Are You an Intuitive? Trusting What You Feel: How to Reclaim Your Intuition

You've felt it before, haven't you?

That subtle pull toward—or away from—something. A knowing in your body that arrives before your mind can explain it. The sense that you should call that friend, take that different route home, say no to that opportunity even though it looks perfect on paper.

And then what happens?

You second-guess yourself. You talk yourself out of it. You decide you're being irrational, overly sensitive, probably wrong. You override that inner voice with logic, with what you "should" do, with what makes sense to everyone else.

But here's what I want you to consider: what if that voice—that felt sense, that bodily knowing—is not only real, but the most reliable guidance system you have?

What if your intuition isn't something mystical or rare or reserved for especially gifted people, but your birthright? A capacity that's been there all along, waiting for you to trust it again?

The Intuition You've Been Ignoring

Let's start here: you're already intuitive. You always have been.

Every time you walk into a room and immediately sense the tension no one is naming. Every time you know your child is struggling before they say a word. Every time you feel uneasy about someone even though they seem perfectly nice. Every time your body contracts or expands in response to a choice you're considering.

That's intuition.

It's not dramatic. It's not always clear or loud. Often, it's just a whisper. A flutter in your belly. A tightness in your chest. A sudden expansiveness. A feeling you can't quite articulate but absolutely recognize.

The problem isn't that you don't have intuition. It's that you've been taught not to trust it.

You've been taught that feelings aren't facts. That logic is superior to sensing. That your body's wisdom is less valid than external expertise. That if you can't explain or prove something, it probably isn't real.

And so you've learned to override yourself. To dismiss your knowing. To seek validation outside yourself rather than trusting what's already arising within.

But here's the truth your body has been trying to tell you: your intuition is not separate from reality. It's perceiving information your conscious mind hasn't caught up to yet. It's reading subtle cues, patterns, energies that your rational brain doesn't have language for.

Your intuition is real. What you're feeling is real.

And it's time to start trusting it again.

When Everything Becomes More Intense

Maybe you've noticed that things feel different lately. Your emotions are bigger. Your reactions are sharper. Your tolerance for things that never quite worked for you has evaporated. Things you used to be able to push through or ignore are suddenly impossible to bypass.

This isn't a malfunction. This is awakening.

Sometimes life—through transitions, losses, shifts, or simply the accumulated weight of living inauthentically—turns up the volume on everything. Your nervous system becomes more sensitive, more attuned, more permeable.

The veil gets thinner. The boundaries between you and the world around you become more porous. You start picking up on things you didn't notice before—other people's emotions, energies in spaces, your body's subtle signals, the whispers of your own soul.

Some women describe it as feeling raw, undefended. Others say it's like all their filters disappeared. Many feel suddenly, uncomfortably psychic—knowing things they shouldn't know, sensing things they can't explain.

This can be overwhelming, especially if you don't have a framework for understanding it. But what if this heightened sensitivity isn't something to fear or suppress? What if it's actually your system coming back online, reconnecting you to a way of knowing that's been dormant?

What if this moment is trying to give you back your intuition—the intuition you learned to ignore, the intuition you were taught to distrust, the intuition that knows exactly what you need and who you're becoming?

Learning to Listen Again

So how do you start trusting your intuition? How do you distinguish between genuine inner knowing and anxiety, fear, old conditioning, or wishful thinking?

It starts with learning the language of your own body.

Your body speaks in sensations, not thoughts. Intuition isn't usually verbal. It's a feeling in your gut, a warmth in your chest, a sense of lightness or heaviness. It's the way your shoulders drop when something is right, or how your jaw tightens when something is off.

Pay attention to these sensations. Notice what expansion feels like in your body. Notice what contraction feels like. Notice the difference between the tight, anxious feeling of fear and the clear, calm "no" of your intuition. Notice the difference between the scattered energy of wanting something to be true and the grounded certainty of knowing.

Start small. You don't have to make huge life decisions based on intuition right away. Begin with low-stakes choices. Which route should I take today? What does my body want to eat? Should I respond to this text now or wait? Notice what you sense, act on it, and observe what happens.

Ask your body directly. When you're facing a decision, get quiet, close your eyes, and bring the option into your awareness. Notice what happens in your body. Does it relax or tense? Do you feel more open or more closed? Does your breathing deepen or become shallow? Your body will tell you what it knows.

