03/07/2026
A near week ago, twelve women gathered in the name of “Matrescence,” a term coined by anthropologist Dana Raphael in th 70s, revived by in the 2010s, and that has recently gone viral via and ’s campaign for it to be included in the dictionary.
These women and mothers dedicated the morning to recalling, discovering, studying, articulating, and drawing each path of their matrescence journeys to date. They then dedicated the afternoon to ceremonializing where their matrescence journeys may take them next, traversing a labyrinth in search of their Heart’s Question.
Perhaps you can already tell - this was not your typical retreat.
These women were not pampered.
There were no massages, face masks, or grazing tables.
Instead, these women were deeply (and willingly) inconvenienced by what many of us might call The Work.
They stepped into the parts of motherhood that are raw, complicated, and heavy with grief.
There were tears, an altar, filled notebook pages, tulips, and homemade soup.
A pair of bluebirds watched over these women as they descended into the labyrinth. Several women left an offering at the labyrinth’s center where they stood still. Breathed. And noticed.
Our time together continues to play on repeat in my mind. The stories, the connections, the deep inner work, it all plays on a loop as war unfolds, genocide continues, and predators are yet to be held accountable.
Let us choose to see these seemingly juxtaposing energies as purposefully synchronous. Let us mothers see our deep inner work ripple to our children, our community, our collective.
We do not mother in vain.
We ascend on purpose, with purpose.
And, to that end, when people ask “how are you?” or “are they sleeping through the night yet?” or “you’re still breastfeeding?” - tell them.
Tell them you are transforming.
Tell them your priorities, your goals, your relationships, your values, have all shifted.
Tell them when you birthed your baby you also (re)birthed yourself.
Tell them.
Use the word.
Tell them about Matrescence.
🖤
