Back to 2019 I was a speaker at TABI’s conference (Tarot Association of the British Isles) and my chosen subject was to discuss the Crone/menopause and the tarot.
Yesterday, I was delighted to see Davina Mc Call presenting a program on Channel 4 (in the UK) about Sex, myths and the Menopause
I am sharing again the article I wrote about the menopause together with some tarot spreads to help work with the menopause.
According to the NHS website: the menopause is caused by a change in the balance of the body’s sex hormones, which occurs as you get older.
It happens when your ovaries stop producing as much of the hormone oestrogen and no longer releases an egg each month.
Premature or early menopause can occur at any age, and in many cases, there’s no clear cause.
But, before we can jump up and down on the bed and throw away our tampons or sanitary towels, we have to understand that sometimes the menopause will throw some unwanted surprises and tantrums (periods stopping for a few months, but then back again with a vengeance for instance).
The menopause will occur for sure after twelve consecutive months of no period (providing you are in your late 40’s/50’s of course). If you are a younger woman and your periods stop for more than 12 months surely, a trip to your GP is advisable in order to investigate.
It can take a few years for the menopause to occur, with a wide variety of symptoms.
The menopause is a walk in the wilderness, being battered by different challenges and turning points, a bit like a vision quest in a way, armed with only your knowledge and your wisdom.
Once it is completed, the transformation not only in your body, but in your soul can be quite spectacular.
For this exercise look at the whole deck and select the cards (both major and minor arcana) that you feel represent the menopause to you.
You may select one card or many, this is okay, it is a personal understanding both of the cards and your own feelings.
Unfortunately for us Crones, the menopause is not just unilateral with one or two symptoms. Alas, it is multidimensional with a myriad of symptoms.
The good news is that not all symptoms will be experienced (some of us will experience little symptoms if any, whilst others won’t be so fortunate), but it is good to know how to recognise the impact of the menopause on the mind, body and spirit.
Of course, the Queen of Cups deals with the emotional side, as she is the typical custodian of the suit but, also with what can happen with the body as our bodies are made up around 60% of water/fluid (approximate only).
The Queen of Pentacles is in her home with the practicality of the body, its layers such as muscles, bones, tendons, teeth etc.
The Queen of Wands has dominion over the ‘vavavoum’, the stamina of our spirit and our internal ‘fire’ as well, which can be troubled by some of the symptoms seen above.
The Queen of Swords is the one who will force us to acknowledge that the menopause is not a simple mechanical glitch from nature, it is also a transformational time as well. Once you overcome her tough lesson, the reward will be enormous 🙂
For this exercise, simply shuffle the whole deck and pull two cards to answer each question about each domain and two cards to answer the questions about the Crone 🙂
Card 1 – Domain of the Cups
Emotions and feelings
What is happening right now with my emotions?
How can I help myself with how I feel?
Card 2 – Domain of the Wands
Intuition and vavavoum
How can I tap into my inner fire?
Where do I need to direct my intuition?
Card 3 – Domain of the Pentacles
Body and security
What do I need to be aware of regarding my body?
How can I feel more secure?
Card 4 – Domain of the Swords
Mind and mental health
What is constricting my mind?
How is my mental health at the moment?
Card 5 – The Crone
Where Am I heading as a Crone?
What do I need to embrace?
HELP WITH THE MENOPAUSE
Exercise: Yoga, running, swimming, walking, pilates, dancing etc…
Water: To hydrate the skin and the body from within, to avoid bloating. Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
Diet: Tofu, flaxseeds, linseeds, sesame seeds, beans, wholegrains, vegetables and fruits.
Reduce sugar as it can cause a sharp rise and dip in blood sugar levels, leading to tiredness and irritation.
Do not skip meals as it can make symptoms worse and hinders weight loss.
Stop smoking: Smoking can worsen hot flushes. Also the loss of bone density in smokers is higher than non-smokers, leading to osteoporosis.
Herbalism:
Valerian is good for sleeping problems, anxiety and stress.
Red clover is good to reduce high blood pressure, boost immunity and to strengthen bones as it contains phytoestrogens which helps hormonal imbalance.
Black Cohosh: hot flushes
Bach Flowers and flower essences:
Cherry plum: to calm the mind, panic attacks (fear), agitation
Olive: for mental exhaustion and consequently physical exhaustion
Gentian: overwhelmed by everything, feeling low, want to give up
Larch: lack of self-esteem
Scleranthus: mood swings
Walnut: to adapt to changes
Mindfulness: meditation, gratitude, visualisation, deep breathing exercises, journaling, tarot (shadow side), time off from social media etc..
Supplements
Calcium for bones
Vitamin D for bones
Vitamin B12 for bone health, neurological functions
Vitamin B6 to help with mood swings and depression
Vitamin E: antioxidant, help with depression and help to prevent heart disease.
This exercise is best done by removing from your pack the 4 queens of the tarot, and to place them face down as per the picture below.
Then shuffle the whole pack and cover each queen with a card.
It is a simple spread but quite revealing!
Let me know how it worked for you 🙂
Card 1
Which queen do I need to embrace?
Card 5
How can I integrate her in my life?
Card 2
Which queen is my ally?
Card 6
How can I make this ally work with the queen on position 1?
Card 3
Which queen needs to take a back seat?
Card 7
Which area of life needs to be let go of?
Card 4
Which queen will be my mentor during my crone years?
Card 8
In which area of life will she help me the most?
I think it is great that we can have a conversation about the final rite of passage a women has to go through, a challenging but so powerful one.
Much love
Oephebia and the kitty monsters
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Tarot and Kitties by Oephebia 