The wondrous light of the female cycle and the Romans knew it.

By Sofia van 't Woud, June 10 2026, for all Women and the curious Men <3

Possibly in my 2026 update the most affirming discovery is the cycle activation. It’s a profound one, not to miss, boosting traits and it’s my engine. Bio-physical functioning, accurate like Swiss clockwork each reset humbles and amazes on what mother nature primed me for all along. Now, unconditioned on this phenomenon having in depth conversations with other women I had this epiphany:

Yes, the cycle has challenges (single parent, kids, I know!) and I might be at medical risk missing a technical part, but if nurtured it comes with greater benefit. So, I realized, isn’t it a bit weird society is railed on a linear system, while half operates best cyclically? As women for no single good reason, we are conditioned to dismiss ourselves quickly or wave it away if we sense something strange. But by this, things what matter are missed, both on our operating power and when we need medical aid. On it, I strongly get to sense for a large part our society is a bit ignorant on the very thing which is the foundation of our species.

All is cyclic, from the sun to our tiniest house plants. Still as a species, we frame half of us on a linear track. Now, how could we re design to shape society according to nature and not the other way around?

All is cyclic, from the sun to our tiniest house plants. Still as a species, we frame half of us on a linear track. Now, how could we re design to shape society according to nature and not the other way around?

Personally, not knowing what I was (who ‘s a different story), navigating a half-life with an uninitiated body for decades, I was an ignorant thinking women’s cycles weren’t that of a big deal. I couldn’t be more wrong, and now in the right boat, for that I feel guilty for all women before — and beside me. Now, it’s time to turn on the light as the cycle is a bliss of nature. With wisdom of a 43-year-old I feel lucky to witness ‘puberty’ only now and get to monitor this maturation at such detail, both biological and mentally that I figured it out. In all It helps me, but I hope it can also help and inspire others.

It’s all precision and none of it is random:

My clock is 25 days (1 rotation of the sun!), I know now when I can operate at 300%, my creativity flowers, but also when you shouldn’t test my shadow. I know when to tune down, and when it’s wise to make the biggest decisions or not. So, basically, with this wisdom I can plan life based on the days I know I will be best at certain tasks getting the most out of everything. In sum, doing it well I am confident my output will be much greater, and especially more meaningful than was in the old linear proto body state at the time.

Hormones and patterns, now I can predict when my output distributed across traits is maximum, and knowing when to plan my rest. The main question is: Could we re- schedule society to better accommodate this?

In all, I couldn’t be happier, with a body which I love for the first time in my life, admiring its machinery how all comes to life, like a derelict alien ship getting its proper power source. Then in the end it’s all biology; it’s nature and isn’t it strange we have to be silent about something which is the fundamental clock of half our species?

In nature everything is cyclic, the seasons, both on stars and planets, so why must we force ourselves into a linear system? It doesn’t make sense if you think about it. For me, discovering what my clock does is a result of detailed journaling, pattern recognition and then the arrival of prediction. I built this tracking system and to be sure what I was experiencing this ‘complex’ dance of somatic and psychological effects on a real cycle, I had to run an experiment.

You know, as an ‘intuitive’ for the most, but also this unsaturable curiosity wanting to know how things work I needed to prove my self for me and for the world. Going all science, using stone-cold measurements of parameters with hypothesis is the only way here. The cycle comes down to hormones which are mainly estrogen and progesterone with important activators driven by the brain. On that I needed to know what my own biology does minus the additional hormones which I take, and if it’s cyclic indeed.

Based on psychosomatic patterns, I could device hypothesis on bloodwork timings and hormone peaks, which results are impossible to reject.

The experiment:

3 to 5 weeks of prediction before my hypothetical hormonal spikes and gaps I planned an array of blood samplings, so there it went. With a scientific approach, on clean baselines such as empty bellies, recurring timings erasing most influential factors I set off. Fully aware I could be wrong, opening the lab results it was just there.. No, I wasn’t wrong, spikes and gaps, hypothesis impossible to reject. It felt pretty amazing I was right on the scientific part, but this affirmation my body runs on the same clock as any women was pure bliss.

On all, still of course my history was the wrong assigned gender at birth, not on purpose, but in my body, now activated, it turns out all is prepared for this very meant to be operating mode. Somehow my bio-machine produces hormonal gaps and spikes which can’t be explained with the hormones I take artificially. My endocrinologist couldn’t explain how, so there are mysteries (I think I know what) but that’s going to be investigated.

