My guest today is a proper badass hag.  Jane Hardwicke Collings is a grandmother, former homebirth midwife for 30 years, a teacher, writer and menstrual educator. She gives workshops on mother and daughter preparation for menstruation, the spiritual practice of menstruation, and the sacred dimensions of pregnancy, birth and menopause. Jane founded and runs The School of Shamanic Womancraft, an international Women’s Mysteries School.I wanted to know how to be a fab elder, or hag or crone because there really aren’t so many positive role models or much signposting. We discussed:o   What menopause taught Jane about being an elder. o   The importance of owning our language and how we name ourselves: hag, crone, elder, wise womano   How to balance following your passion with caring for being in an ageing body. o   How can we protect against the mental effects of ageingo   How do we counteract the miserable narratives about older womeno   What Jane wished she had known in her 40’so   How Jane’s relationship with death illuminates her day-to-day living You’ll notice in the conversation that though we both use a seasonal structure as a map for life, Jane and I do this differently. Jane sees one cycle through the seasons with the end of Winter announcing death, and I see two cycles, with a Second Spring starting postmenopause. Jane's links:Website www.janehardwickecollings.com and   www.schoolofshamanicwomancraft.com Instagram  @janehardwickecollings Facebook  ‘Jane Hardwicke Collings’ More information about Katehttps://www.katecodrington.co.uk/Instagram @kate_codringtonSecond Spring: the self-care guide to menopause is available from your favourite bookshopMusicTrust Me (instrumental) by RYYZNCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0Free Download / StreamMusic promoted by Audio LibraryArtworkKate's portrait by Lori Fitzdoodles