Just about a year ago I had my IUD removed, and have been without hormonal birth control for the first time since I was 17. I was feeling called to experience my body without intervention, and while learning more about monthly cycles, I have also been led to the Wheel of the Year (hence the newsletters on the sabbats), as well as the larger cycles of life.
I am currently reading Wild Power by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer, which connects the four weeks of the month to the four seasons of the year and encourages women to tune in to the rhythm of their cycle. I could say SO much about this book, but just to drop a few favorite lines and ideas, Wild Power highlights "a radical new story about feminine power;" a "path to power that is encoded in our bodies;" "the fullness and beauty of our authority;" all connected to "affirming our expression in the world... to gain insight into our overall wellbeing." It begins by validating how we have been shamed about our bodies, programmed to hold our cycle as a messy inconvenience, disconnected from our natural rhythms, and taught to override our body's signals around both our power and the need for rest. I love this book!
Another book, which has been on my shelf for years but which I just picked up and can hardly put down, is called The Circle of Life; Thirteen Archetypes for Every Woman by Elizabeth Davis and Carol Leonard. The authors cite the usual three archetypes for women: Maiden, Mother, Crone. But in addition, they introduce a fourth archetype, the Matriarch. A stage between Mother and Crone, where I happen to happily reside at this moment. She is at a stage in her life where being Mother is no longer her primary focus (perhaps mother to children, building a career, or honing artistic endeavors), but she is not yet the wise and revered Crone. The Matriarch "reflects autonomy and authority... secure in herself and in her position." The authors also add two "wing" archetypes to each of the four, and a thirteenth, which you'll have to read the book to learn about ;)
Something I love about this book is the way the authors describe how a woman at any age or stage, can embody the characteristics of any of the archetypes. As examples, "As we embark on an adventure, set out to travel on our own, or take some risk in our lives, we may invoke our Maiden aspect to help us blend vitality with purity of intent;" "No matter your age, if you assume leadership in an empowering, non-competitive way, you are acting as Matriarch;" "We act the Crone when we storytell to make a point, when we put a humorous twist on a troubling situation, when the big picture is our foundation in problem solving."
I highly recommend this book.
