OUT FROM THE SHADOWS: Aging to Ageless?

Does “Ageless” Puzzle You?

It’s no surprise if it does. Younger and older generations are moving into unchartered territory of long life, revealing crises and opportunities, both inside and out. 

The good news is that something is shifting in the deep bedrock of our eternal souls. Beneath the surface of our psyche potent disowned or dissed archetypal energy forces are demanding to be seen and heard.  Disowning our archetypal energies limits us and keeps us in the dark.

It is in the shadows that we must look to find illumination. Only then will we open into our vast inner range to access some of the wisdom dimensions of consciousness and to touch into the transcendent.

It is here within the deepest outreaches of our psyche that we have the opportunity to tame and embrace the anti-aging voices within us. Tops on our hit list of the most vociferous sinister inner archetypal voices are the devouring “Midlife Dragon”, and it's more destructive, deeply disruptive "Inner Ageist". Traversing this inner terrain is the only sure way to discover and unleash our Inner Visionary, the Ageless Crone. 

What I've found is that the most challenging hurdle for each of us to overcome so that we can fully own and define our Agelessness is to bring to light and own what I have long referred to as our "Inner Ageist" one of our most challenging archetypal Voices of Aging! I assure you that this substrata shadow aspect of aging is far more  pervasive and damaging than you may realize!  These hidden-from-view shadow energetic voices show up in the workplace, on interviews, in our personal relationships —they  impact every decision we make, and alter every response we have.

Warning: Do not attempt this confrontation on your own!  Best to start gently, in the safe hands of an experienced shadow worker:)  The desired end-result is to know and fully embrace who you are when you are no longer young!

See more from this excerpt of my Amazon Bestseller "The Ageless Way."

The irony of accomplishment is that often those who are the most successful are those who do not fully recognize their worth. They are constantly proving themselves to the trio of archetypal inner voices inside—the inner perfectionist, the inner critic, and the inner pusher—that criticize and tell them they aren’t good enough…that they simply aren’t enough, period. These voices are like our own personal spiteful stepmother and stepsisters from the tale of Vasilisa and other fairy tales across cultures. We are poised to rock our age for the ages. 

The successes we achieve never satisfy these inner voices, and the fear of failure (which this trio contends is an ever-present risk), keeps us from taking chances that could lead us beyond mere success toward realizing a greater vision for our future. These inner voices are often at the root of our past and present stories, telling us a distorted narrative that we believe to be true, that we believe to be our own. We all must further contend with the Inner Patriarch (women and men), embedded deep within through societal and cultural programming and messaging. This inner voice, like a stealth bomber, flies under the radar. We often don’t recognize it’s even there (constraining men and boys, but markedly ruthless and unrelenting in women and girls), telling us we are less than, we are limited—always falling short in some way as a professional, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a father, a husband, and a son. Those who, on the surface, appear to be successful often live in constant fear of being “found out” for whom they really are (what I call the “Sham Syndrome”). Given this sense of dread, they don’t sell themselves professionally, may turn down promotions because they feel they aren’t ready, or they don’t assertively and confidently seek funding and customers for their own business—if they even take the chance on starting that business in the first place. These inner voices bellow, “You won’t be taken seriously. You can’t do this. Don’t make waves!” For women at midlife and beyond, some of the anti-aging voices of aging can get particularly nasty, starting with what I call the “Dragon of Midlife", only outdone by its deeply embedded distruptive cohort, your "Inner Ageist": “It’s too late for you. You’re not credible unless you are young and beguiling! Haven’t you got that yet?” These anti-aging inner voices berate us for the changes in our bodies—our appearance, our energy, our health—and “remind” us that we are no longer relevant, that we are a burden, or that we shouldn’t bother speaking up because no one will take an “old woman” seriously. 

Add to this the inner voice I call “Beat the Clock Syndrome,” the one reminding us that we have only so much time left, throwing us into a panic to check off our bucket list, to accomplish something meaningful, to matter before it’s too late. Shaming and guilting us, these archetypal inner voices hit every nerve we have, plunging us into self-doubt. Early on, we believe we can’t be successful without abandoning our families. We aren’t strong enough, smart enough. Fear of failure keeps us from taking chances. 

 WOMEN SHAPING THE NEW STORY OF OUR AGE enough, savvy enough for that promotion. Or we’re just not ready. Then before we know it, there’s a new inner voice telling us it’s too late.

Agelessness requires both “shadow work” and “soul work” to reclaim the archetypal Soul of Aging. It is Ageless.

Let’s give Ageless a chance!

Get a sneak peek into Karen’s Amazon #1 Best Seller, "The Ageless Way" Claim your FREE mini book, “The Origin of the New HerStory of Our Age” download here.