“I really push through. There is nothing like the experience itself. I don’t think there’s any preparation or any certain thing we can do other than just using that energy and moving past the experience time and time again.”
– Luz Warrior

On this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with the beautiful and fierce Linda Garcia, also known as Luz Warrior. Luz is a California native with a rich career in the television and film industry. Notably, one of her main focuses is on spiritual growth by empowering women to harness their feminine power and intuition during their menstruation cycles. Luz launched her own podcast in 2017, Let There Be Luz, which focuses on these ideas and has received an extraordinary response from women all over the world. 

In 2018, Luz was accepted as a “storyteller” for the We All Grow Summit which brings together some of the most influential Latina creators and entrepreneurs. This is a BIG. DEAL. Luz’s name had been brought up to me a number of times with people telling me I had to meet her, so naturally, I decided to check out her Instagram. When browsing, I came across a post that particularly stuck out to me. Luz had created a post about her acceptance to speak at the We All Grow Summit. However, instead of focusing on herself, Luz decided to utilize the post to acknowledge the readers who might be triggered by her big accomplishment. She explains that this achievement came from a long road of personal pain, scars and rejection. She gracefully shows her followers that when we are in touch with our “shadow side” and can lean in to those unwanted feelings, we can heal, grow and better understand ourselves and what we need. 

In my conversation with Luz, we dove into the topic of femininity and the power of a woman’s intuition through the lens of religion, menstruation, and moon cycles. For some, these types of conversations are considered uncharted territory – taboo even. But by tapping into ideas and feelings that at times are uncomfortable, we begin to have the hard conversations that must be addressed so that we can find freedom from the past.

You do not want to miss this week's thought provoking episode on harnessing thewoman power within us all!  

Here is a sneak peek of what we talk about in this episode:

• Luz speaks about her process of working through rejection to get to where she is today in the context of the We All Grow Summit. She encourages us all to see rejection as a development stage and to keep working at our goals. 

• We analyze our  “Ah-Ha” moments and experiences with religion and what it meant to us growing up. We think critically about the positionality of the feminine through the lens of religious teachings and the complexities that come with how this shapes one’s identity. 

• Luz enlightens us about getting in touch with femininity and the process of listening to one’s higher self. She shows us how we can honor and embrace our feminine divine power to its fullest including giving ourselves permission to let the tears flow.
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• She shares her personal work with moon cycles and how these phases align with menstruation. She teaches us how we can utilize and embody the four phases to move through our monthly calendars and better execute our goals. We can be, and are empowered through our natural bodily functions.   

Overview of the moon phases-a new way to view our menstruation cycles:

Wise Woman Phase:
This phase occurs during your bleed and when you have the biggest capacity to tap into your intuition. Make sure to protect and nurture yourself so your intuitive voice can come through. It is okay to embrace this down time. Set intentions, goals, and most importantly, make sure you are caring for yourself. 

Virgin Phase:
This young and tender phase is your time of rebirth. During this time, you must be more selfish in moving to executing these goals. Consider how you want to execute the goals set in the Wise Woman Phase. Give yourself permission to be selfish. This is when you have the most energy! 

Mother Phase: 
During this ovulation phase, we consider the questions, “How can I be of service?” How can I support others in their goals?” During this time of growth, we extend a helping hand.  

Enchantress Phase:
We are making our way back to Wise Woman Phase. We can become irritable and upset OR we can listen to our body and triggers, center ourselves, and honor that we are going into the next chapter of the cycle. Embrace the pain of menstruation and treat them as sacred (lasts 2-4 days before the bleed)

Thought questions/reflections: 

• At what age did you examine your own beliefs? Did you experience a religious questioning? How have your religious or spiritual practices, if at all, shaped who you are today? 

• Think about a time when you felt your “shadow side” show. How did this feel? Did you come out of this? What would be possible if you went back and embraced this side? What  would be different? What do you need in order to walk through this darkness? 

• What can you delegate during the times in your cycle when you need extra help? How can you receive other’s support? What will you do to honor your moon cycle phases and harness your feminine power? 

• Think about our discussion about the power of our menstruation cycles. Have you had THESE kinds of talks with friends and families? Why do you think people become uncomfortable when talking about something so natural as the monthly calendars all women have?  

Join the conversation about this episode in our Facebook group or shoot me a DM onIG @projectenye and share some of your answers with me there!