Hello and welcome to this second edition of your new-look, new-focus letters from me: welcome once again to the Midlife Spirit!
This Wednesday letter and round-up offers you a regular weekly sacred pause via the video above - but each week it features a different reading with words of wisdom from my books or other soulful writers. (There’s a written version at the end of this post.)
This week includes an Abundance Prayer (from my book Cycles of Belonging: Honouring ourselves through the sacred cycles of life, buy it HERE).
Now, read on for the best things I’ve read and listened to this week.
I hope the things I’ve included inform, inspire or uplift you … and please do comment with your own recommendations.
✨For Your Midlife Spirit…
Each week I’m sharing links to articles, podcast and things that have helped me nourish my midlife spirit that I think you’ll also enjoy. So here’s the first roundup.
📖Something to read
READ: 900,000 Women Have Left Work Because Of Menopause – Really? by Rachel Lankester on the Menoclarity website.
The shocking statistic in that headline - that almost 1 million women have left their jobs because of menopause - is quoted widely; including in the UK Parliament.
But is it true?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: Read the article which follows the money and looks into where this statistic actually came from … and why it’s a completely unreliable stat.
🎧Something to listen to
LISTEN HERE: Inside Fierce Justice, on The Life - An Inside Job podcast. Host Kate Codrington - speaker, facilitator, menopause mentor and author of Second Spring - interviews Uma Dinsmore-Tuli co-founder of the Yoga Nidra Network, founder of the Yoni Shakti movement to end the abuse of women and girls in yoga, and author of many books including the comprehensive Yoni Shakti: a Woman’s Guide to Power and Freedom Through Yoga and Tantra. (BTW I was honoured to receive an endorsement from Uma for my book Cycles of Belonging 💕.)
This is a powerful and inspiring conversation where you’ll hear:
How Uma was silenced by people who did not want her to share the truth about abuse in yoga
How her fierce spirit guided her through dark times
How the clarity, direction and truth seeing of her menopause guided her
The self-care and nourishment that saw her through
An insiders peak into the publishing industry and the reality of a writer’s living
P.S. I was interviewed by Kate for this podcast last year. You can listen to our conversation ‘Inside Messy Cycles’ HERE.
😍Something to look at
Those of you with *very* eagle eyes may have noticed that I recently popped ‘artist’ into my bio i.e. ‘Stella Tomlinson: Author, poet, artist and Priestess’.
That’s because I’ve been indulging my inner artist by playing with digital art that speaks to the soul.
Your soul - or psyche, if you prefer - doesn’t speak in words. It speaks in images and symbolism. It lives in the imaginal world. It is nurtured by what cannot be described but can be seen and felt.
Yes, words can touch the soul too. But images make it come alive!
One of the things I’ve been playing with is creating an oracle deck based around the four elements of Earth, Water, Air and Fire. Just for myself … for now!
Here’s an example from the Water suit: FLOATING - Trust. Surrender. Support. Healing.
Do you need to receive this message today? What is your soul’s response? How does it feel to look at this card? What other images or words or feelings arise as you gaze at it?
…Breathe and receive these soul whispers…And trust yourself.
✍️Over to you…
Share something in the comments section that has nourished or uplifted your midlife spirit this week. Write a few words to describe your experience or perhaps share a link if it’s something you’ve read, listened to or watched.
I’m a firm believer that as we share our stories, thoughts and experience we help ourselves and each other feel less alone. So do please consider leaving a comment for me and others to read!
Thank you so much for being here.
If you wish to support my work then why not buy me a herbal tea or decaf coffee HERE? 🫖🍵☕🙏🥰💞
💫GO DEEPER: Lammas & Early Autumn Resource
Dive deeply into the magic and potential of Lammas and early autumn through meditation and ritual, and activate the energies of abundance, gratitude and The Mother archetype with my Lammas & Early Autumn Resource.
