Ep. 25. Embracing the Second Spring: A Journey Through Menopause
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Menopause as Second Spring – Radiance Podcast
Hello and welcome to Radiance the Podcast, a space where mysticism, modern wisdom, and feminine embodiment meet.
I am Dr. Irene. I am a Chinese medicine practitioner, a holistic medicine and women’s health mentor and guide.
Today, the theme I want to bring into this space is perimenopause and menopause.
Why this theme?
Because in the past year, this conversation has entered my field again and again — through my personal friendships, my sister circles, my Chinese medicine practice, and my mentoring programs. And this is not a coincidence. I know it also has to do with the phase of life I am in.
I am 46 years old. Even though I still have healthy, regular menses, I can feel that I am beginning to approach the threshold of this powerful transition — perimenopause into menopause.
The conversations I’ve been having are beautiful, insightful, and powerful. But I also notice there is so much misinformation, misconception, and fear about this transition and this later stage of a woman’s life.
And this is because we’ve been programmed by culture and society.
We live in a patriarchal system where feminine wisdom — especially in this later phase of life — is not acknowledged or revered. We live in a culture that worships youth and fertility. We’ve been taught that a woman’s value is based primarily on her capacity to procreate, to be a mother, to be a caretaker.
Now, that role is beautiful. It is sacred. Mothers are builders of society. Women are not recognized enough for the invisible, impactful work they do every single day — tending to children, tending to families, making sure everything flows and functions. That labor is powerful and foundational.
But there is this unconscious belief that once you lose the capacity to procreate, you lose value.
And that is simply not true.
In fact, women gain value as they enter this later stage of life.
In many ancient traditions, bleeding women were given time and space during their menses. There were sacred spaces often referred to as Red Tents, where women would gather during their bleed to rest and share stories.
There is a beautiful novel called The Red Tent by Anita Diamant that describes this beautifully.
During menstruation, women enter a more inward, intuitive state. Archetypally, this connects to the Witch and the Crone — the aspects of us that see into the shadows, that feel the undercurrents, that sense the subtle realms. The veils feel thinner.
Women would emerge from these spaces with insight for the community — guidance about crops, livestock, relationships, decisions. They were tapped into something deeper.
In Chinese medicine, we say that when menstruation stops, the blood goes inward and becomes wisdom.
This is why I call white hairs “wisdom hairs.” I love them.
When bleeding stops, you no longer need the Red Tent once a month — because that wisdom is online 24/7.
Menopause ushers you into the archetype of the Wise Woman, the Elder, the Oracle. You have lived through the Maiden, the Lover, the Mother. And now you integrate them all.
You are no longer practicing accessing your archetypes. You embody them.
In Chinese medicine, menopause is called the Second Spring.
There is a beautiful book called Goddesses in Everywoman and another called Goddesses in Older Women by Jean Shinoda Bolen. In her writing, she speaks of the goddess of menopause as the Green Goddess.
I love this parallel.
Spring energy is green, upward, alive, regenerative. Think of buds pushing through soil. That is menopause.
It is not decline. It is rebirth.
There is this fear that your best years are behind you. That you won’t have energy. That you won’t have vitality. That you won’t be desirable. But what if menopause is actually consolidation of power?
Here is the nuance: transitions are hard.
In nature, the space between seasons is always the most unstable. In Chinese medicine, transitional phases are when Wei Qi — our defensive energy — is weakest.
Perimenopause is a major transition.
This shift is psychological and physiological. Hormones are changing. Estrogen and progesterone begin to decline. Your body changes. Your psyche transforms. Identity shifts.
For decades, women live in cyclical rhythm — inner spring, inner summer, inner autumn, inner winter — every single month.
Then suddenly, the cycle stops.
It’s like changing electrical current. You move from a cyclical oscillation to direct current.
Before menopause, you wait for ovulation to feel expansive or menstruation to feel intuitive. After menopause, you have access to all archetypes at once.
That’s power.
But the transition requires renegotiation.
You are aging. That is reality. In Chinese medicine, we speak of Jing — our inherited essence — as finite. As we age, we become more aware of how we spend our energy.
Perimenopause invites you to work smarter, not harder.
This is the time for stronger boundaries. For reclaiming your energy from roles, relationships, jobs, identities that no longer serve you. If you do not consciously renegotiate your life, your body will force the negotiation.
What we resist persists.
Now, about hormone replacement therapy.
Physiologically, estrogen and progesterone decline. That is natural. Symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia, mood changes, weight redistribution, and joint discomfort can occur.
Hormone replacement therapy can relieve symptoms for some women. It may extend the hormonal transition window. It is not wrong. It is not mandatory. It is a sovereign choice.
If you have lived in chronic stress, this transition can feel more intense. Stress directly impacts hormones. Nervous system dysregulation amplifies symptoms.
We live in a highly stimulated society. Our nervous systems are overloaded. Of course perimenopause feels louder under those conditions.
Support matters.
Acupuncture. Massage. Chiropractic care. Craniosacral therapy. Strength training. Chi Kung. Meditation. Time in nature. Orgasmic circulation. Deep rest.
Tend your womb. Track your hormones if helpful. I work with Mira technology for hormonal tracking, which can offer insight into what is happening physiologically.
But beyond tools, this transition is an invitation.
The ego resists change. It clings to past identity. But menopause is the shedding of skin.
It is the Green Goddess emerging.
Juicy. Creative. Free. Unapologetic. Clear.
Menopause is not the end of a woman’s power. It is the embodiment of it.
So beautiful woman — remember:
You are powerful.
You are capable.
You are skilled.
You are radiant.
You are magnetic.
This is your birthright.
And if you need support in this threshold, you do not have to walk it alone. I offer online consultations in Chinese medicine, herbal support, lifestyle guidance, Chi Kung practices, and hormone tracking support.
Or begin with my free Womb Quiz to understand your constitution through a Chinese medicine lens.
There is so much to look forward to on the other side of this transition.
This is Second Spring.
Thank you for being here.
Many blessings.
Chat soon.
