From time immemorial down to the very recent past, women were allowed to retire to a communal "Menstrual Hut", "Red Tent", or "Moon Lodge" during the bleeding days of their menstrual cycle. Until the arrival of the Hebrew God of the Judeo-Christian bible, this was not a banishment, or punishment for uncleanliness. It was rather because in the past, humankind of both sexes and all ages recognized that women were more attuned with the earth, and more receptive to the wisdom and revelations from the divine during their moon cycle, and they needed to be able to analyze these visions and bring the messages they received to the people. Some Native American tribes still recognize this link, as do some so-called "primitive" people in scattered places around the globe.
While spending four or five days a month (when not pregnant or nursing) in this lovely place, secluded far from the daily grind and away from caring for the needs and wants of children and men, or elderly, ill and infirm; the women nurtured each other physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The older women taught the younger ones. Questions on all sorts of subjects were asked and answers were found; religious rituals were held, and stories holding important life lessons were told. It was in these places of retreat that their minds were free to work on the mysteries of the lunar cycles, that seemed to mysteriously match their own. This led to the invention of the first calendars. The beginning formulations of mathematics and astronomy were explored. With the preparation and use of herbs, science and medical knowledge began. (The men didn't do it, they were too busy hunting, plowing or fighting off saber-toothed tigers!)
Thus a young woman began learning from the very beginning of her maidenhood things she would need to know. Recipes were exchanged, herbal potions, medicines and cosmetics were made, and methods of preparation were explored and taught. Nothing was secret, and as women talked with each other, shared ideas, watched and listened, the wealth of knowledge was spread to each family throughout the community, new things were tried, new ways of doing the old things were learned, and everyone benefited.
Life was not easy back then, and it was recognized, at least on a subconscious level, that a woman needed physical rest and a lessening of stress during the days she was losing blood. This allowed women to become stronger physically, and this strength produced stronger, healthier infants, who survived the perilous first years and matured into assets, rather than liabilities to the general population. Women returned from these retreats refreshed in mind and body, with the energy to better care for their husbands and families (to say nothing of the occasional new, tasty recipe, or idea to discuss!)
It seems somewhat strange to us today to think of a woman spending one week a month in a retreat, but we have to realize that women menstruated far less then than we do now. Consider for example that most people married at far younger ages. Birth control was, though probably known, not particularly reliable, nor generally desired. Women breast-fed each child to the age of three or four years--which was not only the best bet they had as far as birth control went, but also effectively stopped the menses. Soon after she stopped nursing one child, another was conceived.
As a side note, this meant that women had much less estrogen flooding their systems on a regular basis, which meant there was far less incidence of uterine and ovarian cancers. Also, it is a well known fact that women who breast-feed have less than half the rate of breast cancer than women who do not. These facts might not have been presented in exactly the same way, but were surely noticed and studied by early humans.
Today, there is no way that a menstruating woman can retire or go on retreat during her monthly cycle--we have jobs, families, and far too many "civilized" activities to attend to. We can however access the internet, libraries and bookstores, talk to each other on the telephone, and share the knowledge we find.
That is what these pages are for, the sharing of ideas and knowledge, mother-to-daughter, sister-to-sister, woman-to-woman.
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