For centuries, the menstrual cycle has been seen as a problem to overcome, and we’ve been taught to ignore or override our ebb and flow. And as with any ecology, when a part is damaged or ignored or not valued, that ripples out to affect the entire system.
So, it’s no wonder then that so many people feel disoriented throughout menopause. We have been uprooted from our natural rhythms. Understanding our inner ecology - through menstrual cycle awareness - transforms menopause into a natural, wholesome and empowering transition.
So, today we want to explore the menopause transition through the lens of fungi. Yes, fungi. And what they can teach us about the power of the menopause transition.
The world of fungi is a magnificent example of hidden power. As biologist Merlin Sheldrake writes, fungi is found almost everywhere in the natural world, yet is 90% invisible.
Fungi do the critical work of breaking down and digesting dead matter, turning it into nutrient‐rich soil from which new life can regenerate. They make forests into single superorganisms. Through their ‘mycelial network’, they enable trees to ‘talk’ to each other. (For example, when mother trees are injured or dying, they send information, wisdom and carbon to their seedlings.)
So, fungi are a critical cog in the ecology of our planet and have much to teach us about cyclicity and the deep veins of interconnection that hold us all in a web of ever‐evolving life.
Menstruality is like this underground network of fungi – implicate in our bodies, invisible to the eye. It’s a hidden system which, when cared for, cares for us. What’s more, it tangibly sensitises and harmonises us to the web of life – to Nature.
And menopause, like fungi, reveal the interconnectedness of everything. In the ego-dismantling and breaking down you become more sensitised and aware of all the elements of your life, and how exquisitely connected and purposeful they are. In seeing this, you receive a wash of meaning.
Your life starts to make more sense. Who you are makes more sense.
Menarche (your first period), menstruation, motherhood and menopause are like evolutionary tipping points in our life journey. In these moments our relationship to and use of power makes a radical shift, coming to a culmination and ushering in a new inner epoch, a new set of rules. Menarche sets the process in motion, menstruation is a mini rebirth each month, and menopause is like the ‘fungi moment’ of composting, turning the elements of your life into renewed potential and potency.
Menopause not only reveals the meaning at work in your own life but also the interplay, togetherness and interconnectedness of all life. It pieces the illusion of your independence and awakens you to interdependence – the true reality of your life and all life on Earth.
Menopause takes the whole story of your life and breaks it down in the ‘soil’ of your being. Composting. Digesting. To birth the new story of you.
If you’d like to explore how your menopause experience can be a psycho-spiritual initiation into power, you can get your copy of our book Wise Power here.
