By women’s author and teacher Miranda Gray.

Read also the introductory article.

When we are in stressful circumstances we often react with a ‘fight or flight’ response, and this is Mother Nature’s way of helping us to survive a dangerous situation. However, over a longer period of time this response can limit our abilities and our sense of spiritual connection and self. It can also influence our cycle – not only by changing the length of our cycle and any pre-menstrual or menstrual symptoms, but also by blocking us from experiencing the subtle energies and enhanced abilities that we have. It is these subtle gifts that we experience in each of our phases that make women the most flexible, adaptive and creative creatures on this planet. So, we need these abilities to help us through any crisis, and we need these abilities to help us to create the future after the crisis.

Let’s look at what we can do to meet the needs of our Enchantress and Crone Archetypes in their phases while we are living restricted lives and in self-isolation, so that we can maintain balance in the phase rather than respond from a stressed ‘fight or flight’ approach when this stress approach is no longer needed or beneficial.

Balancing the Enchantress in self-isolation

The Enchantress Archetype in ‘fight or flight’ mode can express a lot of anger and frustration at limitations and a lack of freedom to do what she wants ‘her’ way. The Enchantress needs to feel that she has control, because she herself is going through daily changes. As she slows down physically and mentally, she increasingly needs to control the environment and people around her to feel that she can manage everyday life and to feel safe and secure. Otherwise she can feel anxiety, frustration and anger. So, she needs the freedom to rest when she is tired, and to drop burdens and responsibilities.

The Enchantress also has a super sense of danger, which in a crisis situation can be overstimulated.  This superpower is extremely useful in this situation, but she may need some help analysing and working out the level of risk. She will see everything as dangerous, and can become very domineering and independent when her concerns are not validated or taken into account. 

The Enchantress can also have a strong impulse to clean, which again is useful in the current circumstances – but it has the potential to become compulsive. She may also have a compulsive need to try to understand and ‘fix’ everything.

The energies and gifts of the Enchantress are risk identification, problem solving, creativity, intuition, magic, and low energy.

To help support our Enchantress we can:

• Limit the amount of news we receive to reduce input and help stop emotional overwhelm. 

• Do our research from reputable sources, think about the risks and make action plans so we feel safe for ourselves and our family. Be creative where children are involved.

• Share our fears with someone who can validate them but not add to them. The fears of the Enchantress need to be heard.

• Rest more. It’s particularly important if we are a mother with children home due to isolation to create some quiet ‘me-time’ during the day to rest. However, a tired Enchantress in isolation can put a strain on any relationship. 

• Simplify things on all levels to make them manageable.

• Use our creativity to solve problems.

• Have a creative project which does not involve a lot of preparation – and give ourselves a little personal creative time every day.

• Do a major spring clean and keep surfaces disinfected. This is a great way to release Enchantress frustration and anger in a safe way.

• Use our spirituality to help us to realise that we cannot understand or fix everything, that we need to let go and trust. Read spiritual books, look for prayers online, or use the book ‘Spiritual Messages for Women’ for daily inspiration.

Lean more about balancing the other female archetypes of Maiden, Mother and Crone, and read the article ‘Introduction to Covid-19 self-isolation and mental and physical wellbeing in your menstrual cycle’