Journal the moments you were right. Start documenting the times your intuition spoke and you listened—and it turned out to be accurate. This isn't about being psychic or proving anything. It's about building trust with yourself. The more evidence you gather that your inner knowing is reliable, the easier it becomes to follow it.

Distinguish between fear and intuition. Fear is usually loud, urgent, and chaotic. It comes with stories and catastrophizing. Intuition is quieter, steadier, and strangely calm. It doesn't argue or convince. It just knows. Learn to recognize the difference.

Create space for stillness. Intuition can't be heard over the noise of constant doing, consuming, processing, performing. You need quiet. You need slowness. You need time in nature, time alone, time without screens or demands or other people's voices filling your head. Give your intuition room to speak.

When You Need Support for the Journey: Enlisting an intuitive to help you enhance your own intuitive-ness

Here's the paradox: learning to trust your own intuition often requires guidance from someone who can help you distinguish your authentic voice from all the other voices that have been running your life.

This is where the right support becomes invaluable.

At Harmonious Return, this is exactly the kind of work I specialize in—helping women reconnect with their intuitive knowing, their body's wisdom, and the deeper guidance available to them.

Intuitive Readings: Receiving Clarity When You're Lost

Sometimes you're so deep in the confusion, so overwhelmed by the noise in your own head, that you can't hear your intuition clearly. Or you're hearing it, but you don't trust it yet. You need someone to help you see what's really there.

This is what intuitive readings offer. I create a space where the wisdom that's trying to reach you—whether from your own higher knowing, from the plant world, from ancestral guides, or from your body itself—can come through clearly.

In a session, I act as a mirror and a translator. I tune into what's present for you energetically, what wants attention, what's ready to shift. I listen to what the plants have to say about your specific journey. And I help you hear what you already know but haven't been able to access on your own.

Often, clients tell me that the reading confirmed something they'd been sensing but were afraid to trust. Or it illuminated a pattern they couldn't see from inside it. Or it offered them permission to honor what they'd been feeling all along.

This isn't about me having answers you don't have. It's about creating a container where your own knowing can emerge, witnessed and validated.

Custom Formulations for Your Unique Journey

Once we've identified which herbs want to work with you, I handcraft personalized formulations—teas, tinctures, or other preparations—designed specifically for your body and your journey.

These aren't generic blends. They're medicine made with your name on it, literally. Blended with intention, infused with the awareness of what you're navigating, calibrated to support not just your symptoms but your transformation.

One of my clients came to me feeling completely unmoored. She'd always been the capable one, the one with answers, but suddenly she felt lost, unsure, like the ground had disappeared beneath her. In her reading, several plants came through strongly—mugwort for intuitive trust, milky oats for nervous system restoration, and rose for heart opening and self-compassion.

I created a custom tea blend for her, and she began drinking it daily as a ritual—a moment each morning to sit, to breathe, to come back to herself. Within weeks, she told me she was dreaming again (something she'd stopped doing for years), making decisions with more ease, and most importantly, trusting herself in a way she hadn't in a very long time.

The herbs didn't give her intuition. They supported the conditions that allowed her intuition to re-emerge.

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Your Intuition Isn't the Problem—The Doubt Is

Here's what I really want you to understand: the issue isn't that your intuition is unreliable. It's

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Taylor Short, of Harmonious Return is a Perimenopause Herbalist, Writer & Earth Intuitive. She’s passionate about starting a natural perimenopause revolution and tap into the wisdom of the earth and your body’s natural healing abilities so you can step out of barely hanging on… to fully blossoming and thriving in your full, authentically balanced self!

Denver based herbalist for women in Perimenopause. Welcome to Harmonious Beginnings.

 

When Plants Have Something to Say: How Intuitive Plant Readings Can Change Your Life

I want to tell you about something that might sound strange at first. Something that our modern, logical minds often dismiss before we've even given it a chance to land. But bear with me, because what I'm about to share might open a door you didn't know was there.

Plants have messages for us.

Not metaphorically. Not as some sweet, New Age fantasy. But actually—viscerally—plants carry wisdom that can speak directly to what we're moving through, what we're avoiding, what we need to remember, what we're ready to become.

And sometimes, all we need is someone who knows how to listen.

