Autumn Vibes … and Perimenopause

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Well, I don’t know about you, but August seems to have disappeared in a flash.

And it’s suddenly feeling rather autumnal here in Hampshire …cooler mornings, cobwebs in the garden, and the nights are drawing in.

It’s got me thinking about the energies of autumn – and how they show up in our lives, every month.

Autumn invites grounding, release, and the protective energies of the earth element.

And in the Avalonian Goddess wheel of the year it’s associated with the Queen archetype: she who is sovereign of the realm of her body, mind, emotions and life.

But this same autumnal energy is also present in the waning phase of the Moon, in the pre-menstruum phase of the menstrual cycle, and it’s even there in your breath – as the fullness of the in-breath turns to the release of the out-breath.

For the sacred cycle of life is always with us and within us:

the cycle of birth, growth, fullness, release, death and rebirth.

And autumnal energies are very much to the fore in the perimenopause stage of life.

Perimenopausal … and proud

And, friends, as I wrote last year – perimenopause is the stage of life I am now very much in: the early-autumn of my life as I step into the Queen archetype as my primary soul-influence.

I’m 46 years old, but as I look back over these last few years, I realize that since I turned 40 there’s been a kind of alchemical process at work within my soul … and many changes have taken place in my life. I’ll share more about this journey in a future Soul Note.

But for now, suffice to say, that I’ve come to recognize that this has been the sacred rite of passage that is the midlife transition at work, aka the perimenopause process.

And if you’re a person who menstruates*, there’s no hiding from it: peri/menopause IS something you will experience (or maybe you’ve experienced it already).

[* I say ‘person who menstruates’ rather than ‘woman’ in recognition of the fact that trans, non-binary and genderqueer folk menstruate too. I aim to be inclusive in my language and in my work.]

Now, I’ve been reflecting on peri/menopause over the last 18 months or so (and have done a LOT of reading on the subject).

And I’ve noticed how there’s a lot of doom and gloom and lists of horrendous symptoms associated with peri/menopause out there.

I’ve too-often seen it described as a ‘female hormone deficiency disorder’.

Yuk! No, no, NO. I’m not saying it’s easy but it’s about SO much more than hormones!

Soul care for perimenopause

Anyway, I’m sharing this with you by way of saying that I’m feeling called to hold space for perimenopausal women and people going through this major sacred rite of passage – offering soul care for the midlife transition and restoring its place, power and significance in our lives.

…A kind of ‘Perimenopause Priestess’ if you will… (copyright Stella Tomlinson, 2021 😉🤣😍)

I may sit with this idea a little longer. One thing I’ve learned so far from this journey is to give myself M O R E S P A C E!

That said, I’m already preparing a couple of new resources as a starting point for honouring ourselves through life’s sacred cycles which I’m aiming to launch in October/November 2021:

• ‘Your Sacred Blood Cycle’: for those of us who still have a regular(ish) menstrual cycle, and;

• ‘Your Monthly Moon Journey’: a resource for those us with irregular cycles (or no cycle at all).

…Because my journey home to myself through the sacred feminine and living in rhythm with nature’s cycles began in 2015 with menstrual cycle awareness, and it’s still the foundation of honouring my body, mind and soul.

It’s through surrendering to these monthly and seasonal cycles that I feel “held by Her” – the loving presence of the sacred feminine within and all around me.

So, more on that in the coming weeks and months.

New: Autumn Resource

In the mean time, if you feel called to connect to this season of Autumn through meditation, ritual, ceremony and journaling then click here to find out about my new Be Held By Her Sacred Seasons Autumn Resource.

This Sacred Seasons Resource will guide you to activate the energies of grounding, release, protection, The Queen archetype and the Earth element within you.