Spirituality for the Gen X Woman

I can remember as a child being enamored of the moon. Nothing unusual. I think as children we understand the vastness of the universe in a way adults often forget. I imagined the moon followed me every time I could see it from the window of a moving car. I marvelled in the stars when lying on a float in the pool at our family home in the country - where the lack of light pollution expanded my universe in wonderful ways. Unlike most children, my pull the stars continued and after getting my driver’s license, I would go to the library and check out books on astrology.

At field parties while drinking beers around a bonfire in my small rural town I would tell my friends about their sun signs and wisely explain to them why they were they way they were. After all, it WAS the 80’s.

I left all of that behind when I left for college and it was not until my mid twenties that I picked up my spiritual pursuits once again. I spent several years in spiritual circles and then came motherhood. My spiritual work waited patiently as I diapered and breastfed, carpooled, watched athletic practices. I would attend occasional spiritual events, only to retreat again to sacred homemaking. 10 years ago I began working with spiritual entreprenuers - primarily women - to assist them in building their businesses. The work involved building websites, marketing, brainstorming, creating event registrations, sending out newsletters, all the things.

My children grew older duing this time of building and and my own spiritual pursuits began to return along with my remembrance of the badass I thought I was as teen.

But, they looked vastly different from how they looked when I was younger. Gone is the dedicated altar. Instead I have an entire office that is afforded a midlife woman whose children have mostly flown the nest. It is filled with books and treasures. It is an altar of life, filled with gifts from friends and families, books that have had the most impact on my life, and spiritual treasures that reflect my relationship with the Divine.

When I began my spiritual path I leaned heavily into Goddess chants, Native American flute music, and vibey new age music. Okay, truthfully I still do. But, it’s interwoven now with songs from my youth that have taken on new meaning as a woman in midlife. Stevie Nicks has always been a vibe, but now as a 53 year old woman watching parts of the world burn, I am raging against the machine in a whole new way.

I no longer rush to attend every spiritual event in my area. I now choose what serves me best for my soul and my time. Though I still occasionally sit in ritual filled circles, full of reverence, I prefer circles filled with authentic conversation or classes filled with knowledge now that I have the time and brain power to absorb it. I also enjoy sound circles where I can sit or lie down in stillness just being with the knowledge I do not have to rush to meet the needs of a growing family.

Maybe you are an empty nester, maybe you are single and have chosen to not embrace the pull of creating a family, maybe you are a mom of teenagers and have made the decision to not wait until they are grown to step into fulfillment. Maybe you are none of these things but can identify with other situations or impulses in your life. Regardless of where you are, I hope you are enjoying a rich spiritual life in your own way. I hope each day is filled with magic and wonder, deep breaths, and intentional movement.

Have a great day!

~Dana