Winter Woman – Bone Wisdom – Mullumbimby, Bundjalung Nation

Winter Woman – Bone Wisdom is a one-day women's workshop in Mullumbimby, on Bundjalung Nation in the Northern Rivers region, exploring elderhood as a rite of passage. It is led by Jane Hardwicke Collings, a grandmother, writer, teacher and former homebirth midwife known for her work on the wisdom of women's cycles and the reclaiming of rites of passage. The day is open to women of any age, and numbers are limited.

The gathering begins from a simple observation: in a culture where ageing is mostly dishonoured, feared and pathologised, older women are rarely honoured as the wisdom keepers who guide the next generations and keep the stories alive. Winter Woman invites women to move from the autumn season of life into the winter season, and to reclaim the power of that passage.

What to Expect

The workshop runs from 8:45am to 5pm. Together the group looks at who the Crone, the Hag, the Witch and the Dark Mother have been, and works to restore those names to their original dignity. The day is shaped around a handful of questions:

- How do we move from being elderly to becoming an Elder?
- What wisdoms do we need to navigate this new phase of life?
- What makes us valuable as older women?
- How do we pass on what we have learned to women who are just starting out on this path?
- What legacies do we wish to leave for future generations?

Craft materials are provided, so expect some hands-on making alongside the conversation.

About Jane Hardwicke Collings

Jane Hardwicke Collings began as a Registered Nurse, working in paediatric intensive care units and women's operating theatres. She became a midwife at 26, later left the hospital system, and worked as a homebirth midwife for 30 years, first in the city and then in rural areas. She is a mother in a blended family of four adult children and a grandmother to three grandsons, and she lives in the bush on the edge of a large forest in New South Wales.

Jane travels to give workshops on the wisdom of the cycles and the spiritual practice of menstruation. Her teaching also covers preparing mothers and daughters for menstruation, the sacred and shamanic dimensions of pregnancy, birth, mothering and menopause, and the reclaiming and healing of rites of passage. She offers teacher training in this work and speaks at conferences and festivals.

The Setting

The workshop is held at the Mullumbimby Civic Centre, 55 Dalley St, Mullumbimby.

Before You Go

No prior experience is needed, and women of any age are welcome. Morning and afternoon tea and all craft materials are included in the fee. Places are limited, so the group stays small. Anyone planning to attend several workshops in the same location can look into the all-workshops pass, which offers a discount on general admission when every workshop is booked together.