About the Artist & How The Journal Started
Cycles Journal is an independent, self-published physical creation.
A queer & non-binary woman-owned business, founded & created by illustrator & designer Rachael Amber in 2018, and is currently in its third year of existence.
This journal exists to help empower us all to access deeper self-care, healing, and body literacy within our natural selves and cyclical experiences. We are building more than a healthy habit or trend; we are creating a ritual of self-devotion.
Made with love, intention & quality care, Cycles Journal is more than just your usual book or planner; it truly is a special place to learn more about yourself.
Rachael Amber (she/they) is an illustrator, designer, writer, activist, plant-lover and green witch based in Philadelphia but recently moved to the mountains of New Hampshire.
She creates art to raise environmental awareness, social justice, healing and radical self-care. She creates this annual lunar & menstrual tracking journal out of the heart- driven desire to empower us to connect deeper to ourselves and our cycles, and to overcome the negative stigma surrounding our magic.
Her sun is in Cancer, moon in Capricorn, and rising is Sagittarius.
She is occasionally open for commissioned illustration & design work. She also loves to connect & co-create. Please visit her personal website below for inquiries. & Follow her on IG: @rachael.amber
My Story & How It All Came to Be
I wanted to tell you a bit about who I am & why I started this creation, if you are curious. I'm Rachael Amber — I'm an illustrator & designer, a menstrual health & self-care advocate, an environmental activist, a plant whisperer, a cat-lover.... I create tools and visuals for change because it is how I feel driven to cope with some of the confinements and injustices of our society.
Doing this work grounds me, gives me hope, and connects me to all of you. I am thankful that I can create work that resonates with others.
I once bled in alignment with the full moon for 12 consecutive months. I had always sensed a connection to the moon’s influence, but now it was confirmed.
I was going wild each cycle and needed solid ground to figure out what was influencing it all. I was in constant pain physically, was wildly unpredictable, and aggressive emotionally. I hated my own cycle — I was not at peace with myself, inside or out. There was a deep disconnect and war raging inside of me.
I sought to mend my lack of connection between myself and my womb. Slowly, I started to close the gaps and find understanding as I followed the lunar cycle and tracked my patterns alongside it. However, I did this mostly in my head or scattered between various apps that I would constantly forget to use or feel overwhelmed by more screen-time.
As I continued to sync up with the full moon, the intensity fueled me to know more. I felt called to dive deeper through a more organized approach. Creating a tool seemed like the only way I could figure out what influenced me and where it all linked — to uncover the magic that I was starting to feel beneath the surface.
I wanted something to track it all in one place. Something that would inspire and motivate me to actually feel dedicated to it. So I realized that if it didn't exist already, this was my sign to create it.
Originally, I was going to make a simple booklet for myself to use, but as I told others my revelation, I realized this was desired and needed by so many more. There was an underlying realization of lack of cyclical focus in our world. And so, like all of my ideas, I want to share it and expand it to help other people, too. Thus the guiding tool of Cycles Journal was born — for all of us.
A Message to You
The more intentional we can be leading up to things such as our bleeding time, the more we can work with our bodies rather than against. I like to say we are learning to flow with our tides rather than against them. Once we are aware, doors open everywhere for our expansion and transcendence from pain. We realize everything is intimately connected — and oftentimes — just needs our love and attention.
Individually, self-care allows us to feel supported so we can be a better part of the collective whole. It helps us realize that we are worthy of choosing to prioritize ourselves. Collectively, we are learning to diverge from a strictly work & logic mindset that the world is focused on. We’re learning to instead be perceptive, to listen, to feel, and to realize it's much more beautiful and intuitive to live this way. We are learning that we can use this knowledge to be even better versions of ourselves.
It's truly a ripple effect. It's beautiful how much pain we can shed & love we can share with ourselves and one another once we get beyond the idea that our periods are a burden and our bodies are not on our side. We are ending the deflected war against our human vessels & the natural, beautiful, magic processes they carry us through. That all of this is pure and to be cherished is the most important thing to remember. When we are intentional and caring, we can make anything happen.
Follow Us On Instagram
@rachael.amber & @cyclesjournal
