henna: the anti-pollution device

Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on June 30, 2000 at 21:10:36:

In Reply to: A woman's special time of the month posted by Cyane on June 30, 2000 at 20:36:38:

Traditionally, a woman hennaes when her period is over and she goes to
the hammam to clean up. The henna is a purifactory, and with the
bathing, perfuming, censing and all, is part of the cleaning up her
outside and "other-side" that a woman is supposed to do before she can
resume normal family life after her period.
These traditions are EXTREMELY old, dating back to 3000 BCE. The
notion is that there are a myriad of jealous spirits and demons in the
world that are attracted to a woman's fertility, and are particularly
drawn to her genital blood. (Menstruation, miscarriages,
circumcision, first intercourse and birth are their favorites
targets for infestation. ). They are dangerous spirits, and while a
woman is bleeding, she also is dangerous, as she may be infested with
these "psychic cooties". Thus, there were rules such that a woman had
to be secluded during her menstrual cycle, as these "cooties" might
infest other people in her household, her clothing had to be washed
separately, she couldn't have sex .... all that sort of thing. No
menstruating woman could be in the presence of the king in Ur ....
drops of menstrual blood lingering in the drains of the hammam were
dangerous even to other women. The blood carried danger of infestation
by the "evil eye", which would cause infertility, disaster, and
disease. Men felt they could be stuck impotent if a woman glanced at
them when menstruating.

Henna was part of the "de-cootie-ing" that made her safe to go back to
cooking, cleaning, having sex and all that.

Henna whenever it suits you ... but it is traditionally, and possibly
actually, more effective to do it at the end of your cycle.

Follow Ups:

• Re: henna: the anti-pollution device Catherine Nielsen 23:25:53 6/30/00 (4)
  • Re: henna: the anti-pollution device Catherine Cartwright Jones 07:20:19 7/01/00 (3)
    • Re: henna: the anti-pollution device Kenzi 19:22:38 7/03/00 (2)
      • Re: henna: the anti-pollution device Catherine Cartwright Jones 19:45:50 7/03/00 (1)
        • Well, Catherine, I think you found the topic of your second book Giselle 14:22:06 7/04/00 (0)