Managing Menopause, An Honoring of Crones
Menopause, like the menstrual cycle that precedes it, is often viewed as a sort of curse due to the struggles that many women go through during their menopause years. However there is another way of looking at this important time in a woman's life as you may know, or will read below.
The Change of Life, as Menopause is often called, happens when a woman stops menstruating. The change occurs gradually and the body goes through strong hormonal and physiological shifts which can cause symptoms ranging from uncomfortable to downright maddening.
Most women experience menopause between the ages of about 48—52 but some go through it years earlier or later, as well. How long the menopause cycle takes varies greatly too, from woman to woman but it can last as long as three years.
Hot flashes are probably the most common menopause symptom. A hot flash causes sensations of heat (sometimes, quite intense heat) in the face and upper body. In addition to hot flashes, other symptoms may include fatigue, disorientation (inability to think clearly), depression, trouble sleeping, crying for no reason, and having trouble remembering things.
From a spiritual perspective, menopause is a special time of coming into the wisdom of the Grandmother or Crone. Just as menstruation is honored by indigenous people, so is the ending of the menstrual cycle. These two points in a woman's life are ripe with spiritual potential and, if approached with respect, can teach a woman much of the natural cycles of life. She is bound by the cycle of the Moon and can learn to walk in a strong, solid way through proper tuning in at these important times in her life. The Crone is very insightful. It points to how this time of life does not have to be a time wrought with drastic physical and emotional swings, if good holistic healthcare is implemented during the time of the change.
Common Symptoms Found With Hormonal Imbalance
- hot flushes, night sweats, and hot flashes
- anxiety, insomnia, and restless sleep
- feeling tired and fatigued
- unusual irritability and frequent mood swings
- vaginal dryness and sometimes urinary dysfunction
- cravings: carbs, sweets and alcohol and also weight gain
- feelings of depression and a loss of desire
- easily being overwhelmed along with forgetfulness and fuzzy thinking
- digestion problems
- dry skin and hair loss
- join pain and stiffness
Menopause and Spirituality: An honoring of Grandmothers
It is no accident that there are now a record number of women experiencing menopause—more than at any previous point in history. The wisdom of the Grandmother, the wise essence of the Crone, is saturating the planet at this time because now is the most vital time for such wisdom to be available. Without the "baby boomer" Crone influx, the transformed reality timetable would be impossible to meet. Were the Divine Feminine energies to come in without a base of female experience and wisdom to "bounce off," we'd be literally blown apart by our own power. The Grandmother energies are stronger than they have ever been, through sheer number but also in the caliber of spiritual integrity in the women involved, for that reason.
Look to the female Elders now, to sustain both male and female in the integration of our feminine selves. The women who chose to be menopausal right now, are an incredibly strong, cohesive group of spiritual servants with high awareness of their position and purpose.
Those who gather in Grandmother Lodges, generate a stable, Sacred structure of wise experience that the world can literally rest upon, be grounded by, and receive consistent spiritual support from, during these most intense times. I want to thank those who have passed their Moon, who continue to meet and pray. I know their energy sustains me as I grow and develop.
If you are going through menopause right now, you are part of an elite team. If you are not consciously aware that your choice to be croning at this particular time in history is a spiritual one, you can certainly come to that awareness by a decision to find a Grandmother Lodge and participate in it, or isolate individually with the purpose of connecting to that aspect of your journey. This decision will allow you to tap into an incredibly rich gridline of support and feminine wisdom.
The energies of generation on generation of Grandmothers are available. You have only to seek them out. I urge you to do so, for myself and other women who are coming into the reality of The Divine Mother within them. You are much needed. If your known ancestry includes Native-American bloodlines, seek out an Elder who can educate you in the ways of the particular tribal energies that run through your veins. By connecting with that part of your cellular history, you open grand avenues of awareness and wisdom which are your rightful inheritance.
I've been asked if women can isolate after their monthly cycle has ended. Yes, yes, yes! Please do! If the normal time your cycle would occur can still be sensed (it's not as impossible as it might sound—your body remembers), isolate then. Otherwise, choose a time that can be honored, more or less consistently, as a regular time of retreat. Women who have had a hysterectomy may also benefit from isolation, as may women who recently had a child but have not resumed their monthly cycle. Practicing this ritual will be of particular assistance to women who struggle with pms or painful menstruation.
By reestablishing the connection with the natural cycle of the Moon Energies, the symptoms of imbalance can be greatly reduced or eliminated.
Excerpted from "Moon Lodge Visions: An Acceleration Handbook."
About Hot Flashes
Hot flashes usually begin when periods are still regular or are just starting to fluctuate. Hot flashes are often one of the first indications that menopause is approaching and they can be regulated when proper nutrition provides support.
They are most uncomfortable in the first stages of peri menopause and they gradually decrease in frequency and intensity as the body adapts to the hormonal changes. You can read more about Hot Flashes and learn how to work with your body during this time.
Did you know that many women are mistaken and believe that osteoporosis disease only occurs after menopause. However this is not accurate since recent studies have shown that osteoporosis can start much earlier in life and is not necessarily only a postmenopausal problem.
Although bone loss accelerates after menopause, as a result of the drop in estrogen levels, the bone building activity also decreases as a result of the drop in progesterone. This begins in the premenopausal years and you can read more in our article on osteoporosis and progesterone.
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