Friday, November 6, 2009

Take a Pause to Ponder



In a recent teleconference, Women on the Edge of Evolution, futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard invited us to think of women's life cycles and journeys in an entirely new way. She's got me thinking ...

To paraphrase, here is part of what she said:

In the early stages of our lives, women are usually focused on procreation—the continuation of the species—being a mother, giving birth.

In her fifties, a woman stops producing eggs.

That is when she becomes the egg. 

That is when she becomes the egg.  


Ever since I heard this,  I've been mesmerized by this thought, and pondering ...

I'm in my mid-fifties. The eggs have stopped.  

How am I now the egg? 

How about you?  Are you an egg, too?



I welcome your thoughts about this and am eager to share mine with you this weekend ...  



(Here's the direct link to the Hubbard talk, if you want to listen.)

9 comments:

angela recada said...

Ooooh, I love this idea! Yes, I do feel like an egg, ready to crack open and show my complete self for the first time. It feels like I wasn't "done" until now, and I had to experience things and live life before I could find myself. I've compared it to being in a cocoon, but egg describes it even better, in a way.
:0)
xo

Cheryl Wright said...

Let me take a stab at this...

Mid-fifties - woamn becomes the egg.

The mid-fifties is a time of developing and/or implementing new perspectives on life, herself, her dreams.

Woman becomes the egg - the egg is a symbol of being on the brink of rebirth, freedom and growth.

What do you think Jan?

Julie G said...

I am not waiting until my mid 50's. I am an egg now. I feel like I'm on the verge of hatching. My family is growing more and more independent of me (as a mother) and I am searching, learning and growing into my truest self now. I have good strength, good health and an unstoppable determination to help the world evolve toward peace and compassion.
I will join with all of you here as co-createtors for a better world.
We have to align our intentions and hold on to each other.

Rose - Watching Waves said...

I love new thoughts to ponder! I would agree that when the kids are on their own, it's a time of re-birth for most women, a recreation of who they are in their changed circumstances. It's a wonderful ripening and blossoming time!

Janice Lynne Lundy said...

Angela,
Love how you describe this! Time to crack open a new version of yourself.

I think that is what I am feeling to. I feel as if I am incubating a new part of me....

Cheryl,
Oh, yes, I think you are spot on. This is a time of self-containment and nourishment so, when the time is right, she can burst forth into the world in a new form. And it definitely is a journey toward ultimate freedom. :-)

I think this describes where I am very well...On the brink of new growth.

How about you? Any inklings????

Julie,
I DO think you are an egg right now. :-) It makes perfect sense. And just think of the image of the egg, being held warm and close (by the Divine) so it can blossom into something so beautiful--and helpful to the world. Perfect!

Rose,
But it strikes me from all you have shared here, esp. about seeking the new, right profession for you, that you are incubating, growing by leaps and bounds! Being very inward so that you can embody a new version of YOURSELF. Am I right?

I am loving this conversation. I hope that we continue on....I enjoy all of your thoughts!

Carolynn Anctil said...

Oh, without question. I am the egg.

I'm in an entirely new growth period and I feel ready to start cracking the shell that has been both a form of protection and of inhibition. I'm about ready to break out.

Helena said...

I don't quite understand how I will become an egg in my fifties. But I'm sure the answer will come to me.

Just like I had an answer earlier this week. When I was young I sang in a church choir in Sweden for six years. One of the song's lyrics were about how to "let the light I have shine". I always thought they meant a candle until one evening this week I was humming this song to myself and all of a sudden I went... AHAAAA!!! ... it's the light within me I'm singing about. :-)

Well, it's never too laten to realise!

Nadia - Happy Lotus said...

Hi Jan,

Wow...that is a very powerful way to look at the phase known as menopause. That is such an awesome point of view. I will have to contemplate this some more. Thank you for the brain food.

Jan Lundy said...

Carolynn,
We'll be standing outside the hen house when you break out and cackle you onward!

Helena,
This is a lovely awareness. Yes, how many of us think this "Light" is something outside of ourselves, something we must seek. So glad to hear that you are shining brightly these days. You are hatching!

Nadia,
Though I have been pondering (since I penned this) that women can be in this stage even without menopause or children. What do you think?