The Life Seasons
Life Spring
Life Spring starts at menarche, your first period. This is a season for exploring the world and beginning the discovery journey of who we are. In an ideal world, our vulnerability at this time will be protected and held tenderly by our culture, families and those around us. If this wasn’t your experience, we invite you to sit again with the Menarche explorations of days 2 and 3.
Life Summer
Life Summer offers an outward expansion into the world as we may have found ourselves reaching out to connect and express ourselves. It’s a time when we may have felt the impulse to blossom, manifesting our spirit as businesses, projects or maybe having babies. It’s a time in life where we find ourselves saying YES! Where this is not happening, for one reason or another, we may feel the very uncomfortable pressure of not having manifested.
Life Autumn
The beginning of Life Autumn is where the YES begins to recede, and the NO qualities build. This is the beginning of perimenopause and the phase of Separation (more on the phase of Separation later). It shows why we are suddenly pulled up short; it’s no longer a season for being ‘out there’. Instead, it’s a time to come home and tend to our inner business. We may hear an inner calling to slow down, a longing to receive. Rest becomes increasingly vital for our nourishment. Reflection, a mindful attention to our day-to-day pace of life, slowing down where possible and letting go are key here, just as in the premenstrual Autumn phase. By looking at our needs in our Menstrual Autumn and Menstrual Winter, not only is there less chance of burnout, but we can also start to build a toolkit for menopause while we are still menstruating.
One of the toughest aspects of perimenopause we are asked to face is that we are dying to ourselves in the transition; entering the cocoon. We are going through a death process in our Life Winter, but, with the understanding that we exit the cocoon and rebirth in our Second Spring. We can be called to shed a great deal; relationships, ways of being, jobs, roles we have played in life. It may all be very much steeped in grief.
Not only are we shedding, but we are also often asked to use this time as a clean up process. Many of the traumas and aspects of our lives we may have thought had been dealt with and sorted, come back to ask us to sort through them even more thoroughly.
Dear goddess, there’s so much work to do in perimenopause! A reminder of why you’ve chosen to take this unwrapping journey. Support and understanding are vital right now.
Life Winter
In the deep Life Winter of menopause, we are acutely aware of the need for deep rest and healing. This is where the menopause phases of Surrender and Emergence reside. A time for pockets of me-time, your own version of rest; perhaps pottering more often, maybe connecting with nature and validating our intuition, all to bring this cycle to a gentle ending.
Second Spring
Second Spring, which is taken from Chinese Medicine theory, heralds the beginning of a whole new cycle. You may feel more settled, your energy and hope may be somewhat stronger now, and you are starting to want to head out into the world again. Maybe you can start to see how your passion and skills can come together in the outside world and how to move forward.
Just like your first Life Spring, it’s a time of playfulness, exploration and trying things out for size. You may find that you reconnect with your teenage enthusiasms or your tearaway nature. It’s a deeply tender time too though; emerging into the world without your previous armour can make you feel vulnerable.
Reflections on Life Spring
- What significant events come to mind when you think of your teens and twenties?
- Think about the kind of support you needed at the time?
- What did you discover about yourself? Maybe your capabilities, resilience, vulnerabilities or tenderness?
You can return to the main course menu or continue to day 14