‘the midlife molt’ mystery school series
for women traversing the midlife passage
6 sunday mornings, 8am – 9:30am PT
begins september 27 (full moon)
online · small group
midlife: where we’ve been
as women, we moved through huge milestones – coming of age when our bodies changed and breasts budded and we bled with the moon, explorations with intimacy and romance and love, discovering ourselves in identities as career women or mothers or leaders, questing for and finding magical kin through sisterhood, friendship, relationship, found and chosen family.
we’ve wrapped our arms around the strange soupy terrain in between – the losing and yearning and deepening, sitting with complexity, and owning when we fall down or embody our brilliance.
we’ve gained our requisite phds along the way – confusing worth with doing, learning forgiveness and humility, grieving our beloveds as they depart, finding our whispered and roaring truths in between laundry and poetry and birthing.
we are so rich, so capable, so extraordinary, we women.
if you are in your midlife
many of our roles that defined us are complete or completing – careers have matured, children are grown or about to test wings and fly, the communities and projects are tended and have grown strong.
our bodies change – our monthly moon cycle is fading, hormones are all over the damn place, and so often what used to be familiar and beloved or fruitful simply… isn’t anymore.
in this changing time, where we set down so many roles and tasks we’ve carried, we may find ourselves adrift and questioning. yearning for…something without a concrete or tidy name. new purpose or deep rest or the untidy business of getting free of what used to define us.
this is midlife. messy, tumultuous, tender, funny, baffling, painful, purposeful, strong, sweet.
midlife is mysterious.
strength, joy, and wisdom emerge when women gather.
welcome to circle
in the tradition of mystery schools, we invite the divine to hold us. this isn’t ‘linear curriculum to pop out a widget of the actualized woman with all the answers in midlife.’ that would diminish the power and heft of this passage we find ourselves in.
instead, through methodical and organic inquiry, ceremony, art, and spirit, we welcome ourselves back home in midlife.
these spaces, where we can finally let our hair down and say the unthinkable and be luminous and covered in sacred hairs – we need this.
we are each fully brilliant, radiant in our undoing, glorious in what we are becoming.
we are midlife women, learning what to set down, what wishes to come home, and welcoming camaraderie along the way.
the 6 weeks
week 1: where we’ve been
inquiry into roles, eras, and passions that have defined us + honoring ceremony
week 2: energy leaks
what is not complete, what drains us, where we lose power + tarot inquiry
week 3: ferocity
what has not been given voice along the way + breaking ceremony
week 4: sorrowing
what have we set down? ourselves, beloved dead, old dreams + labyrinth walk
week 5: coming home & rekindling
what kindles even the smallest ember of desire? + mini-retreat
week 6: pleasure
full, decadent, intentional, wild revelry in what (gently) brings us back to life
the woman you are becoming is somewhere between the labyrinth and the laundry basket.
ceremony
midlife is one of the most powerful passages a woman moves through. this is when our ability as ceremonialists is key to unburdening old energies and welcoming new ones – you don’t have to be a ceremonial master or even have much experience. we’ll walk you through performing 3 strong ceremonies on your own during the course, building or strengthening your ceremonial skills along the way.
shamanic journeys
we benefit from perspectives outside our own – not necessarily another book or teacher or friend to opine on our journey. speaking with compassionate helping spirits and faces of the feminine divine brings new perspective – the beings in spirit we’ll be talking to know everything about us, love us without condition, and see the larger arc of our lives.
we’ll be working with ancient archetypes, goddesses, and unusual guides.
art
art is woven into the course – sometimes we’ll write poetry or fingerpaint instead of journaling, sometimes we’ll create a collage or sacred talisman outside of circle. you might decide to work with materials like paint, pens, art paper, collage, felt or fabric, clay, masks, pigments, and found materials in nature.
tools for the journey
- dedicated journal, pen, tea, creature comforts for each gathering
- shamanic journeys for guidance, insight, and healing (instructions provided)
- 1-2 hours outside of weekly circle for ceremony, mini-retreat, labyrinth, receiving
- ceremonial and art materials (often household items, or things easily found online)
confidentiality & culture
you’re welcome to share what we do in circle – this exercise or that journey. all shares from the women in circle are confidential and held in sacred space.
our culture is simple – to uphold lovingkindness, gentleness, respect and love for every woman in circle.
we cherish, celebrate, and honor each other.
belonging in community and courting alchemy
can be the best parts of midlife.
about anna
I’ve been holding space for women through shamanic and energy healing for 25 years. I’ve come to realize that women don’t come here to learn tools – they arrive to have wondrous experiences, find inner wisdom, make lifelong friends, and receive the thing most lacking in our modern world – belonging, and being loved for who you are in the mysterious adventure through life.
it’s beyond an honor to have held space for more than 5,800 women in small circles, classes, ceremonies, and retreats, and it’s a deep joy to welcome you.
tuition, dates & details
the full ‘midlife molt mystery school series’ is $950, or ~$160 for each class.
women can add shamanic healing sessions with me during the course to support inquiry and alchemy, $250/hour
*please note: this is a live experience, with no recording
sunday mornings @ 8am – 9:30am PT online
september 27 (full moon)
october 4, 11, 18, 25
november 8 (new moon)
*we do not gather on november 1, when the veils are thin. we rest.
you are responsible for tuition even if life comes up and you miss a gathering
we contain multitudes
as women in midlife, we’ve built extraordinary and complex strength. we’ve encountered rupture, caregiving, aging, illness, endings, beginnings, disorientation, wonder, curiosity – remembering joy, spirit, ceremony, and selfhood in circle together can become a way through.
women in our circle contain multitudes – we manage grief, ridiculousness, fear, longing, laundry, awe, menopause, cats, mortality, and dirty dishes, all before lunch.
we are formidable, goofy, tender, kind, and wise.
we belong with and to each other
each story shared by the women, each journey with the spirits, each ceremony, each moment of art or introspection helps us remember how much we all belong with and to each other in midlife. we are not alone in this passage – we are seen and known and held.
love,
anna
warm welcome, midlife women