Sacred Rage, Hormones, & The Wild Woman (+ Podcast Interview)

Sacred Rage is all the buzz these days, but what is it, and how is it related to the Wild Woman? Entering the perimenopausal years, roughly around 45 but as early as 35 (earlier if you have major hormonal issues), comes with a slew of changing factors to your body, moods, relationships, and life overall. It is a pivotal time in a woman's life before entering the final initiation of the Wise Woman. It's estimated that 70% of women experience intense anger, frustration, and irritability more than any other perimenopausal symptom, even more than weight gain and hot flashes. On a basic level, this is an indication of inflammation and reveals itself in 80% of autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid arthritis, MS, Hashimoto's, Type 1 Diabetes, Chron's disease, ulcerative colitis, and fibromyalgia, found more often in women. Interestingly most of the research shows these diseases are connected to anger and suppressed trauma.

This speaks volumes. So let's break it down!

Everyone has Five Energetic Bodies, from denser to lighter --> Physical, Sexual, Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual and they are constantly speaking to and sharing their messages with us. When we learn to understand what they are saying, then we can take action on the information guiding us. Now, this does not mean you need to become a hormone specialist, but it allows you to have approaches within your means to support yourself, while also reaching out to a women's health professional like myself or someone else for the more nuanced elements.

Estrogen is a lovely three-part hormone that is not only responsible for balancing our menstrual cycles but also reigns supreme over:

• The development of the female body shape and characteristics 
• Kindness, empathy, facial recognition, and stress regulation
• Produces serotonin for cognitive health, memory, and executive neurotransmitter functions
• Controls cholesterol & blood sugar levels
• Supports sleep through the production of melatonin
• Prepares the uterus for pregnancy, supports the vaginal and urinary tracts in this and other female functions
• Stimulates cell growth in the body, uterus, and in pregnancy
• Reduces inflammation, and supports cardiovascular health

In essence, estrogen is the Empress of the body helping us to look and feel good, healthy, and balanced! When out of balance we can see dis-eases such as:

• Cyclic breast tenderness, breast cysts, breast fullness, PMS/PMDD
• Short menstrual cycles (< 21 days), spotting, or irregular bleeding
• Heavy periods, Uterine fibroids, Endometriosis
• Edema, Water retention
• Mood swings, depression, anxiety 
• Migraines, cluster and tension headaches
• Hypothyroidism

 All that said, some pretty serious Spiritual, Social, and Psychological whirlwinds take place during the Wild Woman Years (roughly 40 to 60). While your physical body is asking for more exercise and better nutrition, the motivation behind these needs wanes, and the cultural expectations of Super Woman looms overhead. Sometimes your kids are leaving home, but for many who gave birth later in life (a more common experience these days), our kids are going through puberty at the same time our hormonal shifts take place. No wonder so many women feel overwhelmed! Other sneaky symptoms are:

• Increased criticism towards oneself and in relationships/friendships
• Irregular menses which leads to feeling or being unprepared when your bleeding time comes, or being unable to make time to honor the moontime with so much unpredictability
• An intense, almost irrational, desire to walk away from everything in your life or burn it all down
• Mood swings with sweeping ranges throughout the day, as well as weeks, months & years
• No motivation or a desire to check out via books, streaming platforms, food, alcohol, marijuana or other substances
• Feeling overwhelmed, under-appreciated, and frustrated 90% of the time
• Feeling judged or criticized by people in your community, real or imagined
• Single Motherhood loneliness, pressures to do it all (especially around the holidays)
• Extreme reactions and losing your cool
• Crying and reminiscing, or feeling deep regret for various aspects of your life
• Profound Rage

The Wild Woman Phase is more than a 'second puberty', it is a restructuring of your life inside and out. There is an expansion that takes place causing one's life to feel too small and in need of some big shifts. Especially if there are elements in your life that fill you with dissatisfaction, loneliness, or boredom. The Wild Woman wants to feel free, full of pleasure, and desires to be seen for who she is, rather than what is expected of her. Sure there are hormonal shifts taking place but unlike puberty, this is not new, rather it is an upgrade happening within a woman who has lived and learned. This is the chrysalis stage before her new form takes flight.

What I find is missing from the sudden interest (and increased medicalization of natural female processes, yay Big Pharma, for-profit) in women's changing bodies, is the spiritual aspect that recognizes this important phase as a Rite of Passage, including practical solutions, as well as herbal, supplemental, or other practices which acknowledge the underlining transformation that is taking place.

The truth is, by the time we reach menopause, we've all lived with too much loss; we've all been broken open. We've accumulated too much pain. Menopause is the time to transform it. To stop trying to stitch ourselves back together again into the same old pattern. ~ Dr. Sharon Blackie: Hagitude

 The Wild Woman Years, also called Maga, The Enchantress, The Sorceress, and more by others, is the time of reframe that surfaces whether we are ready or not. Approaching this time of life with feigned ignorance or a white-knuckle approach is unnecessary, unhelpful, and potentially damaging. To honor anything requires a recognition of it, which means it needs to be seen and heard without judgment, even if it is uncomfortable, such as rage.

Women are expected to be nice, don't rock the boat, be palatable, sexy, (but not too sexy and to be age-appropriate sexy in our later years) fertile, give up everything for the family, or at least put the family first, suffer in silence or be seen as hysterical, chaotic, or high maintenance, on and on. It is no wonder many women get to their 40s and end up leaving partnerships and jobs, or end up turning their anger inward through overeating, consuming more alcohol, and turning to anti-depressants, HRT, birth control, and other medications to support their emotional and physical needs. I want to be clear that I shame NO ONE for doing what they need in order to find balance and relief. You do you. I just want there to be more conversations and shared stories over pots of tea, fires, and comfy couches that there are other avenues. I desire retreats and groups and podcasts and books to get witchy and honest about this process. And since I don't see any that I like, that bridge the modern with the ancient, I will create it. In fact, I am doing it right now.

Wild Sisters, the next retreat in March will do just this, as will my newsletters and the podcast...AND I want to hear from YOU about your experiences. What have you tried that worked or failed despite the hype? I want real and gritty and truthful tales of women in their Wild Woman Phase figuring it out. I want to hear stories of women on the Medicine Path sharing the bumps in the road, not just the high vibe tails or triumphs. No more silencing through faking it til you make it attitude. Give me the truth.

I have put together an eBook about the Wild Woman Years complete with supportive herbs and practices, but it is only available to those who join my mailing list and then, gasp, send me a personal email! YEP! However, if you join my mailing list and don't send me a hello, you will still get a free eBook with herbs and practices called the Spiral Path of Wild based on my new self-study course of shamanic wisdom through the seasons. The connection between nature's cycles and our own is powerful and a very important missing link, this course, retreat, and eBooks will support you in beginning this journey to wholeness. Have any questions? Please reach out! I answer every email.  Until next time....Stay Wild!

More Information on the Sacred Rage & The Wild Woman Retreat - March 23rd - 31st, 2025 HERE  - Deposits accepted now and an extra 10% off the early bird price through December 2024! (Deposit only needed to receive this additional discount!!)

 Please check out this interview I did with Maitrea about Sacred Rage and the upcoming retreat!

You can find it here: Sacred Rage Interview

Website: https://spiritweaverjourneys.com

IG: @spiritweavergal