Recently someone asked me for resources for dealing with menstruation-related headaches. So I turned her onto Susun S Weed’s book New Menopausal Years The Wise Woman Way: Alternative Approaches for Women 30 – 90. My partner actually recommended it to me and I’m passing it on to her, and to you.
Before we begin, a caveat. My philosophy is that we are all unique. Information for mass consumption is broad so it is important to explore these ideas yourself for yourself. Depending on where you are on your journey, being guided by a Naturopathic Doctor, herbalist, and other experts may be more suitable. You, however, are always the central point of this hub. Be sure that whoever you choose listens to your concerns and respects your perspective and needs.
The other idea to keep in mind is that our chronological and biological age may differ. In addition, we are able to interact with our DNA through our diet, thoughts, and other frequency-based approaches. We are made up mostly of water and as Dr Emoto’s research has shown, we can program water with thoughts and words, we can affect ourselves and others through words. Let’s check in to see how we are talking to and about ourselves!
Basically I invite all of us to be fluid with our beliefs and expectations, knowing that we have taken on a myriad of thought patterns from our environment that may have outlived their usefulness. Let us rely more on our own empirical and experiential exploration and our inner compass to our truth.
The Six Steps of Healing
In The Wise Woman Way, Susun recommends Steps 0, 1, and 2 as “an important, though often invisible, way of healing/wholing.” This includes rest, relaxation, rejuvenation, nourishment, energetic balancing, movement, and tapping into resources. She notes that spending sufficient time with these first steps will help us better navigate the next steps, if they are even necessary. As we move into more invasive approaches, the possibility of experiencing side effects, such as from drugs and treatment, also increases. For example, she advises adding nourishing foods such as seaweed and wild foods before going the route of supplements. For me, Jin Shin Jyutsu helps clear energetic blocks and harmonizes our energy so that we are more resilient, coherent, and responsive.
*Be sure to read the beginning of the book – about how to proceed, including how to use herbs safely.
For each of the common concerns people face, the book provides suggestions in the order of these steps.
Download The Six Steps of Healing PDF
Susun Weed is a wealth of information. This book includes suggestions and steps to approach a large variety of common questions, easy to understand points about herbal allies, rituals, and further resources.
Here are some gems:
For digestive distress – bless your food before eating, try dandelion blossom wine (dandelion is known to help digestion and liver), move (liver loves moment), and more.
For strong flexible bones – calcium-rich plants, herbal infusions, and moderate exercise.
“My Rx for low libido is seven orgasms a week, whether you feel like it or not. You can do one a day or all in one day. Continue for three months.” (Check out – Mantak Chia’s Cultivating Female Sexual Energy, Linda Savage’s Reclaiming Goddess Sexuality, and more.)
This book reminded me about nettle tea which I had started taking from the Medical Medium protocol. It nourishes, strengthens, and even rebuilds kidneys and adrenals. Kidney organ function has to do with the waters in our body, ancestral inheritance, bones, sugars, and energy reserves, to name a few.
In Chinese Medicine, the Kidneys are “the centre of the body’s yin and yang, the “congenital foundation,” or the origin of life. In other words, the kidneys store the primordial yin and primordial yang (also called kidney yin and yang), which is the place where nutrients are stored and physiological functions take place.” (reference)
Given the collective exhaustion, I would say that a nice nettle infusion would be beneficial for many people. This can be a fruitful time for those balancing the yin and yang in our lives. Perhaps this is resting more, engaging in slower movement, and sleeping earlier. Grab this book and allow Susun lead you the Wise Woman Way with green earthly grandmother wisdom.
