Menopause

I found myself thinking about transitions this morning, and particularly that of Menopause. I am noticing more conversations about it, over the last few years, and much of that is centred on finding ways to manage the hormonal changes we go through at that time.

Not much of what I have come across refers to the simultaneous psychological, soulful changes we go through at this time. Like any transition, it is one where we often find the old no longer applies, yet we haven't quite landed into the new fully either.

Just as beginning our menstrual cycle is a potent time in our teens, so is menopause. 

Bringing it back to the body, we move from being able to give birth to a child, to not. It is a time as a women where we have the opportunity to address our unfinished business psychologically & spiritually and move into the wholeness of our being. 

Marion Woodman, a Jungian Analyst, whose work I have read, says "The Crone has been missing from our culture for so long that many women, particularly young girls, know nothing of her tutelage.
Young girls are not initiated in our society by older women into womanhood with its accompanying dignity and power." 
An absence I felt keenly in my teens, growing up, in many ways, though I also had a mentor who did share some of her wisdom. 

For me menopause was a transition I experienced as one of liberation, seeing the hot flushes as burning off the dross of that which was no longer relevant.  I also found myself caring less about things I once deemed important.....in terms of attractiveness, and many other things along the way. I found myself enjoying a more grounded experience of my own self, a greater sense of certainty in my own choices, doing things I could not have imagined prior and a deepening into my own being that allowed for an expanding bliss, and sense of peace. 

I have always enjoyed being a woman, and have realised in many ways my relationship with my body hasn't been as tortured as many.. My mother struggled considerable through menopause, and I recall feeling at that time, it was indicative of her tendency to have bottled so much of her emotions throughout her life. Consequently, I paid attention to my own experience, and noticed other women's experiences with whom I came into contact....the more disconnected from her own emotional/feeling authentic nature, the greater the struggle during this passage, it seemed to me. 

If you chose to be a mother, it can be a time when you are experiencing empty nest, and the loss of a role that has been a big part of your identity till now. It is normal to experience a sense of loss, sadness, and uncertainty about your sense of self. Allowing the process to unfold, without feeling compelled to do something concrete about it, giving yourself time to discover what is seeking to emerge at this time, is a wonderful gift of love. Therapy or coaching can be part of that process. Feel free to reach out with any queries, and wishing you an enjoyable day.