Representación escultórica de la mujer cíclica y su relación con la luna y la diosa madre

Abstract

The relative proximity of the Earth to the Moon makes the latter a key factor in the formation of various natural phenomena that occur on our planet. The gravitational force and luminosity that the Moon radiates shape the rhythms of living beings, influencing dietary and reproductive practices. It is not surprising that our satellite also influences humankind, since for millennia its periodicity has been used to guide various activities such as planting, the calendar, and diverse cultural expressions. Furthermore, its dynamic appearance in the sky coincides with the female menstrual cycle: women and the moon have a repetitive cycle of 28 days that occurs 13 times a year. Menstruation has been studied as a physiological phenomenon, with the focus of attention centered solely on its beginning and end, and the pathologies that may accompany it. However, it is necessary to give it a more privileged place, where it is not relegated to an event that only warrants hygiene measures, but rather established as a fundamental and everyday occurrence that encompasses more than half of a woman's life cycle and that, in addition to being the basis of human procreation, intrinsically involves cultural and historical processes and the reinterpretation of this cyclical nature. This work proposes approaching menstruation as the cornerstone of the myth of the feminine divinity, whose creative representation through sculpture contributes to this understanding.