Buffalo seasons Awareness in life
Understanding the Mother Archetype in Menopause
One of the most profound shifts in a woman’s life occurs during (peri)menopause(post)—a transitional period that signals the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. The Mother archetype, traditionally associated with fertility, nurturing, and generativity, undergoes a profound transformation during this phase. To understand this shift from a Jungian perspective, it’s essential to explore how the Mother archetype manifests, both in its light and shadow, during (peri)menopause(post).
Embracing the Crone in You.
There comes a moment in every woman's life when the vibrant energy of the Maiden and the nurturing strength of the Mother evolve into something even deeper and richer: the wisdom of the Crone. This archetype, rich with insight and cloaked in mystery, emerges during (peri)menopause(post) as a culmination of the gifts and lessons from the earlier phases of life. From a Jungian perspective, this transition into the Crone phase is not merely a biological or chronological inevitability but a deeply symbolic and transformative process.
Mother’s Day, Not Always A Happy Holiday
In the United States, the origin of Mother’s Day dates to the 19th century. In the early 1900s, Anna Jarvis embarked upon a public campaign to establish an official holiday for mothers after the death of her mother. Herself childless, Anna lobbied for the special day as a way to recognize women’s contributions to society. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared the holiday to be held on the second Sunday of May.
By the 1920s, the holiday had been so commercialized, that Anna denounced the holiday, petitioning the federal government to remove the holiday from the official calendar. And so, after thousands of years of honoring mothers and motherhood, the post-modern commercialization of Mother’s Day has been foisted on the public via television, social media, radio, advertisements, sales promotions … the list is endless. For some, the month-long lead-up to the holiday followed by endless social media posts capturing just the right smiles and hugs on the special day, can be unsettling.