Embodying the Threshold: Archetypes, Alchemy, and Awakening Through Perimenopause

Perimenopause is an extraordinary and intense time of life. Having reached the other side, I have witnessed what it is like to have the vanities of youth completely burned to the ground, stripping back to the bare bones of who we truly are. It is an incredibly powerful rite of passage into the second half of life—one that puts everything into much clearer perspective once you emerge. As a women's coach I really love supporting women who are in major transition either personally and professionally because it is time that is ripe with potential and possibility.

Transition is inherently a time of upheaval and not knowing and as humans we find that difficult because it is a disruptor or norms. As the familiar drops away and our bodies change dramatically, we are simultaneously called into a profound psychological transformation. Yet, in our modern culture, it is difficult to navigate this alone and with business as usual. Too often, the entire process is medicalised like it's a disease, leaving us little time or space to truly inhabit the transition, or to retreat and find our bearings.

But while the body is undergoing a major hormonal shift, a beautiful psychological rebirth is taking place. A holistic approach to this time of life can be very helpful. Once you are through it, life becomes incredibly generative. Nowadays we live so much longer and with menopause we get to do so with so much more life experience than ever before.

To navigate this terrain, archetypes offer a universal map for our deeply personal experiences of change. In the ancient stories of European culture, mature women featured heavily; by turning back to them, we can gain insights into ways of being that support us right now. The best part? In this modern world, we have a whole other era ahead of us to share ourselves with the world in a more authentic way.

"In the oldest known cosmology of my native lands, it wasn't a sky-bound old man with a beard who made and shaped this world. It was an old woman. A giant old woman, who has been with us down all the long ages, since the beginning of time."

— Sharon Blackie, Hagitude.

If you are currently in the messy middle of perimenopause, feeling the heat of the fire or the disorientation of the fog, know that you do not have to navigate this alone. The archetypes that follow are not rigid boxes to fit into; they are comforting anchors and fierce allies waiting to support you. Think of them as different facets of your emerging self, or guiding energies or spirits than live in nature herself. When you feel overwhelmed by the shedding of your old identity, you can lean into the deep, unshakeable roots of the Earth archetypes. When you feel a sudden surge of creative frustration or a desire to burn down old systems, relationships or ways of life, you are meeting the wild spark of the Fire archetypes. And when you need to remember who you are becoming, the Sky archetypes offer you a higher vantage point. By identifying which inner pattern is calling to you right now, you can transform a chaotic physical transition into an intentional, soulful awakening.

Archetypes to Support Awakening through Perimenopause.

Part 1: The Root (Earth Archetypes)

Focus: Deep grounding, lineage, and radical self-acceptance.

1. The Crone (The Rooted One)

• The Essence: Deep stillness, truth-telling, and shedding the superficial. She is completely at home in her own skin and unafraid of life's winters.

• The Reframe: Moving from fear of aging to honouring the deep, quiet power of becoming an anchor for oneself and the community.

2. The Grandmother (The Weaver of Lineage)

• The Essence: Universal holding, storytelling, and unconditional presence. (This is a state of consciousness, whether she has biological grandchildren or not.)

• The Reframe: Moving from the active, exhausting work of shaping life to the expansive medicine of holding life and connecting the past to the future.

Part 2: The Spark (Fire Archetypes)

Focus: Creative liberation, play, and breaking the rules.

3. The Artist (The Medicine Maker)

• The Essence: Raw, uninhibited expression. She works with whatever materials are at hand—textiles, paint, words, or the raw material of her own life stories.

• The Reframe: Moving from creating for validation or "being good at art" to creating for the sheer, messy devotion of bringing the invisible into the visible and the whole process of creation.

  
  

4. The Trickster (The Disruptor)

• The Essence: Holy mischief, irreverence, and unfiltered joy. She laughs at cultural expectations and refuses to take "the rules" seriously.

• The Reframe: Moving from the people-pleasing "good girl" conditioning of youth into a fierce, playful freedom where she no longer cares what anyone thinks and speaks her mind directly and unapologetically.

  
  

Part 3: The Horizon (Sky Archetypes)

Focus: Vision, sovereignty, and the bigger picture.

5. The Sovereign (The Queen)

• The Essence: Ownership, boundaries, and quiet authority. She occupies her space fully and rules her own life without asking for permission.

• The Reframe: Moving from seeking external approval to stepping onto her own throne and mentoring others from a place of secure self-leadership, courage and confidence.

  
  

6. The Visionary (The Wayfinder)

• The Essence: Horizon-scanning, systems thinking, and long-range legacy. She steps out of the day-to-day weeds to see how everything connects.

• The Reframe: Moving from micro-focused survival (mortgages, daily hustles) to macro-focused dreaming, charting intentional new paths for the collective future of humanity and the more-than-human-world.

  
  

Stepping into these archetypes—moving from the hustle of the first half of life into the sovereignty of the second—is not work meant to be done in isolation. Our culture doesn’t give us the maps or the space for this initiation, which is exactly why we have to gather and claim it for ourselves. If you identify with one of these archetypes I invite you to explore it futher.

If you are feeling the call to explore these inner landscapes deeper, to redefine your own leadership, and to step into your most authentic era alongside a community of like-minded women, I invite you to join us.

• The Creative Women's Circles: A monthly gathering to slow down, sit by the fire, and embody these archetypes through shared story, deep listening, and intentional presence.

You have a whole other era ahead of you, and the world is waiting for the medicine only you can bring. Let’s cross the threshold together!