The Language We've Forgotten

There was a time when this wasn't strange at all. When our ancestors understood that everything in the natural world was alive, aware, communicative. Trees, stones, rivers, the herbs growing at the forest's edge—all of it part of an ongoing conversation we were invited into.

But somewhere along the way, we decided that only human language counted as real communication. That only what could be measured, quantified, and reproduced in a laboratory was valid knowledge. We built walls between ourselves and the rest of the living world, convincing ourselves we were the only ones with anything meaningful to say.

And yet.

Haven't you ever walked into the woods and felt something shift inside you? Haven't you ever sat with a plant—maybe in your garden, maybe on your windowsill—and sensed it was reaching toward you, not just with its leaves toward the light, but with something deeper, something you couldn't quite name?

That's not imagination. That's remembering.

That's the old language starting to come back online.

What Is an Intuitive Plant Spirit Reading?

An intuitive plant spirit reading is a session where I act as a bridge between you and the plant world. I quiet my own thoughts, open my awareness, and allow the intelligence of plants—whether specific plants in your garden or plants that are calling to work with you—to come through with messages, guidance, and insight.

It's not about me reading your future or telling you what to do. It's not fortune-telling or performance. It's about creating a space where the usually-quiet voices of the green world can be heard, where the wisdom they hold can be offered to you at precisely the moment you need it.

Sometimes a plant will come forward with information about your physical body—areas that need support, imbalances that want attention, herbs that are ready to work with you. Sometimes the messages are emotional or spiritual—patterns you're caught in, grief that needs witnessing, old stories that are ready to be released.

Often, the plants speak to the threshold you're standing at. The initiation you're moving through. The version of yourself that's trying to emerge.

And during perimenopause especially—this liminal, transformative, sometimes disorienting passage—the plants have so much to offer. Because they know about cycles. They know about seasons of dormancy and explosion. They know about letting go and being reborn. They've been doing this forever.

How It Works (And Why It Matters)

When we begin a reading, I usually start by pulling plant oracle cards to establish an initial energetic map—what's present, what wants attention, where the medicine wants to move. This gives us a framework, a starting place.

Then I ask you what you're navigating right now. What questions you're holding. What areas of your life feel unclear or stuck or ready for transformation. Not because I need your story to fabricate something, but because your conscious intentions help focus the listening. They invite specific plants forward.

Then I close my eyes, drop into a deep receptive state, and wait.

What happens next is hard to describe if you haven't experienced it. Images come. Sensations. Knowing that arrives fully formed. Specific plants step forward—sometimes ones you already have a relationship with, sometimes ones you've never heard of. They carry information, not in words exactly, but in impressions that I then translate into language you can work with.

Sometimes the messages are startlingly specific. I might see a plant in your garden that has something particular to say to you. I might sense an ancestor or animal spirit that's been trying to get your attention. I might receive information about your nervous system, your womb, your heart—things I couldn't possibly know, but that land with a recognition that makes you catch your breath.

"Yes," you'll say. "That's exactly it. How did you know?"

I didn't know. The plants knew. I just got out of the way long enough to let them speak.

The Plants That Choose You

Here's something beautiful that happens in these sessions: plants volunteer themselves. They step forward to work with you.

By the end of a reading, there are usually one or two herbs that have made themselves clearly known—plants that want to support you, that are energetically aligned with where you are and where you're going. Sometimes they're plants you already have in your home, waiting to be worked with more intentionally. Sometimes they're new allies, ready to be introduced.

And this is different than just looking up "herbs for anxiety" or "herbs for hot flashes." This is being met by specific plant intelligences that recognize you, that see what you're carrying, that offer themselves not as a generic remedy but as a relationship.

One of my clients had been struggling with decision-making paralysis around a major life transition. During her reading, mugwort came through powerfully—not with instructions, but with an invitation. An invitation to trust her dreams again, to let her intuition lead, to remember that she knew more than she thought she knew. She began working with mugwort as a tea before bed, and within weeks, the fog had lifted. Not because mugwort "fixed" anything, but because it helped her access her own inner knowing.

Another client was dealing with deep grief—not just from recent losses, but old, ancestral grief she'd been carrying without realizing it. Hawthorn stepped forward in her reading with the most tender message: "We hold what hearts cannot bear alone." She wept. And later, she told me that working with hawthorn had allowed her to finally feel her grief without being destroyed by it. The plant held her while she felt.

