The Lunar Disc

A gash, a rash, a sting, a sprain. Shikma knew of powerful cures that could bring relief, but with all the activity going on in the unfamiliar environment, everyone was prone to injury, and the healer was overwhelmed by the number of people requiring her attention. The supply of dried plants from Gozo soon ran low, and Shikma had no time to scout for more. She found Queen Elishat and, in a nutshell, explained the problem. “But I have a solution,” she said. “I want to gather some women and girls to help me, and in return, I will teach them the healing arts.”

Elishat agreed so readily that Shikma added a second, more daring proposal.

“If we erect a shrine to Eshmun, the god of healing, he may be pleased by our dedication and bless our people with good health. A healthy people will be prosperous. A prosperous people will make generous offerings to Eshmun, and he may in turn bless our city.”

Impressed by the power of Shikma’s circular argument, Elishat ordered the immediate construction of a small shrine to Eshmun on a lesser hill, with the promise of a future temple and a school for the healing arts.

A semi-circle of foundation stones was quickly laid for the shrine. When the day arrived, a dozen or so young women and girls, Amaal among them, climbed the hill and sat awaiting instruction. Shikma arrived with a bevy of older women who set out samples of medicinal plants. The healer leaned her walking staff against one of the foundation stones and welcomed everyone to the group. From between the stones a snake appeared and twined up the walking staff. The women, having been warned to look out for vipers, shuddered at the sight. “This one is harmless,” Shikma said, “unless you give it reason to fear.” The snake stretched out along the staff and clung fast. “You have chosen an unfortunate mate, slithering creature,” Shikma said, leaving the snake undisturbed. “There will be no issue from that union!”

“Would that my mate had such a firm staff!” one woman called out.

The older women squealed with laughter while Amaal and the younger innocents smiled politely.

“Perhaps in sending us this serpent, Eshmun is showing us where to begin our discussion,” Shikma said.

She opened a soft leather pouch and took out a disc, one side of which was covered in iridescent mother-of-pearl tiles. “The goddess Ashtart holds the moon in her hands.” Shikma held up the disc and ran her finger once around the edge. “It is she who sets the sacred cycles from which all life is derived. Wherever you start, at the new moon, for example, you count twenty-eight-days, and in that time, you come back to where you started. This is a woman’s cycle, too.”

One of the girls asked, “What is a woman’s cycle?”

 Shikma explained. “Every twenty-eight days, there is a time when a woman can become pregnant with a child. She will notice that a clear liquid, like the clear part of a duck’s egg, will come from her private parts for a few days. That will tell her that she is able to become pregnant.”

“Like when a dog goes into heat?” the girl asked.

“Exactly,” the healer replied. “A dog, a cat, a goat, a cow—it’s all the same except that women are special because we follow Ashtart’s moon cycle.”

Amaal took it all in. She wasn’t sure why, exactly, but it made perfect sense to her that women would be in rhythm with the moon.

“To become pregnant,” Shikma continued, “the woman must lie with a man and allow him to enter her and plant his seed, just like we see with the ram and the ewe, the rooster and the hen, and all the animals we see mating in the fields or the forest. If the woman does not lie with a man during this time, she does not become pregnant. In that case, half of the moon cycle will pass, and she will release a cleansing blood, the body’s way to clear her temple and prepare for the next time around. If she does become pregnant, there is no blood. Instead, the baby begins to grow, and, counting nine moons, with the blessing of the goddess, the baby is born. The moon cycle comes to all women.”

“Even the Queen?” one of the girls asked.

“Even the Queen.”

“When will it start?” another girl asked.

“In time you will come of age. Amaal is nearly of age, to be sure.” Amaal felt the color rush into her cheeks. How did they know? Still, if it was true, she was glad to know about it ahead of time.

 Another girl asked, “What should I do…when it happens?”

“Come to us. We will put aside our work and make you comfortable. We will give you a calming herbal tea to drink and fresh water to bathe. When the new temples to Tanit and Eshmun are finished, we will have beautiful, spring-fed baths warmed by the sun.”

Amaal listened when one of the young women asked if it hurt when the blood came out. Several of the older women groaned while others said it wasn’t so bad. “When it’s your moon time, come see me,” Shikma said, “I’ll make you fennel tea to ease any pain.”

“Does it hurt when the man goes into the woman?” another girl asked.

Shikma replied, “If they are gentle and loving, especially at first, it can feel very good for both.

The older women chimed in. “Oh, yes! It’s quite nice!”

“Tell your partner what you like!”

“Have fun!”

“And if he can’t, you can do it for yourself!”

At this, the women all laughed. This time, the girls giggled, too. Even though their understanding was incomplete, they were happy to have been brought into a circle of women where private matters could be discussed openly. Only Amaal remained quietly alone in her thoughts.

“Now,” Shikma said more seriously, “We are here to form a scouting mission. I will show you how to identify the plants we need. They must be gathered with care. These are not children’s teas. They can be dangerous, even deadly, in the hands of the uninitiated.”

