My husband caught me reading The Venus Week by gynecologist Rebecca Booth, and with the naked lady on the front wanted to know what was in it for him.

I'm trying to figure out my moods, I told him, which was only part of the truth.

After a quick flip through at the library, I had spotted a special section titled, "After the Baby PMS comes back with a vengeance." I had also noticed that the subtitle of the book was "discover the powerful secret of your cycle...at any age" and that the chapter about the thirties was called "The Venus Zenith," which sounded like something I deserved to experience.  

While I was instantly sucked into my naked lady book (as my children like to call it) with its wealth of information about the Big Three hormones, I was even more intrigued by what the Venus Week (that one week of the month when you feel smarter and more beautiful than the others) meant for my writing life.

On page 11, Rebecca Booth uses the example of a 37-year old journalist to explain what the Venus Week does for creativity.

"I have these periods of efficiency, I could go all night and my mind is racing with the thoughts of what I need to do. It all seems possible, and then suddenly...I lose it. I keep working, but the fire isn't there."

The feeling this journalist describes is something I understand all too well, but I had never considered that it might have something to do with hormones.  Booth goes on to explain that this writer's experience is not as weird as it seems.

"Mother Nature has a secret, a period in every month where she facilitates verbal memory and creative energy. Even eating takes a backseat so that our minds can keep focused on our goals. Peaking estrogen facilitates the ease with which our words 'pop' into our brains."

While Mother Nature's goal may be for me to talk cutesy with my husband in order to continue populating the earth, it is plain to see that the Venus Week is also a good time to hunker down and write. Perhaps this is also a time to break away from proofreading and editing commitments in order to make time for filling those WRITE SCENE holes that pepper my manuscript. If what Booth says is true, I should be aiming for "Venus Maximus" and writing as much as I can, while my body is busy preparing to get fertile.

For women like myself who understand exactly what Booth means by the "good week" but never recognized it as nature's gift, this awareness alone could be life changing. Others, who for a variety of reasons may be experiencing a "muted Venus," can learn how to get that feeling back and start using the energy to accomplish whatever they please. And yes, there is also something in it for him...

So interesting! I'll have to look for this book next time I'm at the library. Have you read "Mother-Daughter Wisdom" by Christiane Northrup? It may be worth a glance, there is a lot in there about the natural, built-in mechanisms we have but rarely tap into as women. Anyway, I'm enjoying your blog and articles, Tara...

Thanks Ana! I'll look for "Mother-Daughter Wisdom" too. Sounds like a great read. I'm so excited that I will be able to share what I'm learning with my own daughter before she gets to the baby-making age!