It contains:
An illustrated guide to Lammas and early autumn, detailing its energies; how to work with the seasonal energies; about the archetype associated with the season; tips on creating a seasonal altar; and simple rituals to harness the power of the season.
Two recorded guided meditation practices to enable you to dive deeply into the power and potential of the season:
REST: A guided Yoga Nidra to invite you to rest deeply, feeling the Earth holding you and the golden abundance of the late summer/early autumn sun filling you up with its love.
DREAM: A guided soul journey to meet the Mother Goddess and receive Her gifts and guidance for you.
An overview of the Wheel of the Year.
➡️BUY IT HERE (£12 or equivalent in your currency)💛🌾✨
Video Transcript: Abundance Prayer
Hello and welcome to this week’s Midlife Spirit with me, Stella Tomlinson and welcome to this short practice to centre yourself and connect to the wisdom within.
Let’s begin by invoking the Midlife Spirit: that part of us which is wise and with us on this midlife journey and that greater spirit which we can invoke to help us feel more centred.
Heart to heart, flame to flame, Midlife Spirit we invoke your name. Flame of healing, flame of clarity, flame of self-compassion, we open to your presence and welcome you in.
Today I’m sharing with you an Abundance Prayer from my book Cycles of Belonging as we’re at Lammas time at the start of August, a time of abundance in nature: of golden wheat fields and berries and nuts beginning to form and ripen.
But whatever the time of year, it’s always beautiful to connect to abundance - particularly in these times we’re living in where we’re often encouraged to feel a sense of lack and that we’re competing for scarce resources. So connecting to a sense of abundance in nature can be deeply healing and clarifying and grounding.
I’ll share the words as part of a short meditation to connect to the Earth, the Sky and your Heart.
So, let’s begin.
Take a few moments to settle … And now invite your awareness to move down through floor…. Down into the earth beneath … The soil, the rocks the roots below… Sensing the solidity and strength of the earth … always there… An ongoing presence of support and strength … And invite a sense of calm strength to rise up from the earth into your body … into your bones … into your muscles… rising up through your spine… Peaceful strength flowing through your body…
And now let your awareness rise to sense the vast expanse of sky above you … Unlimited, expansive, free ... And feel the air dancing around you… And sense golden light is shining down from the sun … light and energy and clarity… …flowing down through the crown of your head... into your body … …energising, expansive … … and soothing, nurturing … ….you’re filled with golden light, sparkling through every cell of your being….
Receiving from above and below …. The energies of the earth and the energies of the sky mingling in the centre of your being … Breathe and receive…
And now you might like to gently place your hand on your heart if you wish to …. And bring to mind someone for whom you feel affection … a tender warmth… A person or maybe a pet … And notice how it feels to think of them with warmth and affection …
Notice how it feels in your body … Maybe there’s a softening… An expansiveness… Or a tingling… Maybe even a gently subtle smile softening the corners of your mouth … And now open to receive warmth and affection from them … Breathe and receive this loving connection… Tender warmth flowing out … tender warmth flowing in …
Inviting a feeling of peace, contentment and tender warmth to flow through every cell of your being … Breathe, and receive the healing balm of peace, contentment and tender love…
Sitting with that feeling as I share with you this prayer, which you might offer to whatever or whoever you wish to. For example, Goddess, Mother Earth, God, a saint, spirit, the universe, your own heart and soul...
I give with love, I receive with gratitude, creating abundance with ease and joy… All is well, one and whole and will remain so, in Your nurturing care and love*.
Let those words land within your heart. And just notice if there’s anything your heart and soul wish to communicate with you… An image, a word, a feeling, a longing … Breathe and receive this whisper … and trust yourself.
This completes today’s simple centring practice.
And we’ll finish by closing our sacred space:
Thank you Midlife Spirit, your flame is in our heart always.
Until next time, I wish you the blessings of fierce and tender self-compassion for your midlife journey,
Stella x
*P.S. I thank Priestess Marion Brigantia for this prayer.
Books for your midlife spirit
Prayer for Abundance