement to follow your visions, ideas, impulses. Remember you are held to grow beyond yourself, with no right or wrong answer and no outcome necessary. You can simply use the experience to grow into yourself. Then let us know what happens.
About Kirsty Morris
Kirsty completed the Women's Quest Apprenticeship training in 2017 and coined the phrase 'Inner Champion'. Kirsty has been charting her cycle and practicing natural contraception fertility management for the last six years. For Kirsty the cyclical month has become her foundation, her spiritual practice. Kirsty creates 1-3 day silent retreat’s for herself during her moon and often remarks that she’s learning this work from the inside-out. Ideas and visions in her moontime retreat are often ‘revealed’ to her through conversations, books and life’s syncronicities. She is currently dreaming into ‘Menstrual Residency’ programmes.
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