Two ceremonies to mark the beginning and end of menopause
To be honest, I'm a great believer in the transformative power of the menopause transition. But I think that perimenopause and menopause get a lot of bad press. It's as if the language around menopause is one of powerlessness, that we are at the mercy of our hormones, that we are no longer the creators of our own way of being. I don’t mean to diminish in anyway the impact of some of the effects of going through these hormonal changes have on our bodies, but I do believe though that where there is darkness, there is also light.
“It’s as if the language around menopause is one of powerlessness, that we are at the mercy of our hormones, that we are no longer the creators of our own way of being.”
Personally, I've found that the power of menopause as an agent of transformation, doesn't really reveal itself until we've passed through it. And as I stand here now, having ‘officially’ passed through the menopause transition a few years ago, I've had time to reflect on how this transition could be navigated in a way that hands power back to the woman experiencing it.
We’ve got some fabulous health professionals that are on board with helping us in menopause, and yes I make products to help body and soul as we navigate this transition, BUT… I’m also really deeply interested in how we support our ‘inner world’ through all this. This is about who we are as a person, and how we care for ourselves at a deep soul level.
“Ceremony is a way of marking key moments in life and imbuing the initiate with power. ”
Ceremony is a way of marking key moments in life and imbuing the initiate with power. Ceremony gives us the opportunity to come together in a community of like-minded souls. It gives us a place to release burdens, receive gifts, and draw a line in the proverbial sand. And you know what? I don’t think we have enough of them! With this in mind, I've created two ceremonies to mark the beginning and the end of the menopause transition.
At the Threshold - is a ceremony for perimenopause. I'm fascinated with looking at perimenopause as a liminal space between our fertile years, and our wisdom years. So I've created a ceremony for us to come together and acknowledge that, and prepare ourselves for walking through the ups and the downs of this transition time. In doing so it is my hope that it will enable the shedding of ideas about one’s sense of self, one’s body and the menopause change itself. Put simply, At the Threshold is a ceremony of celebration of the extraordinary power of the female body to reinvent itself and equip us for the power that lies beyond menopause.
“I’m fascinated with looking at perimenopause as a liminal space between our fertile years, and our wisdom years.”
Beyond - is a ceremony for women who have passed through the menopause transition. By that I mean women who have not had a period for at least a year. I think a whole new way of being in this world opens up for us when we go beyond menopause. I am constantly amazed and delighted by the way I feel myself changing in my way of thinking and being in the world as a postmenopausal woman. Beyond is a ceremony that helps us, in postmenopause, gather together and throw open the doors to step into this powerful and empowering phase of life.
And yes, this is about power.
After menstruation ceases there comes a different kind of power than what we experience in youth. Beyond is an invitation to welcome in the power of The Wisdom Years in sacred ceremony. We have shed our fertile years. We are now the elders, the wise ones. We have entered a phase of life that invites us to nurture our interior worlds and to access the power that comes with wisdom. This is a ceremony of release, renewal and the birthing of a new age of being. It is for women who have finished menstruating and are ready to receive the power that awaits them.
“Beyond is an invitation to welcome in the power of The Wisdom Years ”
Sounds a bit better than feeling powerless and past it doesn’t it!?
Both of these ceremonies at the threshold and beyond are taking place online and you can sign up for them at the Archeus Academy. For both ceremonies, it will be helpful if you have a candle or some incense, a jug of water, and a piece of paper and a pen handy. Also find a quiet space for you to be in, so that you can be fully present and also so that you are respectfully hold space for the other women on the call. As women we will be in the space together to help each other accept its gifts. And I tell you, I am so looking forward to hosting these!
At the Threshold - a ceremony for perimenopause is taking place on the evening of 6 March New Zealand time.
Beyond - a ceremony for postmenopause will take place on 13 March at 7:00 PM NZ time.
This will be the first time I have held either of these ceremonies in an online environment and so because of that I have made these free. If you are in perimenopause or postmenopausal and you want to accept the power that comes with this time of life, I look forward to seeing you there.