Reflections on the Change: A Poem

Though Aunt Flo still shows up and out when she wants to.
I feel as if my womb is as useless as damp matches.
But I still want to keep it, it is a gift from God.
After all, it has borne children and nurtured the souls of wounded men.

Though my thoughts may waiver, my inner vision is keener than ever.
Though I may become disoriented by this birthing of the new,
my intuition is enhanced and I am trusting myself deeply.
My red moon passing is a time to see grace realized.
While I reinvent myself, I am learning greater tolerance,
or maybe I just don't give a damn.

What I take in is just as important to me as what I give out.
I am using the heat from my hot flashes to incubate new ideas.
I am making room for the woman I am becoming.
The Crone, the wise Sage, the real keeper of the secret joy.
I can now give myself permission to dance naked in the moonlight.
I am a woman on fire with hope and love: ripe, fertile and pregnant with possibilities.

Menopause: A Natural Process

When our mothers and grandmothers went through what was appropriately called the change, there were few pills or hormones to "treat" menopause. "The change" was seen as a natural phase in a woman's life. A stage where a woman went from the childbearing years to middle age. With that came wisdom and a signal for the woman to focus inward now that the children had been reared.

In our current society where even the most natural of processes is seen as an inconvenience, the change must be managed. We treat this natural process as if were a disease. I am lead to wonder if by introducing so many synthetic substances into our bodies, if we aren't exposing ourselves to greater risks. Please note that I am not suggesting that any one break from what has been advised by their doctor. This is only my humble opinion.

It is my hope that we will use this space to support women and that we use the menopausal process as an opportunity to give birth to our creativity, renegotiate our relationships and to transform and heal our lives. It is my hope that we will share our collective stories, remedies and even our agitations in a spirit of love, humor and mutual respect.

I welcome each of you to add your voice to Sisters of the Red Moon Passing cyber salon. In sharing our stories, we chronicle experiences that can be shared with our daughters, sisters, mothers and sister friends. Let's do this thing!