Menopause and Perimenopause Rite of Passage Retreat 2025

Discover the power of menopause to awaken your authority and purpose
Menopause is undeniably one of the most significant rites of passage in a woman's life, when she steps fully into her most magnificent power. Yet this is the power that we have been cut off from for generations, hidden in shame and secrecy, suffering in silence. Instead, we're fed a narrative that:

Our lives are over, along with our youth, beauty, and "value" as fertile women.
Menopause is full of suffering and terrible symptoms.
Menopause is something to be "fixed" or ignored as we're encouraged to just keep working and going on with our lives as before.

While it's great that menopause is rising in our public awareness, most of the support materials out there are focused on symptom management or keeping us rolling along as usual in our careers and lives. There is a very crucial aspect of menopause that is being completely missed: At its core, it's a deep initiation, a disruptor to our lives, and it's calling us to withdraw from the world, to rest, and to hold space for this profound process. Initiations are meant to be challenging, and for sure when we come out the other side, we're not the same person we were.

We've lost our wise elder women who teach us the sacred and powerful ways of this important passage of our lives, giving us something to look forward to. Until now. We don't have to live by this narrative our society gives us. There is another way.

Over this weekend, you'll receive nourishment and support for perimenopause and menopause so you understand what you're experiencing and are able to navigate this time of your life with a solid framework to support you. You'll

Get an overview of the physiological changes happening in perimenopause and menopause and learn why this is a crucial time of transition for a woman's health that sets the stage for the second half of her life.
Navigate the five initiatory phases of menopause and receive their unique gifts.
Learn why you need to drop as much as you can in your life and rest, rest, and rest some more...and also learn the 1% rule.
Learn to recognize and accept where you are in your peri- or menopause process.
Embrace the great reckoning and clearing out of the first half of our lives so we can grow into our post-menopausal years clean, clear, and vibrant.
Gain a sense of hope and vision for your "second spring" and the rising of your energy and power post-menopause.

"We're all alchemists, deep inside -- it's just that women have learned that fires must be put out, not encouraged to burn. We're afraid of conflagration. We're afraid of losing control. But during menopause we generally find that we have no choice. We're not in the conflagration -- we are the conflagration." 🔥

~Sharon Blackie, Hagitude
About the retreat
The autumn of early October is an auspicious time for this retreat weekend, as menopause is all about transitioning into the autumn phase of our lives. Join a circle of women supporting each other through the journey of perimenopause and menopause.

The retreat will include:

Learning.
Experiential exercises.
Time for rest and replenishment.
Making your own charm bracelet, with symbols of your menopause passage, that will act as a map on your wrist to remind and guide you through this time.
A hot flash fire 🔥 ceremony claiming your sacred rite of passage, and your bracelet will be placed on you.
Journeying into the Cave of the Mothers, the Forest's underground temple to the Feminine Divine.

The weekend will include all meals from Friday dinner through Sunday brunch.
Who this is for
This weekend is for you if you're:

In your 40s and navigating perimenopause.
Actively in your menopause process.

What this is

An exploration of the psycho-emotional-spiritual aspects of menopause 
Compassionate sharing and listening
Learning about the empowering, positive aspects of menopause

What this is not

Focusing on physical symptom management and issues
Rehashing all of the negative rhetoric around menopause 
Trying to ignore or bypass menopause for the powerful effect it has on our lives

Menopause kit
You'll get a menopause bundle that includes:

A menopause playbook that includes all the information taught during the weekend, as well as remedies, resources, and ideas to nourish and support yourself.
Some goodies to soothe and delight you.

What to bring

Bring things to place on our communal altar that speaks to you about menopause. It can represent something you're letting go of, or looking forward to, or anything that represents menopause to you.
Bring something special to wear for our rite of passage ceremony. Examples: a special dress, a shawl, a tiara, jewelry, or anything that will make the ritual feel special and sacred to you.
Journal.

Lodging
You can choose to stay overnight in a cabin or to commute to the retreat every day from your home. If you choose to commute, we kindly ask that you commit yourself to the weekend and the schedule of the retreat to avoid disruptions to the group.

You can optionally add-on Thursday night if you want an extra day to relax at the Forest before the retreat starts. To do this, add-on an extra night during the registration process. This is highly encouraged if you're in the midst of your menopause and just need a break.
Testimonials
The retreat was so nourishing and eye-opening. Through it I came to understand that I am not alone in my experiences, that there is a framework for navigating this time of life with greater perspective and skillfulness, and that I do have sacred gifts to offer and a sacred duty of care to uphold. It was grounding, empowering, connecting, and inspiring. I am so grateful for the teaching and for the friends I made while there.

Amy
 
Every detail of the retreat felt intentional, and Jeni's enthusiasm overflowed throughout this retreat (truly contagious). The Bede center was transformed into a sacred space for us to gather, learn, and share. Jeni's authenticity and transparent disclosure of her own journey invited others to show up authentically/vulnerably (and this vulnerability was present in the very first sharing circle).

Crystal
 
I learned more about menopause this weekend than I ever had. I appreciated the honest conversations with a fantastic group of understanding women going through the same physical changes. 

Anonymous
Schedule
(Subject to change)
Friday
1:30-5:30 Arrival, check in, settle into cabins if staying overnight. 
4:30 Community meditation (optional)
5:30 Dinner and introductions
6:30 Opening ceremony, creating our altar, intro to the weekend and sharing, overview of physiological stages.
9:00 Yoga nidra for sleep (optional).
Saturday
7:00 Community meditation (optional).
7:00-9:00 Self-serve silent breakfast.
9:00 Morning session:


Perimenopause: The quickening and entering the menopause hinterland.
Menopause: The five phases of the menopause initiation.
Experiential exercise.
Sharing.

12:00 Community meditation (optional).
12:30 Lunch and free time.
2:00 Afternoon session:


Make your menopause charm bracelet.
Prepare for our evening rite of passage ceremony. 🔥

4:30 Rest time or community meditation (optional).
5:30 Silent dinner (to help hold the deep space for the ceremony).
7:00 Rite of passage ceremony. 
Sunday
7:00 Community meditation (optional).
7:00-9:00 Self-serve silent breakfast.
9:00 Resources and remedies.
10:00 Closing ceremony and sharing time.
11:00 Brunch.

Cancelation policy
If the reservation is canceled within the 7 days before the scheduled retreat date and time, a credit towards a future stay is provided. A credit is valid for one year from date of issue.

If the reservation is canceled up until the 7th day before the scheduled retreat date and time, a refund will be issued, minus any credit card transaction fees and donations. Refunds will be made to the original credit card on file or by check within two weeks of the notice of cancelation.

An exception may be made in the case of illness, death in the family, or inclement weather, in which case  a credit towards a future stay is provided. A credit is valid for one year from date of issue.

Any donations added to a registration can’t be refunded.
Inspiration
"Menopause, at its best, is more than just a pause in our menses; it's a sacred pause in the hurtling trajectory of life. As we slowly begin to burn away those old identities and outdated structures, and as our pale, exhausted visions begin slowly to recede, we enter a state of conscious incubation in which a nascent life can be dreamed into being. 

These multiple acts of deconstruction and reconstruction are what menopause is for. Because menopause...is not a medical condition, it is an earthquake, shaking us to our deepest foundations, wiping out the edifices we've so carefully constructed on what we once imaged to be the solid ground of our life. 

Menopause hacks us open. It tells us, above all, that there are new wisdoms in which we can now immerse ourselves, new ways of being in the world to be uncovered. Life is not over; it is simply, and irrevocably, changed."

~ Sharon Blackie, Hagitude Read More