Hagitude Course
A woman's journey through midlife and beyondThe live program is now drawing to a close; on October 1, 2023, the material, resources and recordings will become available as a self-study, on-demand course. A registration form will then be available at the bottom of this page.
Please sign up to my newsletter to be informed when registration opens.
Our old women are the dark heart of the forest, the stone womb of the mountain, immanent in the living land itself. They’re elemental beings: storm-hags, fire-keepers, grandmothers of the sea.
They show us how to live when everything we thought mattered to us has been stripped away; they teach us how to stay rooted in the face of inevitable death. They teach us how to stand firm in the face of all the culture’s bullshit, and laugh.
you don’t mess with a witch
A Woman’s Journey through Midlife and Beyond
This twelve-Module program explores the ways in which we might flourish at midlife and beyond, in the decades that so often are portrayed as a time of decline. How can we map the territory, prepare ourselves for yet another searing transformation, and move into the second half of life with a new sense of vitality, creativity and vision?
Grounded in story, dreamwork and archetypal psychology, this inspirational course offers many different resources to help you reimagine the second half of your life. Please scroll down to see the content, team members and guest teachers.
How can we navigate the stormy waters of menopause and find continued growth, meaning and authenticity in the second half of life?
How might we work with the stories of the little-known but powerful elder women in myth and folklore – both to inspire us to create new stories of our own, and to reimagine our journey to and through elderhood?
How can we uncover, and embrace, our own unique, archetypal Inner Hag?
How, by working with and understanding our own stories, and our own mythopoetic journey through life, can we fully and finally embody the unique gift which each of us brings to this world, at this time?
How can women elders pass down their deep feminine wisdom for the benefit of the wider Earth community, in these ever-more challenging times? What resources can we develop together to help others on their journey?
Why purchase this course?
If you’re standing on the threshold of menopause and looking for support to navigate this intense and transformative alchemical journey, this program is for you.
If you’re already on the road to elderhood, this program offers you a chance to explore your continuing journey more deeply, and challenges you to find ways to to pass some of that hard-earned elder wisdom down to others.
If you’re a younger woman, this program offers you insights and inspirations to acclimatise yourself to the journey ahead of you.
inside the course
What you’ll receive
Once you sign up to the course, the following resources will immediately be available to you, so that you can work through them at your own pace.The material is extensive, and so we recommend that you work with it over the course of a year, just as we did in the live program on which this on-demand version is based.
Twelve invitations
Twelve Module workbooks laying out our themes, including prompts for reflection, creative expression and sharing. (Please see below for more information on the Module themes.)
Guest teachers
Video recordings of workshops with our guest teachers: Anne Baring, Manda Scott, Mary Reynolds Thompson, Carolyn Hillyer, Christa McKinnon, Mary McLaughlin, Heather Munro Pierce and Moya McGinley. (See this page for more information.)
The Fool's Journey
Guided by Sharon, in twelve written instalments with prompts, you’ll work with the model of the Fool’s Journey (a journey through the Major Arcana of the Tarot) as a representation of the journey through the second half of life.
inside the course
What you’ll receive
Once you sign up to the program, the following resources will immediately be available to you, so that you can work through them at your own pace. The material is extensive, and so we recommend that you work with it over the course of a year, just as we did in the live program on which this on-demand version is based.
Twelve webinar recordings
Video recordings of twelve 60-minute Zoom teaching/discussion session with Sharon.
Sharing circles and dreamwork
Video recordings of twelve sharing circles, hosted by team members Angharad Wynne and Martine Steen; six recordings of dreamwork sessions hosted by Katharine Donovan Kane.
Growing our creative confidence
Guided by author Tanya Shadrick, you’ll work with monthly writing prompts, in order to grow your creative confidence. The recording of a live session with Tanya is also available.
Module themes
1. Introductory circle
– Why are we here? What does it mean, to be elder, and why do women elders matter?
– What is a hag, and why do we use the label?
