Ever since reading Miranda Grays book Red Moon in my 20’s I’ve always used the archetypes of the cycle for my “Map of Womanhood”- Maiden, Mother, Enchantress/Priestess, Crone. (although in recent years I’ve come to use Medicine Woman for the premenstrual enchantress phase.)
It popular nowadays for to use the seasons- Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter- same same for me, just different names for the same thing!
If we set the Archetypes or Seasons into the Life Map of Womanhood, we see from the Triple Goddess model, the perimenopause – Autumn woman or Enchantress isn’t there!! Come on, we don’t jump from Mother to Crone…to me a Crone is nearing 70 /80 years- so what of the Initiation of Menopause- where does that sit? Certainly at 47 and in the thick of perimenopause I don’t feel anywhere near Crone!
The old “Triple Goddess” archetypes are no more, we have a fourth Goddess who has been long missed out- and I have a feeling she’s pretty pissed off about it! She shows up in menopause, in a womans autumn years and it certainly feels like our Mother Earth is having a bit of a perimenopause journey too – hot flushes and tantrums all over the place!
Interestingly the common Goddess Archetype that many women feel they identify with in perimenopause is Kali– a fierceness rises, rages and battles both outward and inward start to occur with increasing frequency- and this is because the inner Autumn Woman isn’t being listened to.
How can we transform Kali into Medicine Woman?
Deep listening!
Perimenopause is a time of transformation, a time of finding yourself, letting go of all that no longer serves you. Your oestrogen levels are dropping and as they drop you can feel as if you are in a void space, hanging out in the unknown….which is pretty scary! Oestrogen has carried us through life since puberty and this shift in hormones as perimenopause starts can set off all kind of things! We are like pubescent girls except with a lot more baggage!
As you listen, listen deeply to YOUR NEEDS what is it you need? Many women crave freedom, a release from the mundane daily tasks of life, freedom from children, perhaps freedom from your job, relationships, where you live….it can all arise in perimenopause!!
The reality is probably that you cant run away, as much as you might like to, that you still need to do the mundane tasks, dinner needs to be cooked, toilets need to be cleaned, children may need cuddles and bed time stories, jobs cant be left because of financial security, relationships may be supportive in some ways that feel Ok to “put up with” for now…until Kali comes knocking again..
So how can you fit in the “Me Time”, the freedom that you crave, how can we keep Kali from the door?
Well that my dear is up to you- it takes self care, it takes boundaries- setting clear boundaries around taking time for yourself- whether it’s a luxurious bath, someone else taking on dinner duty so you can go for a walk, making time in your day to journal, go to a yoga class, meditate…
Find ways to de-stress, calming the adrenals helps soothe the system, find ways to support yourself, feed yourself, nurture yourself and your inner Medicine Woman will come forth.
Have a browse though my blog for lots of suggestions and supportive posts on perimenopause, and to work deeper with me see womb offerings and my on line courses.
(c) Rachael Crow 2019
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