In this Menstrual Magic Moon Day conversation, I interviewed my friend Cera — a clinical herbalist, medicine maker, abortion doula, and fertility awareness educator living on Ohlone land in the East Bay, California. Cera shares their path into herbalism, abortion support, and cycle tracking, weaving in stories of ancestral guidance, plant allies, self-love, connecting with the elements of nature, and community care.

We talked about: 💫 Early menstrual experiences, including first bleed stories and how cycle care has evolved over time 💫 Offering menstrual blood to the earth 💫 Cera’s fateful path into fertility awareness 💫 Hydration and movement supporting cervical fluid 💫 Removing an IUD after a long bleed - opening up a healing journey 💫 Becoming a clinical herbalist and studying with Atava Garcia Swiecicki 💫 Deep dive into yarrow: protective qualities, wound care, breaking fevers, and supporting cycles 💫 Foxglove lore, heart medicine, and the doctrine of signatures 💫 What herbalism, fertility awareness, and abortion support have taught Cera about bodies and embodiment 💫 Cera’s first abortion doula client and the ancestral dream that prepared them for the work 💫 Moving towards body love and acceptance in a culture that teaches body shame 💫 Cera’s decade-long moon ceremony practice and why moonlight is medicine 💫 Connection to the wind and the story behind the name “Wise Winds” 💫 Self-care rituals including castor oil packs, nail care, and the nourishment of food as medicine 💫 Privacy and security practices in abortion doula work and online communications 💫 How community networks strengthen reproductive autonomy and access to care

Resources & Links: • Cera’s website: https://wise-winds.com/ • Instagram: @cera.wisewinds • Bay Area Abortion Support • Holisticabortions.com • Digital Defense Fund

To learn more, take classes, and/or get 1-1 support, check out: www.infiniteearthbody.com

Follow to join us on this Infinite Earth Body Journey: https://www.facebook.com/InfiniteEarthBody/ https://www.instagram.com/infiniteearthbody/

Join our Inner Circle to continue the convo: https://www.patreon.com/InfiniteEarthBodyCollective

Intro/Outro Music - Feel the Earth by Maya Tokunaga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO7vTAbpbG4

Chapters: 00:01:00 Welcome & Grounding 00:02:00 Introducing Cera 00:03:00 How's Your Body Feeling Today? 00:04:00 First Period Story 00:06:00 How Menstrual Cycle Experience Has Evolved 00:07:00 Offering Menstrual Blood to the Earth 00:09:00 Cycle Day Check-In 00:10:00 Path Into Cycle Tracking & Fertility Awareness 00:14:00 Deciding to Remove IUD 00:17:00 Navigating Three-Month Bleed 00:18:00 Favorite Part of the Cycle 00:20:00 Path to Becoming a Fertility Awareness Educator 00:22:00 Becoming an Abortion Doula 00:25:00 Path to Becoming an Herbalist 00:27:00 Lifelong Learning with Plants 00:29:00 Yarrow Stories & Uses 00:32:00 Foxglove Dream & Plant Lore 00:35:00 Lessons About Bodies from Abortion, Herbalism & FAM 00:37:00 Personal Body Journey & Learning to Love the Body 00:40:00 Moon Connection & Ceremony 00:47:00 Relationship with the Wind & Wise Winds 00:50:00 Self-Care Practices: Castor Oil Packs 00:53:00 Technology, Privacy & Security 00:56:00 Security in Abortion Doula Work 00:58:00 Food as Medicine & Closing Reflections 00:59:00 Where to Find Cera

For this new episode of the Infinite Earth Body podcast - Menstrual Magic Moon Day, my dear friend Silvia interviewed me!

I was excited to share my stories about: 💫 how my period started as an embarrassing shameful experiences 💫 how I evolved into loving my cycle 💫 why I didn't want to stay on hormonal birth control 💫 my path into tracking my cycle with fertility awareness 💫 how I used to rant at everyone about cervical fluids 😂 💫 my journey into becoming a holistic sexual reproductive health and fertility awareness educator 💫 how I'm always going deeper in my experience of cycling and honoring the messages from my body

to learn more, take classes, and/or get 1-1 support, check out: www.infiniteearthbody.com

Follow to join us on this Infinite Earth Body Journey: http://www.instagram.com/infiniteearthbody http://www.facebook.com/infiniteearthbody/

Join our Inner Circle to continue the convo: https://www.patreon.com/InfiniteEarthBodyCollective

Intro/Outro Music - Feel the Earth by Maya Tokunaga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO7vTAbpbG4&feature=youtu.be

Chapters: 00:02:45 Maya’s First Period Story 00:04:30 Navigating Shame and Secrecy 00:06:00 Early Birth Control Experiences 00:07:15 Discovering Fertility Awareness 00:11:10 From Blood Flow to Full Cycle Embodiment 00:12:30 Cloth Pads, Menstrual Cups & Community 00:14:50 Becoming a Fertility Awareness Educator 00:17:45 From Shame to Celebration 00:18:20 Tracking with Confidence & Healing the Inner Child 00:19:15 Maya’s Favorite Cycle Phase 00:20:10 Cervix as Portal & Energetic Connection 00:21:00 Womb Awareness & Uterine Embodiment 00:22:30 Cycles as the 5th Vital Sign 00:23:30 Looking Ahead to Menopause as Rite of Passage

This episode features Silvia Canelón (she/her), a queer Latina data scientist and body literacy advocate based in Philadelphia. Silvia weaves together her passion for reproductive justice, relational power dynamics, and fertility awareness to support reclaiming autonomy through cycle tracking.

In this episode, we explore: ✨ Silvia’s story of her first period, growing up in Venezuela ✨ What the symptothermal method is — and how it changed her life ✨ Fertility awareness as a form of resistance and self-determination ✨ Becoming a Body Literacy Advocate ✨ Navigating contraception under political uncertainty ✨ Practical ways cycle tracking helps with stress, planning, and emergency contraception ✨ The joy and power of knowing your fertile window ✨ Building inclusive, community-rooted approaches to fertility awareness education

Connect with Silvia: • Website: www.silviacanelon.com • IG: @cycle.curious

Follow to join us on this Infinite Earth Body Journey: http://www.instagram.com/infiniteearthbody http://www.facebook.com/infiniteearthbody/

Join our Inner Circle to continue the convo: https://www.patreon.com/InfiniteEarthBodyCollective

Intro/Outro Music - Feel the Earth by Maya Tokunaga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO7vTAbpbG4&feature=youtu.be

Chapters: 00:00:00 Body Literacy as Empowerment 00:00:50 Welcome & Grounding 00:01:50 Guest Introduction: Silvia Canelón 00:02:55 Silvia’s First Period Story 00:06:00 Menstruation Over the Years 00:09:00 Intro to Symptothermal Method 00:10:00 How Silvia Found Fertility Awareness 00:12:30 Learning to Chart & Finding a Queer-Inclusive Educator 00:15:00 Educator Training Journey & Becoming a Body Literacy Advocate 00:19:15 Fertility Awareness as Resistance 00:21:00 “Apocalypse-Proof” Birth Control 00:22:00 Reversibility & Empowered Choice 00:23:00 Favorite Parts of Charting 00:25:15 Emergency Contraception & Charting 00:28:30 Final Reflections 00:29:45 Where to Find Silvia