Creatrix Rising: Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women

Maiden, Mother, Crone. The three archetypal stages of a woman's life. The Maiden is young and fair, blooming with life and potential. The Mother is nurturing and giving. And the Crone? Well, we all know what people think of her. Dried up, not much use anymore, withering away to the end of life.

In Creatrix Rising, Stephanie Raffelock is here to smash the Crone archetype to smithereens. In the Crone's place, Raffelock proposes the Creatrix.

“Unlike the Crone, the Creatrix is no haggard old woman of the forest. She has the radiant beauty we all seek, that of wisdom, compassion, courage, and strength. She is the witness that holds the lamp to illuminate the path the younger women behind her will traverse. The Creatrix is the pinnacle of a woman's life.”

I'm a middle-aged woman myself. I'm a bit of an oddball in that I'm still in the parenting years in my 50s. I have two boys, 19 and 12, so they're not quite grown and flown – I'm the oldest mom in the 7th grade class. Even so, in middle age, the idea that my best years are behind me has never set well with me. Growing up, I knew many older women who were graceful and confident, living their best lives. So why does society expect women to shrink and dwindle? Are we useless once we're no longer able to contribute to the continuation of the species? I think not.

Raffelock's Creatrix, introduced to us through stories and personal anecdotes, is no shriveled hag. She is a woman full of vitality and creativity, life and grace. Raffelock walks us through some of her own experiences that led her to conclude that there was a need for a new archetype. Her insights and experiences help me think of my own life in a new light.

I like the way the book is divided, and I like that it looks at the Creatrix in different aspects: Teacher, Healer, Illuminator, Artist. We're all different, and it makes sense that that continues into our later years. I also like the questions for reflection, activity, and journaling. I read through the book straight through the first time, but I'll be going back and working through all those questions.

I love the message of the book, that life isn't winding down just because we're at or past the midpoint of our lives. I kept hearing Helen Reddy's “I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar” as I was reading. I highly recommend this book for any woman who's starting to feel less than because she isn't a pretty young thing anymore. It'll give you a much-needed new direction and new outlook on growing older and living with purpose.

Five stars from me!