Menopause and beyond: The wise woman way

✍ Scribed by Susun S Weed

• Book ID: 104271713
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Weight: 225 KB
• Volume: 44
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0091-2182
• DOI: 10.1016/s0091-2182(99)00056-7

✦ Synopsis

The Wise Woman tradition seeks to heal the whole individual. The primary techniques involve nourishing the woman through storytelling, simple ceremony, and dietary herbs. The "mysteries" of a woman's body-puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, and menopause-are seen as times of power and growth. Menopause is an opportunity for conscious change, not a disease to be treated. ᭧ 1999 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

The joy of menopause is the world's best-kept secret. . . . In order to claim that joy a woman must be willing to pass beyond the monsters who guard its gate. As you stand at the brink of it, it can appear that only darkness, danger and decay lie beyond. [But] . . . as thousands of women from all cultures throughout history have whispered to each other, it is the most exciting passage a woman ever makes (1).

NOURISHING WOMEN THROUGH MENOPAUSE AND BEYOND

In the Wise Woman tradition good health is flexibility, openness to change, availability to transformation, and groundedness. We nourish health/wholeness/holiness in each individual, ever aware of each person as holographi-Address correspondence to Susun S. Weed, P.O. Box 64, Woodstock, NY 12498.

*DISCLAIMER: The information in this article is shared with the understanding that every woman is unique and ultimately responsible for her own health and well-being. The action of every remedy is unique. Health care is full of variables. The result of any treatment suggested herein cannot always be anticipated and never guaranteed. The author and publisher are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any remedies, procedures, or preparations included in this article.