The Forgotten Feminine: 3 Ancient Teachings Every Modern Woman Needs

In a world full of noise, sometimes what we need most is to go deeper—and older.
 In this solo episode, I’m sharing three powerful lessons from ancient feminine wisdom that have shaped how I live, lead, and trust myself. These aren’t just stories from myth or history—they’re fierce, relevant truths that speak directly to the woman who’s done with people-pleasing, self-doubt, and the endless performance of being “good.”

You’ll meet:

• Lilith — the original woman who refused to shrink to fit
• The Cailleach, Mami Wata, and Hildegard — fierce keepers of intuition and ancestral knowing
• Dipa Ma, Pema Chödrön, and Quan Yin — women who show us how to carry pain with compassion, not shame

And with each teaching, you’ll get a simple, tangible practice to help you bring it into your real, everyday life.

This episode is an invitation to return—not to who you were—but to who you’ve always been underneath the noise.
 Because maybe midlife isn’t a reinvention.
 Maybe it’s a return.

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Tag me on Instagram @eimearzonecoach and tell me which lesson hit home.

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Transcript

The Forgotten Feminine: 3 Ancient Teachings Every Modern Woman Needs

Hey, and welcome back.

Today, we're going to go back in time—but not just back, deeper within. I'm going to share some perhaps forgotten, definitely buried, feminine wisdom. These are three ancient teachings from powerful, overlooked feminine figures. Of course, there are many, but I’ve chosen three that are particularly important to me—three teachings I’ve learned a lot from.

One of them surprised me deeply, and I want to pass them on in the hope that they will serve you, too.

There are three lessons, and I’ll also share three practices you can try. My intention is that you’ll walk away from this episode not just with new information—because, let’s face it, we’re drowning in information—but with something deeper. A soul-nourishing kind of wisdom that resonates at the core.

Let’s begin.

Lesson One: You Are Not Here to Be Good

I want to introduce you to Lilith.

I only learned about her last week, so if she’s new to you, you’re not alone. Lilith appears in various ancient texts—Babylonian Talmud, Jewish mysticism, Kabbalistic traditions. In early Mesopotamian myths, she was a winged spirit associated with the wind and storms—feared, but also deeply respected.

By the time of the Hebrew Bible, Lilith had been demonized, written out—seen as a threat to patriarchy.

But who was she really?

According to medieval Jewish folklore, Lilith was Adam’s first wife. Not created from his rib, but from the same earth—equal in substance. She refused to be subservient. She insisted on equality. And when she was denied it, she chose exile over obedience. She left Eden.

Later tellings cast her as the seductress or demon, but feminist scholars have reclaimed her as the original woman who said: “No. This isn’t good enough.”

She’s the one who said, “I will not shrink myself to fit who you think I should be.”

Fast forward to today. How many of us are still trying to be good?

A good wife. A good mother (oh, sweet Lord—what an impossible role). A good employee. A good girl. Even when it’s killing our joy.

So often, we say yes when our whole body is screaming no.

Why? Because we confuse being good with being safe. With being accepted. But goodness, often, is just compliance in nice clothing.

Just yesterday, a lovely woman contacted me. She wanted me to be the class representative for my daughter’s class next year. My body screamed: hell no.

And I was paralyzed for a second—worried what she might think. But then, I said no. Politely. Kindly. But firmly. And I let go of her opinion. That’s hers to carry.

Practice One:
Today, notice one moment where you're choosing “good” over “true.”
Maybe it’s a conversation you're avoiding, or a request you want to say no to.
Maybe it’s an apology you're offering that isn't even yours to give.
Choose to say something real instead of something nice—even if it’s just to yourself.

Lesson Two: The Voice Inside You Is Older Than You Think

What if your intuition isn’t new?

What if it’s ancient?

I’m 55 now, and I don’t think my intuition began with me. I believe it’s ancestral.

Let me introduce you to a few feminine figures who remind me of this truth.

The Cailleach from Irish Celtic mythology is a crone goddess of winter, storms, and mountains. Her name means “the veiled one.” She shaped landscapes with her hammer. She’s not pretty or submissive—she’s powerful, wise, and transformative.

Mami Wata, from West African tradition, is a sensual, spiritually potent water deity. She governs dreams, fertility, intuition, and healing. She blesses those who honor their inner voice.

Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th-century Christian mystic, wrote about the feminine face of God—Sophia—and the greening force of life, viriditas. Silenced for a time by the Church, her wisdom survived.

These figures all remind us that intuition isn’t fluff. It’s legacy. It’s the whisper of every woman who came before us.

In midlife, many of us begin to feel this dissonance, this ache that says: “Is this it?” We may look around and see a life built on shoulds. But there comes a time when we say: “Now me.”

Your intuition is not just yours. It’s inherited. Sacred. And real.

Practice Two:
Each day this week, ask yourself:
“What am I pretending not to know?”
Let the answer rise. No editing. No justifying.
You might journal it, or sit with it in silence. Whatever comes—let it.

Lesson Three: Your Pain Is Not Personal

Pain is part of the deal of being human. It’s not proof you're broken—it’s proof you’re alive.

But how often do we think, “Why am I still struggling with this? Why haven’t I got it together?”

Let’s reframe it through the wisdom of three women.

Dipa Ma was an Indian meditation teacher in the Theravada lineage. After losing her child and husband, she fell into illness and depression. Through intensive mindfulness practice, she healed. She taught housewives, mothers, working women—she shattered stereotypes about who could walk the spiritual path.

Pema Chödrön, a Tibetan Buddhist nun, teaches that pain isn’t to be resisted—it’s to be befriended. In When Things Fall Apart, she speaks of sitting with discomfort without fixing it.

Kuan Yin, the bodhisattva of compassion in Chinese Buddhism, is often shown holding a vase of healing water, listening to the cries of the world. She comforts not by removing pain—but by being with it.

We live in a culture obsessed with positivity and performance. Pain is pathologized. We think something is wrong with us when we suffer. But these women teach us: pain isn’t a flaw—it’s a portal.

Especially in midlife, we may carry invisible grief. For what we gave up. For what never was. Pain doesn’t make you weak. It makes you real.

Practice Three:
Finish this sentence:
“What I still carry is…”
Maybe it’s grief. Rage. A quiet dream that never got air.
Let it rise. Don’t judge it. Name it. That’s the beginning of healing.

Final Thoughts

These teachings—Lilith’s refusal, the Cailleach’s knowing, Dipa Ma’s compassion—they’re not metaphors. They’re mirrors. They reflect what was never lost, only buried.

Maybe midlife isn’t reinvention. Maybe it’s return.

Not about doing more. But about being more—more you.

So choose one teaching that stirred you.
 Let it sit in your heart.
 Truth. Intuition. Compassion.
 That’s the path back to yourself.

If something in this episode landed with you, I’d love to hear from you.
 Drop me a note at: eimear@eimearzone.com

And until next time...
 Choose yourself.
 Again.
 And again.
 And again.