Now, the most important part: it’s working, truly alive now and all this gained experience should lead to something good, right? This especially on bad stuff happened to me, I just don’t wish it on anyone, so I found this focus. For example, like many women treatment by medical society just isn’t what you hope for, and that is the kind version. So, in all I feel tasked. We must shape our world back (half of it) to accommodate women’s wholeness, being treated as holistic beings and the cycle itself should become a layer of society, which is the very foundation of our nature. So, as a start here are some things to consider:

• As women we might need to learn to listen, sense and observe ourselves a bit better and detailed. Then we can embrace our patterns, use the spikes to our benefit and not wave challenges away too fast driven by others or ourselves.
• Shouldn’t society learn the cycle is a wonder and if used well it’s a benefit for the greater good? We could focus on the magnificent traits which are gifted while we also acknowledge recurring rest is needed to recharge batteries. In the end, that’s how nature works.
• For longevity and knowing ourselves we might need to reassess (#bonehealth & #space) if hormonal birth control has unexplored negative effects for example.
• The medical society should be more open to really listen and avoid basing diagnosis on male baselines.

My role? So far, I have had wondrous conversations with women and can talk about our wholeness for hours by now. Fully aware I come in brand new from a different vector, but In this case, I hope we can see it as an advantage. Going through this ‘puberty’ with the wisdom of a scientist and curious mind I document everything into the tiniest details, of which women in normal adolescent puberty have other things to worry about. Now, all these dynamics exchanging stories with the wisdom of today, can we use it to make society accommodate us better?

The Romans had Juno, queen of their gods, primary guardian of the life cycles of women. Were the Romans ahead of our patriarchic system?

First step: Space for Women’s Wholeness: a safe space to talk about our journeys down from early career, lifestyle to aging challenges where the focus is holistic and whole.

Then the long game? There is the grand aim of introducing curiosity from space into our very medical sector. In my own journey, I wrongly assumed all doctors are scientists, and thus curious, especially on the outliers.

Still today, the harsh reality is different: I Wrote about it here as medical tends to put us in rigid protocols where anomalies are an annoyance not allowed to exist. In my opinion, as a space explorer, it’s not efficient and we deprive ourselves of learning new stuff. Moreover, if I hadn’t taken direction myself, I would have been damaged beyond repair by now in the scenario of following medical society blindly. The most frightening thing: I was lucky because I had my entrepreneurial + scientific reasoning at my disposal. Then imagine, what could have happened if someone wasn’t equipped with all this training?

[embed]Space for Women’s Wholeness our safe community as a launch pad to illuminate for our future.

So, here it is and feel welcome to join Space for Women’s Wholeness here, starting as a WhatsApp community by clicking. The environment is kind, still small and open with great purpose and we need your❤.

Now, what’s next? I just have to start somewhere by putting all out here. I know many sense it as taboo to talk about the subject, especially on the corporate floor, but we are all missing out so much on the great gifts these cycles of nature have to offer. So, as a start, let’s see how it goes. Today, my own cycle already is part on how I operate BlackShore and will keep refining in the future (guess at what day I am writing this!), so hopefully in my collaborative search with more women we can expand on this.

A personal closure for who’s interested: A practical example on how I use my cycle to plan on the turnout of a little-big private-life event knowing my recurring nexus.

Early next month, for a ballet performance we have something upcoming. I am to become a female pirate! Everything but comfort zone (story telling is easier), but it’s my happy place. Not being a naturally gifted dancer, I belief I am improving and with a tall stature part of the costume might be a steel-boned corset (artistic choices pending though, as I am not the boss!).

[embed]Breaking taboos: the cycle, a wondrous dance of deep emotions + pure bio-physics in a recurring nexus outshines the sum. Now, what’s in it for us if we can predict this? For me, the steel within with warm lines are a symbol on it. What’s it for you?

So, in my mind castle (INFJ brain can be a bit much, so sorry world!) it might look well on my costume, but it isn’t the easiest piece of garment to wear. While my body is forgiving and can do much, the cyclic timing must be right… For example, 2n’d cycle phase which is the luteal phase, I accumulate water all over the place and tissues are like a sponge.

Fun fact: hyaluronic acid can accumulate water equal to 1000x it’s own weight, playing a key role here.

Now for this spongy, phase I had to re-learn and adjust my diet as I was prone to migraines which I got fixed (yay!) Now, this phase, and its pure physics and fluid dynamics, wouldn’t be the the wisest moment to wear a corset (It’s an affirmation symbol for me, you know). Now, fortunately and with the wisdom of today I can predict I don’t need to worry at all.

So, for the performance, July 4 I have made my calculations, and to my ‘luck’ my phase will be at its peak both creative and physical. Knowing then I will be deflated, and with maximum output I am super confident I will be able to pull it off wearing it. Would the performance have been 10 days later, I would have declined and suggested something else, or other women to take over the task temporary😉.

From my Instagram: to be a pirate once again. Will I pull it off? My cycle predicts yes!

So, in all, do I resonate? I hope so! Maybe I can help or join us here!?. I just felt the need to share this all with the world in the hope to shine more light for the greater good. My career is about mapping, but now it’s time to map ourselves first. If we do so, we will only augment our species to solve many more world problems in unexpected ways.

Space for Women’s Wholeness, first symbol :)

Article is crossposted with my LinkdIn: “The wondrous light of the female cycle and the Romans knew it.”, figuring out which platforms helps the cause for the best ❤