Menopause is an Initiation

Menopause is a holy initiation, a pause in ‘normal life’ that catapults you into an unknown territory.

What you may not know is that there is a meaningful process at work - an inner orchestration that is exquisitely designed to deliver you home to your true self.

The deep truth is menopause is a moment of powerful awakening.

It profoundly serves us, and the whole community of life. Initially it reveals your shadow, your wounding, in order that you might fully receive yourself and be freed to be who you are. And thus come in to a sweet intimacy with life and what it is calling you to step up to.

The course will:

Give you a deep understanding of the ‘infrastructure’ of menopause. Think of it as the instruction manual for navigating this spiritual territory.
Leave you feeling held and readied to traverse this initiation in a dignified way, able to feel your wholesomeness even as you face being undone, provoked and at times abandoned.
Provide you with the psycho-spiritual skills you need to hone in order to birth yourself and thrive in post-menopause country.
Make meaning of menopause even if you are right in the middle of it or have already been through it.
Reveal the awakening process that is menopause and restore its rightful place within the context of your soul’s maturation.

Who is this programme for?

If you’re reading this, we imagine you sense there is more to menopause than the collective story dictates, and you’re feeling called to reclaim the power of the menopause initiation...

You might be:

Still cycling, and feeling curious about menopause and want the heads up.
Feeling some kind of disturbance or health challenge in your final cycle years.
Cruising along nicely but sensing menopause on the horizon and you are starting to feel a bit nervous.
Already in menopause and feeling a bit lost, overwhelmed or undone.
On the other side of menopause but are still feeling somehow incomplete.

Wherever you are in the menopause journey, and whatever you are experiencing, you are welcome. We invite you to bring the fullness of who you are, and the fullness of your experience however messy, complicated, confusing, uncertain, unknowing it might be. All our experiences hold at their heart a deeper story of power.

To clarify, this programme is for anyone who:

Is in their early to mid-forties and older*
Is currently going through menopause
Is post menopause

**If you are younger than this but feel a strong desire to join please do so with an understanding that it will be more of a theoretical exercise. You will, in a sense, be sitting in on something that you can't fully participate in. It may however serve you to have ‘advanced notice’ of menopause and offer you information you can pass on in your professional work.

What participants are saying...

Thank you for giving me a language and a map to navigate these stormy seas of Menopause… I am deeply grateful and it is such a relief to have a new way of making sense of my feelings and experiences, of the different stages you laid out for us and how to identify and prioritise those fundamental needs, (no, rights, yay!) for rest, for nourishment and fun… for the right to indulge, play, love ourselves, nap, express our ‘No’s! and find our way to our ‘Yes’s’.
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Not only do I have a new sense of understanding which will enable to me to hold myself through this process far better than I was doing before but it has also given me a new excitement about this next phase (one I had been dreading until now – The Old Crone!) and which now I welcome…

Lisa M

Psychotherapist

This course has been life-changing, completely revolutionising my attitude towards menopause, ageing and this journey I’m on. Having a context for what has happened and is happening has allowed me to make sense of it and to make peace with it. It’s also sharpened my sense of the huge patriarchal violence of the way our culture currently perceives menopause and the ageing process for women.

Emma Mitchell

Stand-Up Comedian /
Creative Strategy Director

‘Menopause: The Great Awakener’ has helped me ground down into myself and my experiences in the shifting sands of who I am… into who I am becoming!

I have found the maps and practices of the course ‘stabilising’ tools, like a pair of knitting needles allowing me to unpick the yarn of my life, safely… enabling me to see the holes re-casting on, re-knitting a new story.

In the simple act of listening and sharing with other women, I have experienced a much needed normalising and belonging; a knowing that I’m not alone in ‘this’, permitting me to recover and re-mend something of my essential self in this natural life process ….. I have done the course 3 times and each time, I recover and learn, just a little more of myself.

