✨Why Myth and Menopause Are Having a Moment ✨
Plus, a somatic hands-on hack for brain fog! 🧠 😶🌫️ 👑
✨ A vibrant space for midlife women, The Empress now reaches over two million readers through our networks of networks. ✨ From bestselling author Alisa Kennedy Jones. ✨ If you enjoy content about midlife, humor, and agency, I’d love to welcome you as part of our community.
Fellow Empresses, How the hell are you?
Welcome to September! Doesn’t it feel like there’s a whole lot of ‘New Year’ energy in the air? I recently taught a workshop with Dr. Heather Bartos, MD on archetypes and agency for midlife women.
I traumatized us with Canva instead of PowerPoint (this time) and endeavored to make it as game-like as possible. And who wouldn’t have PTSD from PowerPoint? I know I do! Just a caveat: it’s all new material, so not as polished as I might like. You can find the workshop here.
That said, it was the most fun EVER because I got to completely nerd out on pre-Hellenic goddesses and fables, as well as the nature of the mythic imagination. It’s no secret that folklore and myth are having a serious moment right now across our cultural landscape. From music (The Unthanks and Rhiannon Giddens) to literature (The Song of Achilles) to the latest Netflix streaming series (KAOS) to events like The Salem Witchcraft & Folklore Festival with 50,000 attendees this past month, there seems to be a deep cultural desire to connect ancient archetypal narratives with ritual.
Rituals, of course, connect our most personal and sacred stories with the physical world to manifest a change in outcome. To create moments of awe and enchantment. In an increasingly unseen, AI-native world, this analog, earthen desire to embody our intentions, our wishes, and our stories makes total sense in the broadest cultural imagination. Folklore is an imaginative attempt to make sense of the inexplicable. When we undergo the journey of perimenopause and menopause, much of what we experience may feel inexplicable. To feel a gravitational pull toward those old stories seems only natural.
And when we consider an ‘archetype’, it is far more than just a symbol or a recurring motif, it is a primordial pattern, deeply ingrained in the collective unconscious of humanity. Archetypal patterns manifest in myths, fairy tales, dreams, and even in the narratives of our everyday lives, serving as the building blocks of our collective human experience. To this end, archetypes are powerful magic—especially useful during menopause. And especially if everything you are going through has you feeling rather storyless and disempowered. You can use The Empress archetype to...
Reframe Your Story or Rewrite it Altogether
Rediscover Enchantment
Restore Your Agency
Case in Point
I’ve told many of you previously about my terrible boss “Chip” with the awful toothbrush mustache that always had food in it. How he used to mock me during presentations in front of other colleagues when I would have hot flashes. It was peak toxic work environment. Just the worst.
In any event, one day I was presenting our new commercial when he started in again. I could feel from the deepest part of my core, this molten fire welling up inside me. As I was beginning to glow right there, standing at the head of the conference room table, he looked around and was about to yell at his assistant to go find some Kleenex to mop up my mess when I took a moment to pause…
In my head, I stepped back and zeroed in on the key attributes of the Empress archetype. She’s completely self-possessed and steadfast in her power, she never rushes anywhere for anything, she’s creative as hell and she lights the way forward for herself and the collective good. And as my hotflash came into full bloom right then, I said, “Shut up, Chip. I’m having a luminous moment here, so be respectful.”
He was agog.
You are in the most luminous phase of your life—mythically, emotionally, and physically—it’s completely okay to own it and cultivate all the luminous parts of you.
A Somatic-Neuro Hack for Brain Fog
Meanwhile, Brain Fog can show up in many ways. Maybe the below resonates for you?
You’re on a Zoom for work when a colleague asks you a question that completely stresses you out, leaving you both frozen and blank. You feel simultaneously panicked and shut down. You mutter, vaguely, you’ll have to get back to them. It feels like a big fail in the moment because you are a bumbling word salad in front of everyone.
What’s happening with your nervous system?
Your brain and nervous system are both hypo-aroused (immobilized) and hyper-aroused (in fight-or-flight mode).
What you can do:
Go to your kitchen (or your office kitchen if you’re working on-site) and grab a piece of ice. Hold it in your hands for a few minutes to wake up your immobilized (hypo-aroused) nervous system. (I know this sounds weird, but that’s why it’s a hack.)
Then, regulate your fight-or-flight (hyperaroused) system by getting your heart rate up. As soon as you are able, get on the treadmill, or the elliptical, or go for a run. Aim for 10-15 minutes.
Then, go back and address your colleague’s question with a well-regulated nervous system and a clearer head. See what happens.
The challenge in midlife and menopause is always going to be how can you make better friends with your brain and nervous system. Understanding how they work and what makes them feel better (for you) is everything. Try this technique next time you fumble a a meeting or question. And keep notes on the small shifts you experience in your journal—if and when you can.
ICYMI, for the final chapter of my midlife rom-com set in Spain…
All right, time to goss... The Finale 😂
Lost in Spain... Clicking Your Heels in Atocha Station.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 |
Yours in Grandeur & Deep Sh*t,
ps - I am a human typo. Amnesty appreciated.
*The information contained in this post is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness. Before using any practices or products referenced in this piece or others, always consult your healthcare providers, read all labels, and heed all cautions that come with the products. Information received from this piece, or anywhere in this Substack, should never be used in place of a consultation or advice from a healthcare provider. If you suspect you have any adverse conditions, please consult your healthcare providers immediately. This Substack, including Alisa Jones and any other writers or editors, disclaims any responsibility for any possible adverse effects from the use of any information contained herein. Opinions of any writers in this Substack are their own, and the Substack does not accept responsibility for statements made by writers. This Substack does not make any representations or warranties about a writer’s qualifications or credibility.
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Brilliant brain fog hack!
I’ve been recently doing cold and hot face plunges (dog food bowls work great!) and they also seem to help the fog lift, maybe something to do with increasing lymphatic flow?
Rituals are so important. Disturbing them can lead to brain fog, anxiety. Even my dog is thrown if I feed him at 8am instead of 7:30am. He won't eat. Some rituals do need a jostle tho. I'm a homebody and know that I need to go out now and then.