The Bitch, the Crone, and the Harlot: Reclaiming the Magical Feminine in Midlife

How do women enter the second half of life? For many, the assumption is that midlife marks the end of their most powerful period, when their sexual intensity, emotional vitality, and persuasiveness was at its peak. Not so, shows author Susan Schachterle in this warm, funny, and gorgeously written book. Using incidents from history, case histories from her counseling work, stories from her life, and examples from her corporate and non-profit consulting career, she shows that midlife in fact represents a time when women's sexuality, wisdom, and power can come into full bloom.

Susan Schachterle describes three archetypes that guide women's unfoldment at midlife and beyond. The first is The Bitch, which she defines as a woman who can make things happen-but without visiting devastation on the people and situations around her. The second is The Crone, who is a repository of all the wisdom and experience she has won in her earlier struggles, who is able to live from that wisdom herself, and whose acumen is generously offered in the service of others.

The third is The Harlot. With luscious words and images, Susan Schachterle conjures up a world in which every delightful sensory experience is noticed, and absorbed fully. Rather than being distracted by the frantic pace of her youth, the Harlot gives herself time to absorb the beauty around her-as well as reveling in her deep store of sensual knowledge. For a generation of women who are healthier, wealthier, and more attuned to their spiritual fulfillment, this book engages the heart and the senses to offer a grand new image of the rich possibilities available to women at midlife.