Pat F

Events Organiser, NHS

Menopause is the ultimate moment of bringing us into alignment with ourselves

It is crucial now that we all come together to serve the planet in our own unique ways.

Our cycle is coded with our particular gifts and menopause is the ultimate moment of bringing us into alignment with ourselves and these gifts so that we may be potent and effective agents of change in the world.

This course is designed to support you to discover a deep peace with who you are and, from this resourced well spring, step into your full authority and leadership.

The world needs more of us in our full power. The world needs you.

You will discover:

How to prepare for menopause, so that you arrive ready (as ready as you can be!) for the initiation.
How to recover the ‘backstory’ or lost years of your menstrual cycle if you are already in or post menopause, to restore a sense of belonging to yourself and life.
How the spiritual architecture of the menopause transition - the 5 archetypal phases of awakening - can anchor and hold you through the tumultuous parts of the journey.
How to handle the accompanying pitfalls, challenges and possibilities you may encounter, so that you feel less alone and more supported, even as you may feel lost, or undone.
The keys to access the wisdom of each phase of the transition, so that you can step ever more deeply into your authority, power and leadership.
The crucial skills and practices you will need to navigate menopause - and how to cultivate them so that you can fully receive the spiritual process you’re undergoing.
Alexandra’s personal recommendations for tending to health symptoms, so that you can have the best menopause possible.

Here’s what you’ll receive:

Session One:
The Five Phases of Menopause

Wednesday 6th November 2024
4pm London / 11am New York

(You’ll receive a recording of the session)

Menopause is a death and a rebirth - the ending of a way of life you have lived to date, and the beginning of a new, more expanded consciousness. Think of it as a spiritual upgrade. The only snag is that initially it can feel like you have fallen off the edge of the world, into a seemingly empty and unknown space.

There’s a kind of hidden intelligence at work within this apparent emptiness - the subtle interior architecture of the five phases of menopause - that is holding and working you...

In this session, you will:

Discover the five phases of the menopause journey, and how to trust the process, so you can experience the deep meaning of menopause in a coherent way.
Be guided in an experiential process to understand your own unique relationship to each phase, so that you can lean into the wisdom at work within you.
Clarify how to best prepare for the deep dive ahead, so you can have the most enriching, healing and bountiful journey possible through this programme.

Session Two:
The Betrayal - Step into the Great Unknown

Wednesday 13th November 2024
4pm London / 11am New York

(You’ll receive a recording of the session)

We believe that the first phase of menopause, Betrayal, holds the most power, and also the potential for most disturbance. Without a deep appreciation of what is going on here, it can be dangerous. However, once you understand the power of this phase, you will be well and truly set you up for the whole process of menopause (as well as your post-menopause life).

In this session, you will:

Discover the many faces of Betrayal, and it’s deep purpose - to clear out the old, reveal what needs to be tended to, and create space for you to truly see and meet yourself.
Be guided in an experiential process to explore how you can personally let this phase undo you, and work its magic without rejecting yourself and your life.
Learn how to say No to the world and Yes to your needs so that you’re supported to hold the tension of not knowing and be with uncertainty.

Session Three:
Repair - Do Nothing For a While

Wednesday 20th November 2024
4pm London / 11am New York

(You’ll receive a recording of the session)

The Repair phase invites you into a time of deep letting go in order to allow a completion of the life you have lived to date, to make peace with your past, and to heal your body and soul. It is the phase in which you need the most time and space for yourself to do remarkably little beyond taking care of your inner life and overall well being.

In this session, you will:

Discover how to do the deep inner work, healing and repair of your body and soul, so that you can become a clear channel for the world.
Be guided in an experiential process to receive the medicine of Repair, and find your own unique way to practice self care, rest and do nothing - even with the responsibilities you hold.
Remember the power of surrender - dropping out of doing mode, slowing down and coming into close intimacy with yourself - and rediscover yourself without all the hats you wear.

