Walking through menopause into flourishing enchantment

In this work I explore the meaning of menopause to gain an understanding of the cultural and social concepts that influence its Western manifestations. Through auto-ethnography I examine my personal experience of menopause in relationship to these concepts and the intense sensations guiding me to walk into a deeper ecological/biological environmental understanding. I comment on the role of the ‘menopausal lens’ through which to view academic methodology. I explore women walking through pilgrimage, prostitution, past-time and power as a privileged, able bodied, white, Western, female identifying menopausal human. I examine fractal assemblages, atmospheric attunements, rhythm thinking and space and time within and through the biological/ecological process of menopause. I suggest that the Western over emphasis of a psychologised and medicalised experience of menopause restricts the exploration of an ethico-onto-epistemological relationship with the more-than-human; one that if it was given the cultural approval/acceptance to investigate could result in an experience of flourishing enchantment for more womb carrying people. I conclude with suggestions for embedding outdoor experiential programmes within the remit of GP lead exercise referral programmes and social prescribing so that more people have the opportunity to explore flourishing enchantment