For most of us,  for all of our adult lives, we have experienced the rhythmic monthly cycling of our bodies. The cycles of our bodies are mirrored by the cycles of the moon. Sometimes our cycles even align with the moon cycles. I know that I have taken comfort in this reflection of my own experience bright and unmistakable in the night sky. It has made me feel part of a greater rhythm, a fractal of wholeness.

So do we lose our connection to lunar rhythms at menopause? As our bodies stop their monthly cycling, are we disconnecting from cosmic cycles?

I’ve always loved my womanly connection to the beautiful moon, and I honour the moon cycles in my daily life and activities, so I’ve pondered this one quite a bit.

And what I think is, no, we do not lose our rhythmic connections to the celestial.

On the contrary. I think we are connecting anew at menopause. While we do lose the intimate link between our bodies and the cycling moon, we begin to reach out beyond our immediate orbits, gain a wider perspective, and experience an expansion and exploring of other universal rhythms.

We can see this as a beautiful metaphor for the big emotional and spiritual shifts many of us experience at midlife. Menopause is an initiation that moves us away from from the up-close intimacies of the reproductive years, the intense monthly fluctuations of our dancing hormones. We have internalized those rhythms, even mastered them, and the time has come to explore the even bigger universal rhythms in which those intimate rhythms are embedded. We might start relating more to the solar cycles, as we review the years and connect with the seasons. We might begin to think of our bodies in new ways, exploring disciplines that honour the energetic as well as the physical body, like yoga, meditation, reiki, astrology.

Menopause is a time when you might be drawn to explore and expand your spirituality. But this shift can take many other forms: less time spent in daily family care-taking can inspire you to take up a new sport or movement practice – you may find yourself training for a 5K when you never ran before. You may make a big leap in your career, or decide to rest on your laurels and explore new things in retirement. You might leave, or transform, your marriage, making room for more independence. You may find you have a desire to serve your local or global community in new ways.

All of these are beautiful ways that we move beyond familiar orbits at menopause.  So when you look up at the moon, don’t mourn a lost connection. Think instead of a connection you have internalized, mastered, and moved beyond. As a master of lunar rhythms, you are well-equipped to celebrate all the phases of the moon (and life) from new to full to dark. In this second half of life, your task will be to master greater, more subtle rhythms. How will you do that?

{This post is excerpted from our signature eight week Vivid Menopause course. Connecting with natural rhythms is one of the many beautiful topics we explore in this rich course. Our next course begins in January. To be the first to know when registration opens, you can join our mailing list here.}

xo

Bronwyn