Wait… did I lose my passion? or Has it change?
This Month’s Journey;
we’re exploring what matters now — your passion, your habits, your inner voice, and the opportunities ahead.
Week 1 — Find Your Passion
Week 2 — Habits & Rituals
Week 3 — Your Inner Voice
Week 4 — New Opportunities
This Week 1 Focus - How to Find Your Passion
Finding Your Passion — reconnecting with the deeper fire that guides your next chapter.
Recent research shows that midlife is one of the most common times for women to question their passion, identity, and direction — not because something is wrong, but because biological shifts, life transitions, and accumulated emotional labor create a natural turning point.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” — Mary Oliver
1. STORY — The Moment the Old Map Stops Working
Midlife has a way of waking you up.
Not with drama — but with a steady pressure that whispers: Something is off.
For many women, this shift arrives in the late 40s or early 50s. The life you built starts to feel too small. The routines that once made sense no longer fit. And the question rises — sharp and impossible to ignore:
What do I want now?
I’ve worked with midlife women for years, and I’m one of them. My own shift was drastic — leaving Norway and starting over in the U.S. — but the feeling behind it is universal. After decades of taking care of everyone else, the inner voice finally says:
It’s my turn.
This isn’t about teenage dreams or sexual passion. It’s about the deeper fire — the one that asks who do you want to be in the second half of your life, and what you want to build with the years you have left.
2. MIDLIFE INSIGHT — Why This Shift Happens
Midlife doesn’t create the desire for change out of nowhere. It’s the moment when several forces converge and make you see your life with clarity.
Hormonal Shifts Perimenopause changes mood, sleep, and energy. You become less tolerant of what drains you and more aware of what you need.
Life Transitions Children leave. Parents age. Careers level out. The roles that defined you for decades begin to loosen — and you feel space opening. (who are you now? Who do I want to be?)
The Weight of Responsibility Years of caregiving and emotional labor build up. Your system finally says: I can’t carry all of this anymore.
Existential Clarity You realize you’re halfway through your life. That awareness sharpens everything — your choices, your relationships, your direction.
What This Shift Feels Like
A sudden urge to change something
A loss of interest in what used to excite you
Restlessness without a clear reason
A pull toward something new, even if you can’t name it yet
If it feels overwhelming, talking with a therapist or counselor can help you sort through the noise and understand what this shift is pointing you toward. Support strengthens clarity.
3. HERITAGE — The Viking Approach to Purpose
Viking women didn’t wait for permission to change their lives. They understood something modern women often forget:
Purpose isn’t found. Purpose is chosen
In Norse culture, women held land, led households, managed trade, healed communities, and shaped decisions. They didn’t ask whether they were “passionate” about something — they asked:
· Does this strengthen me?
· Does this serve my people?
· Does this align with who I am becoming?
When a path no longer fit, they shifted. They adapted. They stepped into the next role with clarity and courage.
This is your heritage.
Not chaos — capacity.
Not softness — strength.
Not waiting — choosing.
Midlife isn’t the end of your story. It’s the moment you reclaim the authority Viking women lived by: the right to redefine your direction.
4. HERBS & OILS — Allies for Clarity and Forward Motion
Sage — The Herb of Clear Mind and Steady Ground
Sage has been used for centuries by women across cultures, including in Northern Europe, for strength, clarity, and balance. Modern research shows it can:
reduce hot flash intensity
support mood stability
improve psychological well‑being
ease the “fog” that makes decision‑making harder
Sage doesn’t ignite passion. It creates the conditions for passion to appear.
When your body feels calmer, your mind becomes clearer — clear enough to ask what comes next.
How to Use Sage (Simple + Easy)
If you want to try Sage today, the easiest way is sage tea:
Add a few fresh or dried sage leaves to hot water
Steep 5–10 minutes
Sip warm or cool throughout the day
Add any sweeteners if needed (honey, sugar, stevia or other)
More recipes, blends, and ways to use Sage, will come, and the link added.
Want more info about Sage - Get the full Sage herb PDF
Safety Note; Please check with your doctor before using natural remedies by mouth, through the nose, or on your skin. Even herbal products can have side effects or interactions.
5. RITUALS — The Three‑Fire Practice
In old Norse homes, three fires sustained life — the hearth for warmth, the forge for shaping what comes next, and the signal flame for direction.
