CREATRIX RISING

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REVIEWS

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FROM C.S. HOLMES FOR INDIE READER:

CREATRIX RISING: Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women by Stephanie Raffelock provides much invitation as well as inspiration for women towards embracing their power, wisdom, and love toward shaping this world into a better one for all.

 

There are so many wonderful facets to CREATRIX RISING: Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women by Stephanie Raffelock as it takes a closer look at women’s reality in relation to age, accomplishment, sisterhood connection, language, healing and even current events. Helping to deflate the much-perpetuated Newsweek myth that women over 35 years of age are more likely to be shot by a terrorist than marry (which was based on a faulty study and eventually recalled), by her 50s the author managed to debunk such fearful foolishness and she posits that perhaps the midlife stage of being a “Creatrix” who is coming into her full power is a stage that’s been left out of the traditional three-point paradigm of Maiden-Mother-Crone. After all, regardless of how feminists endeavored to reclaim the word, originally the term “…crone entered the lexicon six hundred year ago, around 1390…” and was meant to define a disagreeable old woman often portrayed as–not just elderly–but also ugly and desexualized. How many mothers in their 20s, 30s, or 40s plan on becoming disagreeable and decrepit just as soon as the kids move towards having lives of their own? (Or for that matter, via the above limited female archetypes, are women who don’t become mothers supposedly skipping directly from Maiden to Crone?)

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Raffelock contends that the stage of becoming the kind of seasoned powerhouse that she’s named a “Creatrix” is what she and so many mature women are experiencing; a time when the birth of much goodness beyond having children is possible. This stage is not necessarily always easy or smooth, however. Most touching are the personal tales Raffelock shares from her life–for instance how wonderfully, generously sharing and caring a group of girlfriends she was able to spontaneously be part of at one time as all of them strived to secure careers, and how heartbreaking it was to try and recreate that type of collective camaraderie many years later in an organized way, only to have those efforts explode. Occurrences with workplace sexual harassment with non-disclosure settlements are explored, alongside eras of surviving drug-use and the process of becoming one’s own hero(ine). This is a supportive self-actualizing resource of the highest order and readers of any age are likely to palpably feel their spirits rise.

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Prompts for reflection, journaling, and action-taking are amply provided in Stephanie Raffelock’s CREATRIX RISING: Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women, an eclectic, personable, encouraging, deep-pondering, and potentially life-changing ode to ladies coming into their own.

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FROM EMMA MEGAN FOR READERS' FAVORITE:

Creatrix Rising: Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women by Stephanie Raffelock is a short, powerful read that shows through real inspirational stories about special women why we should view the aging process as an asset and not as something repulsive. From this book, you'll learn about an archetypal model created by a man supposed to represent the summation of a woman’s life: maiden/mother/crone. But because Stephanie Raffelock believes (like all women do) that crone doesn't define midlife women at all, she wrote this book to open our eyes and see how midlife women embrace and celebrate the creativity, maturity, and wisdom that only come with age. Stephanie eliminates the myth of insignificance around older women by introducing a new word that defines midlife women more accurately; the Creatrix.

Creatrix Rising by Stephanie Raffelock is a tribute to older women who emerged into the most creative phase of their lives with grace. This beautiful work deserves to be read by women of all ages because it shows that their potential to create, lead, inspire, and reinvent themselves to become whatever they want does not stop at fifty or sixty or any age. Stephanie did a great job of teaching midlife women to embrace the aging process. In this book, she presents the upside of menopause and encourages all women to live their lives on their own terms. Stephanie exposes her vulnerability and insecurities and talks about the darkest moments of her early life. As a result, Creatrix Rising is overall a great act of courage on the author's part. I highly recommend it because I agree that men can no longer define women.

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FROM MARCI SHIMOFF, #1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF HAPPY FOR NO REASON

AND NO REASON AND CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE WOMAN'S SOUL:

“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.”

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FROM RICHARD BLANCO, #2013 PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL POET

AND AUTHOR OF HOW TO LOVE A COUNTRY:

“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.”

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FROM GABBY REESE, VOLLEYBALL LEGEND, NIKE'S FIRST FEMALE SPOKESWOMAN,

AND NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR: 

“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.”

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FROM JOAN BORYSENKO PhD, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR AND
FOUNDING PARTNER OF MIND/BODY HEALTH SCIENCES, LLC: 

“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.”