A story of stepping into your wisdom and power...of letting go of what no longer resonates with you, a stripping back of the layers..

An opportunity to confront the things in your life that you need to change and to heal all the unhealed parts of ourselves.

At 48, I am deeeeep in my Peri-Menopause journey, so I am really excited to be able to share some of what I am learning in this space, as well as what I've learnt over the years studying women's rites of passage.

Let's start with defining what is this 'Peri-Menopause' that lots of people are starting to talk about (which is a GREAT thing that its gaining some awareness!!)

Peri means 'about' or 'around'. So in Peri-Menopause it's the time leading into Menopause - which is when the menstrual cycle has stopped (defined after a period of 12 months of no periods).

It is NOT a disease, an illness, or a medical condition. It's a normal phase of a woman's life cycle.

Recently, the term Sagescence (the becoming of the wise woman) was coined by my dear teacher Jane Hardwicke Collings. This time of becoming is not dissimilar to Adolescence and Matrescence - other transformational experiences that include a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual component that can take place over years.

About five years before Menopause, the "veil of estrogen begins to rise". With estrogen often referred to as the 'hormone of accommodation', this can bring a sudden awareness of how much a woman is doing for others nd how much she is un/acknowledged for that and how much she doesn't want to be doing everything for everybody anymore!

Some of the emotions/feelings women may experience on this journey are:

• Rage
• Anger
• Grief
• Regret
• Relief
• Feeling lost
• Apathy
• Low motivation
• Lack of purpose
• Re-evaluation of life
• A deep need to retreat/turn inwards
• Desire to be alone
• Irritation, lower tolerance, fed up!
• No longer holding back, speaking up

You might read this and feel like it's mostly doom and gloom, but it's actually not! Menopause is one of our sacred feminine rites of passage. And rites of passage are meant to challenge us! They are opportunities for profound healing, growth and transformation (You are literally rebirthing as your wise woman self).

Menopause marks the change from Mother/Creatrix (the Summer Season of our life) into Maga (the Autumn Season of life).

It's also important to note, that the issues that arise during Menopause, are the result of the harvest of what began in our childhood, young womanhood and from our birth experiences (our previous rites of passage).

For Mother's, you may find yourself in the 'empty nest' phase, or you may still be deep in the mothering phase - whether that be with young children, or teenagers.

With more women having babies later in life and Menopause occurring somewhere between 45-55 (average age of 51 here in Australia, with up to a decade for Peri-Menopause), there is a particular challenge for Mothers with younger children during this time.

Facing the shifts of Peri-menopause, such as declining estrogen levels, while also managing the relentless demands and sacrifices of raising young children, many women find themselves uninformed and unprepared for Menopause - often leading to a difficult and unsettling experience.

And just like our Motherhood journey, we aren't meant to do this alone!