These three questions mirror those fires,
To helping you see;
what warms you,
what needs reshaping,
and what calls you forward.
**************
Before You Begin
Find a comfortable place to sit. Wrap yourself in your blanket. Breathe gently — in through your nose, out through your mouth — five slow times. Let your shoulders soften. Let your body settle. When you feel yourself drop one layer deeper, begin the ritual.
Sit with a blank page.
Write three headings:
What I can’t ignore
What I’m done with
What I want more of
Write without stopping.
Circle the words that feel alive.
Those are your passion signals.
Passion isn’t found in dreams. It’s found in patterns.
If You Want a Deeper Ritual
A longer guided practice — The Legacy Table Ritual — will be part of the upcomingFinding Your Passionkit. It’s a story‑based ritual that helps you step back, see your life from a wider perspective, and understand what truly matters in midlife and beyond.
And if you want to begin right now, here is your free ritual: Download the Three‑Fire Practice (PDF)
6. HABITS — Structure That Supports Identity
Before you can build new habits, you need to see which ones no longer belong in your life.
Some habits keep you stuck.
Some habits move you forward.
This week, don’t try to change everything. Just identify:
habits that drain your energy
habits that no longer fit who you are
habits that support the woman you’re becoming
habits you want to release
habits you want to add
A full system comes later. Right now, you’re choosing what stays and what goes. One habit at a time.
7. REFLECTION — Questions That Reveal Your Direction
Ask yourself:
What have I always returned to, no matter how busy life became?
What do people come to me for, even when I don’t advertise it?
What feels like strength, not stress, when I do it?
What part of my life feels too small now?
What would I choose if no one had opinions or expectations?
Your passion is already inside you.
You’re not discovering it — you’re remembering it.
8. SOCIAL & BELONGING — Claim Your Direction Out Loud
Tell one person:
“I’m claiming my next chapter. Here’s what I’m exploring.”
You don’t need approval.
You need witnessing.
Viking women didn’t walk alone. They walked with other supportive women, growing together — clear and aligned.
9. CLOSING NOTE — Passion Is a Direction, Not a Spark
You’ve done something important this week — you stopped long enough to look at your life with honesty. That alone is a victory.
Passion isn’t a lightning bolt. It’s a direction. A pull. A pattern that keeps returning when you finally make space to see it.
Be proud of yourself for showing up. Be proud of yourself for asking real questions. Be proud of yourself for choosing clarity over autopilot.
Next week, we go deeper — into the habits and routines that shape your days. The ones that support your next chapter. The ones that quietly hold you back. And we’ll celebrate your wins along the way.
You’re not starting over. You’re stepping forward.
Warmly, Sissel
The Modern Viking Woman & Eir’s Viking Hebarium
COMING - WEEK 2 — INTRO
FROM CLEARITY - to - Movement
Last week you found clarity. This week, we turn that clarity into movement.
We’ll look at the small habits and routines that shape your days — t
he ones to keep, the ones to release, and the ones that will support your next chapter.
Simple steps.
Steady progress.
Real change.
Science for the Curious Mind
Recent research shows that midlife is one of the most common times for women to question their passion, identity, and direction — not because something is wrong, but because biological shifts, life transitions, and accumulated emotional labor create a natural turning point.
1. Purpose‑Led Career Change & Well‑Being in Midlife Women
SAGE Journals This study explores how midlife women shift toward purpose‑driven careers and how that affects well‑being.
Link:https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08948453261437095(journals.sagepub.com in Bing)
2. Midlife Crisis in Women — Biological, Social & Psychological Changes
Taylor & Francis / Indo‑Pacific Journal of Phenomenology This article challenges the stereotype of “midlife crisis” and reframes midlife as a transformative period of epiphany, identity shifts, and self‑actualization.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/20797222.2025.2594865
3. Meaning, Identity & Self‑Acceptance in Midlife Women
SAGE Journals — SAGE Open A mixed‑method study exploring how midlife adults search for meaning, redefine spirituality, and grow through personal transitions.
Link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440251323552 (journals.sagepub.com in Bing)
Disclosure: This blog shares personal reflections, midlife practices, and wellness rituals based on my own experience and research. It is not medical advice, therapy, or a substitute for professional care. Always listen to your body and consult a qualified professional if you have health concerns. Some posts may include links to my free or paid resources; you are never obligated to use them.