Session Four:
Revelation - Accept Who You Are

Wednesday 27th November 2024
4pm London / 11am New York

(You’ll receive a recording of the session)

The Revelation phase is the deep heart of the journey, and the pivot point that subtly orients you for the return to the world. This is a big gear change, as you reorient yourself to the future. You are beginning the process of awakening to who you truly are. This is the ground we have been seeking through the previous two phases and it is from this place that the path out of menopause can begin.

In this session, you will:

Discover how Revelation shows up, and how it roots us in a place of meaning and connection.
Be guided in an experiential process to cultivate ‘Divine Intimacy’ - the practice of letting yourself be exposed to the full revelation of yourself.
Explore the powerful medicine of self forgiveness to pave the way for self-recognition and self-acceptance.

Session Five:
Visioning - Recognise Your Unique Gifts

Wednesday 4th December 2024
4pm London / 11am New York

(You’ll receive a recording of the session)

As you enter the phase of Visioning, you are awakening to the fullness of your Calling. This is the ‘gold’ that emerges from the inner care of the previous stages of the menopause journey. You know what you are about in a new way and you can experience a deeper refinement and connection to what you are serving in this life.

In this session, you will:

Discover how to live in partnership with Life and make the universe into your business partner!
Be guided in an experiential deep listening process to be present to the inner aliveness and responsiveness of your being.
Explore what it looks like for you to create the spaciousness and silence you need in your everyday life to fully receive the meaning and belonging of this process.

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Session Six:
Emergence - Pace Yourself

Wednesday 11th December 2024
4pm London / 11am New York

(You’ll receive a recording of the session)

In the fifth phase of menopause, Emergence, you’ve come through a profound re-working of your entire being; your mind, emotions, body and soul. You’re now preparing to emerge from the cocoon of menopause into your new life post-menopause, and can experience a deep intimacy with yourself, and an acceptance of exactly who you are.

In this session, you will:

Discover how to negotiate your trust in the power of Timing (your timing and World or Divine timing).
Be guided in an experiential process to explore your capacity to truly begin to work in concert with forces greater than your ego driven self.
Explore how you can pace yourself, your own nervous system, and the larger invisible Timing in your own life.

Course Timetable

Below are the dates & times for the 2024 course. You're welcome to join the course even if you can't attend all of the live sessions. You will receive access to the recordings of the live calls, plus have plenty of opportunity to connect and share live during the Mentoring Circles with the course mentors.

Welcome:Introduction to the course

Online teachings released:

Online teachings released:

Live Call:
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Tuesday 10th December

Wednesday 11th December
4pm - 6pm UK
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Closing Week:Coming Home

Online teachings released:

(No live call)
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Friday 13th December

Your Investment

Course begins on 1st November.

One time purchase:

£390

Payment plan:

£138 x 3 months

Choose Your Payment Plan

Lifetime access: You will have lifetime access to the course and be able to join the live course each time it runs, for free. Regardless of where you are in the menopause journey you will be able to keep coming back to explore what is relevant for you at any given time.

Sponsored place: Scholarship applications for the 2024 course are now closed.

*All prices displayed are inclusive of VAT, subject to UK VAT laws and regulations. If you are purchasing this course through a business registered outside of the UK, you may be eligible for a VAT exemption — simply enter your VAT number at checkout.
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What participants are saying...

I discovered the life changing work of Alexandra and Sjanie in November 2019 at the age of 54, attending both the in-person weekend workshop and online course. From that first moment, I was held in the devotional and cherishing container of Menopause – The Great Awakener. A new language flowed over me which gave new meaning to my earlier menopause experiences. I began to see how menopause had been working me from the age of 47 and so it was that I stepped more consciously into the initiatory process of this most holy rite of passage.