She showed them the samples and briefly explained the power of each. “Gentle white myrtle, with its pearl buds and bursting blossoms is good for coughs; hawthorn with its shiny, red berries, is a tonic for the heart; the dark pods of the leathery-leaved carob tree stop diarrhea in babies; rock rose, eases an earache; spiny blue sea holly to heal a snake bite, though, unfortunately, it’s no good against the venom; and wormwood to stimulate the appetite. Amaal looked on with waning interest while Shikma droned on. To Amaal, the plants all looked very much alike, what with their green leaves and their scrawny roots. She doubted she could remember the name of a single one, much less what it was good for. She wished Ta’am were there to write it all down.

When she was done, Shikma quizzed the women on the plants and their uses, but Amaal was no longer paying attention. It had dawned on her that Shikma’s description of intercourse was what Uru had witnessed on Tondo’s ship. She blurted out, “What if the woman doesn’t want to?”

“Doesn’t want to what?” Shikma asked.

“Doesn’t want to, you know, let the man in.”

The smiles fell from the women’s faces.

“This sometimes happens,” Shikma said ruefully, “because men are stronger than we are. A man can overpower a woman and do what he wants.”

The other women spoke out forcefully.

“But it’s wrong.”

“It offends the woman and the goddess.”

“A woman must speak out.”

“We will seek justice for her.”

Shikma asked calmly, “Did that happen to you, Amaal?”

“No, it happened on Tondo’s ship.” Careful to keep Uru’s secret, she added, “I only heard about it.”

All at once, one of the young women hid her face in her hands.

Shikma went and put an arm around her shoulder. “Was it you, sister?” she asked.

The distraught woman nodded. The other women gathered around her. She shook her head and whispered, “I’m so sorry…”

 “It’s not your fault,” Shikma said pointedly.

As if the healer’s words had given her permission, the young woman let go a flood of tears.

Shikma repeated, “It’s not your fault. Our husbands and fathers and brothers know this. The good men honor us and protect us from the beastly ones.”

The women continued their rant.

“The man who did this is a danger to all.”

“He should be cast out.”

“He should be sent to starve in the desert.”

“He’s a beast, not a man.”

Amaal spoke up, “I think he went down with Tondo’s ship.”

Shikma asked, “Is that true?”

Amaal nodded.

“Then, you are safe from him now,” Shikma said. “Why don’t you stay with me for a while? You can study with me—at least until the homes are built.”

The young woman agreed to the plan. She looked tearfully at the women gathered around her and said, “Please, don’t tell anyone.”

“You needn’t worry.”

“Your privacy is safe with us.”

“We’ll help you start a good life here.”

“Shikma will teach you well.”

The young woman inhaled deeply and blew hard to dispel the dark memory. She reached up and held hands with those standing closest. “Thank you,” she said with a tearful smile.

The students disbanded and headed enthusiastically out into the green world to fulfill their assignments. Amaal felt agitated. She desperately wanted to tell Uru that the woman who was attacked on Tondo’s ship had been taken in by the healer. It bothered her that, out of respect for the young woman’s privacy, Uru would never know. Conversely, Amaal had also sworn secrecy to Uru, so she couldn’t tell Shikma about the attack on Uru. She felt resentful that secrecy should get in the way of discussing a serious matter openly. After all, what if there were other women suffering in silence?

“Amaal, can you stay for a minute?” Shikma was gathering her supplies. “What’s on your mind?”

“I was just thinking—about what happened on Tondo’s ship.”

“I see. Do you want to talk about it?”

Amaal felt Uru’s secret caught in the back of her throat, straining to spring out and be heard, but she swallowed hard and muttered a weak, “No.”

Shikma said, “Very well. I’m sure that, gods willing, Qart-hadasht will be a safe home for everyone. I’m glad you came to our gathering. I hope you’ll come again.”

Amaal silently doubted that a city of secrets could be completely safe, but she set it aside and said only, “I guess I’m not all that interested in plants and healing.”

“No, I can see that, but remember, not all elixirs come in jars. There are many ways to heal a community. You’ll find yours. In the meantime, sometimes, patience is all we have to light the way. I prayed every day and night to leave my village and go out into the world. I had gone beyond the point of despair many times. And then, one day a fleet of ships comes sailing up our channel with the answer to my prayers. A fleet of ships! I had imagined it in a hundred different ways but never that! Maybe that’s why it took so long. I tried to force my vision instead of accepting my place and time. You would do better to stop wishing for what others have. Everyone has a place. You’ll find yours; you’ll see.”

Amaal listened to Shikma’s advice. It seemed a bit harsh, but she had to admit that wishing to possess the gifts that others had had gotten her nowhere. She nodded her thanks and silently crossed medicinal plants off her list of possible directions. She watched Shikma descend the hill and stood looking down at the city humming with activity. How, she wondered, would she ever be part of it?

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