– Introducing the threads which run through the program: the myths and stories of elderhood; growing our creative confidence; dreamwork; the Fool’s Journey.
2. Menopause: standing on the threshold
– Menopause as an initiation into a new phase of life
– What wisdom do we need to navigate this transition?
– How do we make space for it?
– What rituals and resources can we create to mark and ease the passage?
– How do we pass on what we’ve learned to women approaching menopause?
3. The House of Elders
– What wisdom do we need to navigate this new phase of life?
– How do we make space for it?
– What rituals and resources can we create to mark and ease the passage?
– How do we pass on what we’ve learned to women who are just embarking on this journey?
4. Individuation: the work of the second half of life
– What is individuation, and how do we do it?
– Erik Erikson’s ‘Stages of Life’
– How can we orient ourselves to the changing landscape of our inner life, as we age?
– Identifying and letting go of outworn roles and stories
– Meeting the Shadow
5. Gathering the stories
– What myths and stories can we find to illuminate our path into elderhood?
– How do we pass the stories on?
– Becoming a wisdom-keeper, a story-tender, a story-teller
6. Your Inner Hag
– A deep dive into personal archetypes
– Gathering your Council of Elders
7. Mythopoesis
– Deeper explorations of the imaginal world
8. Spiritual eldering
– The holy longing
– Uncovering our spiritual authenticity and authority
– What is our ‘native’ spiritual lineage?
– How do we reimagine old traditions for a new world?
– Developing the practices and passing them on
9. Becoming a good ancestor
– Exploring the Motherline
– Identifying and creating your legacy
– What is it that you want to pass on, and how will you do it?
– How do we help others to become good ancestors, and what resources do we need to do it?
10. Sacred activism
– How do we mine our deep feminine wisdom for the benefit of the wider Earth community, in these ever-more challenging times?
– The many different faces of activism
11. The Valley of the Shadow of Death
– Staying present in the face of our own mortality, and that of others
– Befriending Death
– Illness as a portal to enhanced inner vision
– Rituals and resources
12. Closing circle
– Developing, sharing and committing to our plans for the future
The Hagitude Team
Dr Sharon Blackie
PROGRAM LEAD
Sharon is an award-winning writer of 5 books, and an internationally recognised teacher with a professional background in psychology, folklore and mythology. She’s a member of the Royal Society of Arts and the winner of the Society of Authors’ Roger Deakin Award. Find out more here.
Angharad Wynne
Angharad is a storyteller who runs workshops, retreats and pilgrimages, leads ceremony and co-creates ritual, to share her understanding of the old ways of this land and how they can bring us back to our place within the web of life.
Tanya Shadrick
Tanya is the author of the acclaimed memoir, The Cure for Sleep, which tells the story of how she transformed her life – slowly and steadily – after sudden near-death at thirty-three.
Martine Steen
Martine lives partly in Holland and partly in France. She has worked as a medical doctor for most of her life, and in various medical disciplines, including at the medical centre of the University of Nijmegen, where she developed trainings in mindfulness.
Ruthie Kølle
HEDGE-ANGEL & ADMIN HELP
Ruthie is the proprietress of Mother Hylde’s Herbal in rural Pennsylvania. She has been studying folk and clinical herbalism since 2012; she’s also a licensed massage therapist and has been practicing intuitive bodywork since 2005.
Katharine Donovan Kane
Katharine lives in Maryland, near Washington DC. She’s a story-listener and poet who uses her highly sensitive nature in her work as a spiritual life coach and dreamwork facilitator.
Sign up for Sharon's newsletter
Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter, 'The Art of Enchantment', on Substack, and be among the first to hear all the latest news about my books, courses and events – as well as personal seasonal reflections and reading recommendations. You’ll also receive a special gift as a thank you for joining me!
If you'd like to become a paid subscriber, you'll have access to exclusive articles, podcasts, chat and much more.
Please note that if you are already subscribed to my Substack, you don’t need to subscribe again here to receive Hagitude updates.