It was during the second online course in 2020 that my body showed me that I was outgrowing the intricately woven container of menopause and was standing upon the threshold of the next phase of womanhood. I had stepped seamlessly into Revelation and Visioning with ease and grace and had arrived at Emergence feeling complete, whole, nourished, dignified, connected to the very source of love, deeply embodied and able to receive and accept my own uniqueness.

I have come home to myself. I belong here in this body, cherished and held within this pioneering circle of women, at this pivotal time of change that is happening on our planet. I step forward, knowing intimately who I am and I am blessed.

Abi Clough

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist

Over the past few years I've been learning about menstruality and I've come to really love the sacredness of my cycle. Prior to starting the course I was feeling grief and sadness that my menstruation days will soon be coming to an end.

“I just wanted to reach out and thank you personally for the work that you offer around menopause. I did your menopause workshop 3 years ago and wrote a few notes in a little book that ended up in a bookshelf tucked away. I have increasingly become more and more permeable over the last 3 years and am now fully enraged, mad, grief-ridden and mushy. I have felt like chucking it all in and going on anti-depressants to calm the chaos……and then I remembered the notes in the little book tucked away. I am re-reading them and it’s like a soothing balm on my raw wounds. It’s settling me, it’s making me smile at the process, it’s guiding me deeper in this initiatory process. It’s holding my hand. I see your smiling face as you say these words that I read, I see your lightness, your humour and your grace. It is holding me through this time and I am welcoming it rather than fearing it again. Thank you, thank you, thank you for naming and claiming this rite of passage. For calming the chaos and creating a wonderful wall to bounce off !! Your work is beautiful, and I acknowledge you fully. In love, honour and respect.”

Michelle Beagley

The huge insight and emotional shift I received from this training is that the chapter of menopause is just as sacred as menstruation. When this insight landed tears of relief rolled down my cheeks. I can now look forward to menopause as a spiritual practice and I'm intrigued about the woman that will emerge from the other side of it.

Danielle Gardner

Quiet Marketing Mentor

Your Invitation

We’ve devoted over 10,000 hours of ethno-biographical research to develop our radical new approach to health, creativity, leadership and spiritual life through the magic of menstrual cycle awareness and conscious menopause.

We passionately believe that now is the time to restore the full power of menopause in our world.

Now is the time to rewrite the collective story of menopause.

Now is the time to formally restore menopause to the initiatory arc of a menstruator's spiritual path.

We’ve worked with 1000s of people to reveal the awakening process that is menopause, and restore its rightful place within the context of your soul’s maturation.

We warmly welcome you to take your seat, claim yourself and liberate your power.

Meet Your Mentors and Guides

Alexandra Pope & Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer

Co-directors of Red School, Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer have devoted over 10,000 hours to developping their radical new approach to health and wellbeing, creativity, leadership and spiritual life.

And the best bit? It’s rooted in the bloody, wild, radical power of the menstrual cycle and conscious menopause.

With combined experience in the fields of psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, coaching, embodied movement practices, teaching and facilitation, they are published authors and experts in the field of women’s wellbeing and spirituality. They are a very creative and productive partnership, bringing liberal doses of irreverent humour to their work.

About Red School

At Red School we are pioneering the new emerging field of menstruality. We have created a new lexicon that describes a menstruator's psychological and spiritual process. Over the last 35 years we have been exploring and articulating this inner process.

Alexandra was the first to write about the inner seasons of the cycle and in our co-authored book Wild Power we originated the name and described the practice of ‘menstrual cycle awareness’ and in so doing have initiated a worldwide awakening of the power of the menstrual cycle. What we share about menopause is utterly original to Red School.

We teach worldwide on the psycho-spiritual process of maturation that unfolds from menarche to menopause and beyond. We’re committed to training the menstruality leaders of the future.

Our radical new approach to wellness, creativity and spiritual life is designed to support you to unleash the full power of the menstrual cycle, step into your authority, activate your unique form of leadership and ultimately to stand for all life.

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It's Time to Debunk a Big Menopause Myth

Menopause: The Great Awakener