Description
The Seven Gates of Menopause is a one-day live online ceremonial process for women in perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause, created to help you consciously work with the transformational power of this rite of passage.
Menopause transforms all aspects of you. As your hormonal profile changes, your body and brain adapt, and your experience of energy, emotion, sexuality, identity and purpose may also shift. This transition can call you to change what needs to change, release what has reached completion, reflect on what your life has taught you and make space for new ways of being. As you change, your relationships, work, identity, spirituality, family roles and sense of purpose may change with you.
Menopause offers an opportunity to gather the experiences of your life, recognise the lessons within them and allow what you have lived to ripen into wisdom. From this comes new ways of being: greater clarity about what matters, deeper trust in yourself and a more aligned way forward. This is the path of the Wise Woman.
The Seven Gates is a ceremonial process for working with this transformation. Guided by the Heroine’s Journey and the story of Inanna’s descent, you will journey through seven aspects of yourself: your spiritual self, your work in the world, and yourself as partner, mother or nurturer, lover, sister and daughter.
At each gate, you will reflect on the experiences, roles and patterns that have shaped you and identify what is complete, what no longer serves you and what you are ready to release. In the underworld or void, you will pause and listen for the deeper wisdom beneath what is changing.
You will then return through the Seven Gates, exploring what you are reclaiming and how you want to live now. The insights from all seven gates come together to reveal what your life has taught you, what matters now and the direction you want to take from here.
The Seven Gates is a mythopoetic rite-of-passage process: a conscious descent through what you are ready to release, a time of listening in the dark to your inner knowing and a return to your life with a clearer understanding of what you are reclaiming and who you are becoming.
Through this ceremony, you consciously participate in the transformation of menopause and step forward as the Wise Woman you are becoming.
The Journey Through the Seven Gates
Session One — The Descent Through the Seven Gates
Sunday 6 September | 8:30–11:00 am AEST
You will descend through the Seven Gates, meeting a different aspect of yourself at each one and reflecting on what is ready to change or be released. You will create seven letting-go statements, then bring them together to recognise the deeper patterns of what menopause is asking of you.
Session Two — The Underworld / The Void
Sunday 6 September | 12:00–1:30 pm AEST
Jane will teach about the wisdom of the void and guide you on a drum journey into the space between who you have been and who you are becoming. Here, you will listen to your self and give space for inner knowing to arise.
Session Three — The Ascent / The Return
Sunday 6 September | 2:30–5:00 pm AEST
You will return through the Seven Gates, exploring what you are reclaiming and how you want to live each aspect of your life now. The journey comes together into a clear way forward: what you are leaving behind, what you are reclaiming and the path forward that honours the Wise Woman you are becoming.
Descent—letting go.
Underworld/Void—listening and receiving.
Ascent—reclaiming and integrating.
Let all you have lived become wisdom for how you choose to live now.
Honour the Wise Woman you are becoming.
FAQs
Do I need to attend live?
No. The full ceremony will be recorded and made available to you. Attending live allows you to experience the process alongside the group, but you can also move through it in your own time.
I went through menopause a long time ago. Is this process still relevant for me?
Yes. You can reconnect with this rite of passage at any stage of life. The ceremony offers an opportunity to reflect on the transformation you experienced, integrate what it taught you and consciously claim the Wise Woman you have become.
I'm not sure whether I have started perimenopause. Is this still relevant for me?
Yes. The ceremony will give you a framework for understanding menopause as a transformational rite of passage and help you prepare consciously for the changes ahead.
How can I participate during the live ceremony?
You will be invited to participate through the Zoom chat, ask questions and share reflections. You can choose how much you wish to contribute.
Do I need previous experience with ceremony or drum journeying?
No previous experience is needed. Jane will guide you through each stage of the process.
What will I need for the ceremony?
You will receive a workbook and preparation guidance before the event. You will also need a journal and pen, a candle and a few meaningful objects to create a simple altar. Headphones are optional but may help during the drum journey. We recommend preparing food beforehand so you can remain connected to the process during the breaks.
What if I am not a mother, partner or connected to every role represented by the Seven Gates?
You do not need to occupy every role literally. Each Gate represents an aspect of self and an area of human experience that you can explore in a way that is relevant to your own life.
Does this ceremony provide medical advice or menopause treatment?
The Seven Gates explores the personal, psychological and spiritual dimensions of menopause. It does not provide medical advice or replace medical or mental-health care.
