Creatrix Rising: Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women

by Stephanie Raffelock

Overview

Ever since Eve was banned from the garden, women have endured the oftentimes painful and inaccurate definitions foisted upon them by the patriarchy. Maiden, mother, and crone, representing the three stages assigned to a woman’s life cycle, have been the limiting categories of both ancient and modern (neo-pagan) mythology. And one label in particular rankles: crone. The word conjures a wizened hag—useless for the most part, marginalized by appearance and ability.

None of us has ever truly fit the old-crone image, and for today’s midlife women, a new archetype is being birthed: the creatrix.

In Creatrix Rising, Stephanie Raffelock lays out—through personal stories and essays—the highlights of the past fifty years, in which women have gone from a quiet strength to a resounding voice. She invites us along on her own transformational journey by providing probing questions for reflection so that we can flesh out and bring to life this new archetype within ourselves. If what the Dalai Lama has predicted—that women will save the world—proves true, then the creatrix will for certain be out front, leading the pack.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647421632
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	08/24/2021
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Stephanie Raffelock is the author of A Delightful Little Book on Aging (She Writes Press, 2020). A graduate of Naropa University’s program in writing and poetics, she has worked as a freelancer for The Aspen Times and The Rogue Valley Messenger and has written and blogged for Nexus Magazine, Omaha Lifestyles, Care2.com, and SixtyandMe.com, to name a few. She is a popular public speaker for employment relations groups and has given national keynotes for Breaking The Glass as well as Charles Schwab on the topic of feminist history. A recent transplant to Austin, Texas, Stephanie enjoys an active life with her husband, Dean, and their Labrador retriever, Mickey.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Prologue: The Stage Is Set for the Creatrix to Emerge xvii

Part I The Heroine's Journey

Chapter 1 Fear and Love 5

Chapter 2 Finding Eva 12

Chapter 3 A Price to Be Paid 19

Chapter 4 Everyone Has a Place Where the Journey Begins 26

Part II Creatrix Rising

Chapter 5 Menopause, the Spiritual Bridge 41

Chapter 6 The Foreshadowing 47

Chapter 7 A Good Thing or a Bad Thing? 57

Chapter 8 Finding Voice, and Belonging: A Story of Reinvention 64

Part III Embodying the Creatrix

Chapter 9 Creatrix as Artist 76

Chapter 10 Creatrix as Healer 81

Chapter 11 Creatrix as Teacher 87

Chapter 12 Creatrix as Illuminator 95

Part IV Celebrating the Creatrix

Chapter 13 Celebrate Friendships 109

Chapter 14 Celebrate Soul Work 115

Chapter 15 Celebrate Forgiveness and Grace 122

Chapter 16 Celebrate Your Story 129

Epilogue 141

Acknowledgments 147

Editorial Reviews

07/12/2021

Inspired by the upheaval of American life during the Trump years, Raffelock (A Delightful Little Book on Aging) charts a course to embracing the title of Creatrix—her renaming of the archetypal feminine models of maiden, mother, and most especially crone—to empower other women. At the age of 68, Raffelock found herself among an oft-ignored group that has been slowly gaining a voice in society: midlife women. Through brief vignettes accompanied by prompts for journaling and reflection, Raffelock inspires midlife women to consider their own journeys in life and tap into their creative power.

Raffelock is a product of and poster child of her generation, and she devotes considerable energy to examining the development of her feminist identity and recounting her struggles with drug addiction. Rather than glamorize her past drug use, she illustrates her self-destructive tendencies and how easy it was to indulge them in Laurel Canyon in the 1970s. Her feminism, too, is very much situated in that era: Her heartfelt description of the 2017 Women’s March emphasizes a sense of hope, uplift, and cross-generational connection: “Older women like me had the experience of an earlier feminism,” she notes. “Younger women carried the torch of new inspiration and vision. We’d been walking side by side for longer than any of us realized.”

Raffelock’s voice is gentle but probing, of herself and her audience, which shines through in her journal prompts: Neither gimmick nor afterthought, they’re a continual highlight, functioning as an introspective, reflective tool for readers seeking a new perspective or an opportunity to work through the complexities of feminism. Full of heart and impassioned insight (“There is no diagnostic code for grief, and there are no medications for sorrow”), Creatrix Rising empowers and inspires midlife women with the author’s hard-earned wisdom, providing a framework for readers to come into their own revolutionary power as a Creatrix.

Takeaway: Midlife women who want to reclaim their power will find inspiration and tools for reflection in this moving memoir.

Great for fans of: Clarissa Pinkola Estés’s Women Who Run with the Wolves, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic.

Production grades Cover: B Design and typography: A Illustrations: N/A Editing: A Marketing copy: A

BookLife Reviews

2021 Living Now Book Awards Silver Winner in Aging/Death & Dying
2021 International Book Awards Finalist in Women’s Issues

“Full of heart and impassioned insight . . . Creatrix Rising empowers and inspires midlife women with the author’s hard-earned wisdom, providing a framework for readers to come into their own revolutionary power as a Creatrix.”
—BookLife

“The disparity between the cultural perception of midlife women and how women actually see themselves has opened the door for a new archetype, the Creatrix. In her new book on the theme of positive aging, Creatrix Rising, Stephanie Raffelock offers a reimagining of midlife as the most powerful and creative time in a woman’s life, celebrating her strengths and redefining her beauty. This is a book that shifts the paradigm of what’s possible as women age and ushers in a much-needed cultural transformation that benefits everyone.”
—Joan Borysenko, PhD, New York Times best-selling author and founding partner of Mind/Body Health Sciences, LLC

“The perfect topic at the perfect time, Stephanie Raffelock’s self-help memoir, Creatrix Rising, identifies a new archetype, the Creatrix, that transcends the old archetype of Crone. Her stories and insights about how far women have come is nothing short of inspirational. A must-read for any woman who wants to embrace the strength and creativity of midlife.”
—Marci Shimoff, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Happy for No Reason and Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul

“Poetic and philosophical, Creatrix Rising will inspire readers to claim the courage and confidence that already lives inside of them. An intimate story of transformation, of journeying through life on your own terms without apology.”
—Richard Blanco, 2013 Presidential Inaugural Poet and author of How to Love a Country

“The new archetype Stephanie Raffelock assigns to midlife women underscores the assets and wisdom older women bring to our culture and to the greater good. Creatrix Rising is an affirmation and celebration of the feminine story taking place in leadership and creativity throughout our country.”
—Gabby Reese, volleyball legend, Nike’s first female spokeswoman, and New York Times best-selling author

“Prompts for reflection, journaling, and action-taking are amply provided in Stephanie Raffelock’s Creatrix Rising—an eclectic, personable, encouraging, deep-pondering, and potentially life-changing ode to ladies coming into their own.”
—IndieReader

From the Publisher