Midlife through a Cosmic Lens
Have you lost touch with your Why?
It's common knowledge that we experience life through cycles of development. From pre-natal all the way through the end of life. There are predictive stages of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual development.
One of the many things I love about being an Astrologer is the ability to look at planetary cycles to tell us, with astonishing accuracy, when major cycles will occur in our life.
After the birth of my third child, I hit a difficult and confusing stage in my life. I was 38 years old, a working mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, colleague, school volunteer, community member, with an active social life. I was overstimulated while feeling lost and alone.
I went to an astrologer. Simultaneously I took the “traditional” route as well; therapy, couples therapy, antidepressants....but it was the astrologer who had the deeper impact on me. The first session was validating and enlightening, and helped me find my path.
From that point on, I made a deep commitment to my own spiritual journey. I learned that I was in the midst of what I now call the Midlife Process.
The Midlife Process begins in mid to late 30’s all the way through the 50’s. A natural evolutionary process of leaving youth behind and moving towards greater wisdom and acceptance is essentially a continuous death and rebirth cycle touching on all areas of the mind, body and spirit. The universal intention is to bring us to deep levels of self acceptance, wonder and grace.
From an astrological perspective, it is due to the nature of the slow moving outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto). When they touch on points in our natal chart they linger for long periods of time, calling us to a deep transformational potential.
As we start marching towards midlife, these astrological configurations guide us to address fundamental inquiries into the deeper meaning of life. Everyone hits these configurations around the same ages, yet how one experiences them differs depending on where we are in our consciousness and how much healing we have done when they occur.
This a natural evolutionary process of leaving youth behind in order to move towards greater wisdom and acceptance. It is essentially a continuous death and rebirth cycle.
Below are the transits that present at certain ages, durations, and the themes they bring to our experience. Take note of the order in which these transits occur. There is an evolutionary intent of letting go and calling in new which help us move deeper into our nature in order to prepare us for the next stage of life.
Age 36-39 - Pluto Square Natal Pluto - Approx. 1.5-3 year cycle
Themes: Endings, fear, facing ego, shadow work, death, awareness of deeper self and needs.
Intention: This is a time to face deep seated fears in order to release old confines and negative narratives. Relationships that are not supporting you need to evolve or end. Great opportunity for self transformation and empowerment.
Challenge: Letting go of parts of self and relationships is difficult. Facing deeply held limiting beliefs and fears is hard work and brings painful change. The more you avoid or cling during this time, the harder this period will be.
Recommend: Seek spiritual and psychotherapeutic support. Be curious, honest and humble to what arises. This is a very intentional time and will bring great insights to your awareness of self and others. Clinging and/or projecting during this time can create breakdowns rather than breakthroughs.
Age 40-43 - Neptune Square Natal Neptune - Approx. 2 yr cycle
Themes: Confusion, searching, spiritual inquiries, reviewing belief systems, dreams, passivity.
Intention: It’s a time for renewed belief systems and inquiry into true self. This can feel liberating and inspiring. It's important to be open to what is coming up and tap into your creative nature. Spiritual realignment.
Challenge: This is a confusing time and will be difficult to make confident decisions. Facing life-long, deeply held limited beliefs and owning it can be difficult. The more you hold onto convictions, you will remain blocked and the lessons will be lost.
Recommend:: Get very curious about your core beliefs. Learn meditation and/or yoga. Find philosophical and/or spiritual teachers. Seek creative outlets. Be careful when making big decisions.
Age 42-45 - Uranus Opposition Natal Uranus - Approx. 1.5-2 yr cycle
Themes: Sudden breakthroughs, anxiety, restlessness, isolation, self reflection. Owning past behaviors and projections. Need for freedom, change and to break away from collective norms. Evolution of Identity.
Intention: This is a time to claim your authenticity, face your own projections and shadow behaviors. A need to break free from constraining structures, relationships, and concerns for outside approval. Dynamic tension between opposing forces can bring opportunity for greater awareness and confidence of your unique gifts and talents.
Challenge: This period can bring tension, opposition, and isolation. Claiming your authenticity can create conflict within the relationships and structures you are aligned with.
Recommend: Seek support. Slow down. Be aware of your growing needs for individuation and soften to the process with grace for yourself and others. Not all contracts are meant to last. See the lessons you are learning as a gift to your long range development.
Age 43-45 - Saturn Opposite Natal Saturn - Approx. 6 wks-1 yr cycle
Themes: Evaluation of career, relationships, status in community and society. Assessing where you are versus where you thought you were. Feeling of being at a crossroad.
Intention: This is a time to make decisions about what structures and belief systems in your life are working and not working. This is a time for letting go, setting new boundaries, and moving forward with refined intentions into the next phase of life.
Challenge: Facing midlife and the passing of time can feel overwhelming and scary. Making big decisions and letting go of deep seated beliefs is challenging and liberating. The more resistance during this time can create health issues and conflicts.
Recommend: Seek support. Take responsibility for your own prior actions that brought you here. Find acceptance and be open to learning deeper truths about yourself. Take action with integrity and compassion. This stage makes room for new parts of yourself that you haven’t accessed yet.
Age 49-51 - Chiron Return - Approx. 6-18 month cycle
Themes: The need to healing old wounds, need for familial healing, serge of renewed creativity, bridge between old & new, health concerns, new boundaries, search for meaning, menopause (women + men), softening, wisdom.
Intention: This is a time to find deeper understanding of self, your choices, and the condition of your relationships. To step into your wisdom, grace and flow. A demand to release what no longer serves you for greater long term health.
Challenge: It’s difficult to face physical and mental health concerns at this stage. To let go of lifelong patterns of belief and behaviors can be painful to confront. This process, and the other midlife transits, initiate you into your deeper wisdom and ability to serve others.
Recommend: Seek support and training that help you gain the confidence to live your life in co-creation with your natural gifts and ways to share them with others. Be open, curious and inspired! Surround yourself with like minded people.
To understand how these transits play out in your natal chart will help bring more awareness to your individual process. For further inquiry, reach out to me directly to schedule a FREE 15 minute consultation.
Understanding that there is universal intelligence to be accessed throughout these stages has truly supported me in allowing life to flow with a deep feeling of purpose. I am excited to share how this can support you as well.