Menopause is associated with pain, discomfort, and fear. The body experiences itself in new ways and this is often accompanied with discomfort. A woman fears that she will loose her looks, her desirability, her usefulness, her sexual desire, her husband, her home, her life. She can look forward to cancer, bone loss, hypertension, and heart disease. Our culture does not paint a rosy picture for women and menopause. One has to wonder why our culture wants to scare us so.

Perhaps it has to do with women coming into their power. Menopause marks the death of the mother and the birth of the crone or wise woman. This is when latent spiritual and healing abilities begin to bloom. This brings responsibilities, new choices, and fear surrounding this new growth potential. Our culture would be very happy for us to avoid this dilemma and become focused on osteoporosis and replacing our hormones. Why would a culture want to keep their women preoccupied with illness instead of empowerment? In Europe women use to wear black to signify that they were in menopause. Notice that witches or women of power are seen in black. At whatever level you have to go, we are afraid of powerful women.

This paper wants to stimulate you to think of menopause differently. Menopause is just not a health treat but a time to enter into a glorious period of enthusiasm, energy, and power.

Truly menopause is a time of loss. It is not a loss of beauty or sexual desirability but it is the loss of the ability to produce blood. This blood has no energy connection with violence. Blood that is fully energized to give life and support life. Think for a moment on how we get blood. It is often through pain or incision into the body. It is often associated with violence or malice. A woman's blood from menstruation is blood that can be poured onto the earth to heal and nourish. It is the blood that gives life. This blood is as energized as spring water is. At menopause a woman can no longer create this blood.

As she mourns this loss, she can begin to realize that she still is a healing, nourishing, and energizing being. Now she can realize it through her whole being and not just one aspect. She can become the gift to herself, her partner, her family, and her world. It is her choice. How she chooses to see her choices will determine how she lives out the rest of her life.

As we move into this new position of power and freedom, we move through many fears. First we have to examine what cultural fears we have taken on. We must clear them knowing that they were placed there to control and limit us. Then we must mourn the passing of ourselves. Then we must confront our own issues of power and why this is truly the fear that we must overcome. As it may be a fear that has been built upon generations upon generations. Essential oils along with exercise, good nutrition including cold pressed oils like flaxseed, evening primrose, and borage, and herbals can become a part of a woman's process to transition through this change. Here are a few suggestions to get you through a critical and rewarding stage in your life.

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