This is the magic of being chosen by a plant. It's personal. It's alive. It's participatory.

But Is It Real?

I know some of you are reading this with skepticism. I understand. Our culture has trained us to distrust anything we can't pin down with data, anything that smacks of mysticism or magic.

But here's what I'd offer: you don't have to believe in plant consciousness for this to work. You don't have to understand the mechanism. You just have to be willing to receive.

The people who come to me for plant readings are often surprised by how specific, how accurate, how helpful the information is. Things come through that I couldn't have guessed. Messages that address exactly what they're struggling with, even when they haven't articulated it clearly. Plant recommendations that turn out to be precisely what their bodies need.

Is this because plants are sentient beings with messages for us? Is it because I'm accessing some collective unconscious or archetypal realm? Is it because intuition taps into information fields we don't yet scientifically understand?

Honestly, I don't know. And I don't think it matters.

What matters is that it works. What matters is that people leave these sessions feeling seen, held, and guided. What matters is that the plants that come through become genuine allies in their healing.

You can call it whatever you want. But don't let your need for explanation keep you from the experience.

When the Plants Want to Talk Back

One of my favorite moments in a reading is when I ask: "Would you like to hear if any of your plants have a message for you?"

Because yes, the plants in your garden, on your altar, in the pots by your window—they have things to say. And they're often surprisingly chatty once someone's willing to listen.

I've had plants express gratitude for being tended. I've had them gently point out that they're being overwatered or need more light. I've had them share that they've been holding energy for the household, protecting, filtering, witnessing.

One client asked about a spider plant she'd had for years, a plant that had survived moves and neglect and kept growing anyway. When I tuned in, the plant's message was so clear it made us both cry: "I've been showing you how to survive. Now let me show you how to thrive."

She'd been in survival mode for so long—perimenopause hitting during a divorce, financial stress, raising kids alone. She'd been holding on, barely, just like that spider plant. But the plant was saying: we're ready now. We've made it through. Let's grow differently.

That's the kind of wisdom that comes through. Not vague or generic. Deeply personal. Perfectly timed.

The Bigger Picture: Reconnection as Medicine

Ultimately, what happens in a plant spirit reading is about more than getting information or finding the right herb. It's about reconnection.

We live in a time of profound disconnection—from our bodies, from each other, from the Earth, from the sacred. Perimenopause often intensifies this disconnection, as our bodies change in ways that feel foreign, as the roles we've inhabited no longer fit, as we're forced to confront what we've been avoiding.

But what if this is also an invitation? An invitation to come back. To remember. To re-establish relationship with the more-than-human world that has always been here, always been willing to guide us.

When a plant speaks to you through a reading, something ancient wakes up. A recognition. A homecoming. You remember, even if just for a moment, that you're not alone. That you're part of something vast and intelligent and kind.

That you belong to the Earth, and the Earth is still speaking to those who will listen.

What to Expect in a Session

If you're curious about experiencing a plant spirit reading, here's what typically happens:

We begin with a brief conversation about where you are in your life, what you're navigating, what you're hoping for clarity around. This isn't required, but it helps focus the reading.

I pull plant oracle cards to establish an initial energetic landscape.

Then I move into the intuitive portion—closing my eyes, dropping into receptive awareness, and allowing whatever wants to come through. I'll share what I'm sensing, seeing, feeling. Sometimes it's immediate and clear. Sometimes it unfolds gradually.

We'll explore the messages together. I'll explain what I'm receiving, and you'll help me understand how it lands, where it connects, what it illuminates.

By the end, you'll have specific plants to work with—herbs that have volunteered themselves—and guidance on how to begin building relationship with them.

Some sessions also include plant brushing (a form of energetic clearing using actual plants) or custom tea blending based on what came through.

The whole experience is gentle, conversational, and surprisingly grounding. Most people leave feeling lighter, clearer, and more connected—to themselves, to the plants, to their path forward.

An Invitation from the Green World

The plants are always speaking. Always offering. Always ready to support us if we're willing to receive.

During perimenopause especially—this powerful, destabilizing, transformative threshold—you need allies. You need wisdom that isn't trying to fix you or rush you or convince you that you're broken. You need the kind of guidance that honors your complexity, your timing, your unique unfolding.

The plants can offer that. They've been waiting to offer that.

