Celebrating the Creative Cycles of Women
By Pam Halley and Susan M. Rose, CNC, ND

We enter the world from the enclosed, warm protection of our mother's womb. As sweet, innocent and delicate beings, we are then dependent on the womb of the home for the next dozen years or so, to be provided by a loving mother, father and surrounding family members. Ideally, during these years we are nourished, protected, and well enfolded as our bodies and minds grow in preparation for the rest of our lives. This is where the foundation of who we will become is laid. From the womb of our parents' home, we should be prepared to enter the next cycle of life with confidence and wonder at the world that is beginning to open up all around us.

We enter the second creative cycle of our lives at around thirteen years of age, what are commonly known as the "teen years." Often these years are looked upon with trepidation and dread by parents, not to mention the feeling a teenage girl has of being misunderstood and cast adrift as she begins to blossom into womanhood. Our bodies are changing at a tremendous rate, and the innocence of childhood seems to have vanished without any notice. With the assistance of truly mature and stable adults as role models at home and beyond, we ideally should be guided into and through this new territory, for it is during these years that our mental and emotional capacities develop and need to be nurtured and allowed to grow. These are the years where we should be learning to let go of the selfish and self-centered attitudes of childhood and looking beyond ourselves more as our minds open and expand. It is in these years that we develop the confidence and skills needed to be able to serve beyond the parental womb of home in a creative, positive way.

The next phase in the cycles of a woman's life are commonly known as "the childbearing years." This phase encompasses our twenties, thirties, and early forties. In this phase, we as women are often facing educational and career choices as well as establishing lifelong relationships, and many times, motherhood, as we emerge into this creative cycle. If the foundation and forms of who we are have been carefully and lovingly developed, we are able to emerge in the very essence of strength and stability and make wise and correct life choices. In this cycle of our lives, we gather the wisdom that will develop the framework of who we are and what we offer as women. We also begin to be able to offer guidance to those around us who are in the first cycles of life.

In our mid-forties, we begin to enter the cycle that culminates with menopause. Technically, menopause is the last menstrual flow of a woman's life. The years that surround and encompass this gradual change constitute an entire stage of a woman's life, lasting from six to thirteen years and are known as the "climacteric" phase. If we have continued to grow and develop, if our foundation is solid and the framework has developed to create a sound "house" for our being, then this can and should be the most exciting time of our lives. As the childbearing years are behind us, we can look forward to many years of fulfillment where we have the essences of a lifetime to draw upon. It is the time of life where we now give birth to the full potential that is there within us to be expressed. The wisdom of life comes at menopause. This is a time of enormous power and celebration!

It is estimated that by the year 2008, women between the ages of fifty and sixty-five will be the largest demographic group in the United States. And for the first time in history, the resources available to us will have been created and earned on our own. As women who are now entering this fourth cycle of our lives, we have an incredible opportunity to wake up to the power that is inherently ours and to see that the people we are waiting for are us. As we put to good creative use our economic, mental, physical and spiritual muscle, the world will change in ways that reflect our inherent women's wisdom, wisdom that has the potential to benefit every man, woman, child, and living being on this planet.

As women, we bear children, surround and care for our families, households and communities. We express ourselves in the unique way that only women are designed to do with our unique forms of creativity and tendency toward nurturing and empathy.

We excel at multitasking and oftentimes find ourselves attempting to provide so much for so many, is it any surprise we find ourselves fatigued, emotionally imbalanced, and suffering from a host of emotional and physical challenges as we go through our childbearing, premenopausal, and menopausal cycles? Fortunately, we can also enjoy health and well-being thanks to expert health care professionals, preventive natural medicine modalities, our own personal quest for self-awareness, and support from other women who understand our unique feminine heath cycles, imbalances, and concerns.

So, no matter what stage of life you're immersed in, you can look forward to the change, wisdom, and growth of your next season and back at the stages that have shaped you. Most of all, enjoy the wisdom and beauty of the cycle you are in. The gifts you bring to the world now are unique and valuable. Celebrate!