All that's required is your willingness to listen.

So if you've felt drawn to this—if some part of you perked up reading these words, if you've had your own moments of sensing that plants have more to say than we usually acknowledge—I want to invite you into this mystery.

Not because I have all the answers, but because together, with the plants as our guides, we might discover the questions that actually matter.

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The green world is reaching toward you. It always has been.

Maybe it's time to reach back.

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Taylor Short, of Harmonious Return is a Perimenopause Herbalist, Writer & Earth Intuitive. She’s passionate about starting a natural perimenopause revolution and tap into the wisdom of the earth and your body’s natural healing abilities so you can step out of barely hanging on… to fully blossoming and thriving in your full, authentically balanced self!

Earth Empath and Herbalist Based in Denver, Colorado. Book an Intuitive Reading.

 

Why You Shouldn't Try to Be Your Own Herbalist: Trusting the Wisdom of Plant Medicine

There's something deeply alluring about the idea of healing ourselves with plants. The romance of it—brewing your own teas, gathering wild herbs, taking our wellbeing into our own hands. In a world where we've become so disconnected from the Earth and from our own bodies, this impulse makes perfect sense. It's a reaching toward something real, something ancient, something that feels like coming home.

And yet.

There's a reason herbalism has been a respected practice for thousands of years. A reason why herbalists trained for years, decades even, learning not just the names of plants but their souls, their rhythms, their gifts and their warnings. This knowledge wasn't passed down casually. It was sacred work, demanding reverence, patience, and deep listening.

In our modern moment—with all its Instagram wellness influencers and Amazon herb shopping—we've lost sight of something essential: plant medicine is powerful. And power, without wisdom, can harm as easily as it can heal.

The Seduction of Simple Solutions

I understand the appeal completely. You're struggling with hot flashes that wake you at 3 AM, drenched and disoriented. Or maybe it's the anxiety that seems to come from nowhere, tightening around your chest like a vice. Perhaps your period has become a wild, unpredictable thing, leaving you exhausted and depleted.

You do what any of us would do—you search online. And there, waiting for you, are hundreds of articles promising relief. "Five herbs for hot flashes!" "Natural remedies for perimenopause anxiety!" The solutions seem so straightforward. Black cohosh. Red clover. Vitex. Just order them, take them, feel better.

It all sounds so simple.

But here's what those listicles don't tell you: your body is not a generic template. Perimenopause is not a one-size-fits-all experience. What's happening inside you is a complex, deeply individual orchestration of hormones, nervous system patterns, emotional landscapes, ancestral imprints, and present-moment stressors. The herbs that support one woman might overwhelm another. The dosage that brings relief to your friend might do nothing for you—or worse, might tip you further out of balance.

Plants are not passive. They are active participants in your healing, and they demand to be met with understanding.

The Hidden Complexity of Plant Medicine

When you work with an herbalist, you're not just getting someone who knows which herb does what. You're accessing someone who understands the intricate relationships between plants and human physiology, between one herb and another, between your symptoms and their root causes.

Let me give you an example. Say you're dealing with heavy, flooding periods—a common experience during perimenopause as estrogen and progesterone begin their erratic dance. You might read that vitex (chasteberry) helps balance hormones, so you order some and start taking it.

But here's what an herbalist knows: vitex works primarily on the pituitary gland, influencing luteinizing hormone and prolactin. It can be incredibly helpful for some hormonal patterns, but if your flooding is related to estrogen dominance combined with thyroid dysfunction and underlying inflammation, vitex alone might not address the root—or it might even complicate things. An herbalist would look at your entire picture: your energy levels, digestion, sleep patterns, stress response, emotional state, and yes, your bleeding patterns. They'd consider whether you need herbs that support liver detoxification of excess estrogen, herbs that tone the uterine tissue, adaptogens to support your stress response, or nervines to calm an overstimulated nervous system.

Often, it's a combination. A carefully crafted formula that addresses multiple layers of what's happening in your body.

This is the art of herbalism—the ability to see patterns, to understand constitutions, to know not just what an herb does in isolation, but how it will interact with your unique system.

The Reality of Herb-Drug Interactions

Here's something that rarely makes it into those cheerful blog posts about natural remedies: herbs are medicine, which means they can interact with pharmaceutical medications in significant ways.

St. John's Wort, often recommended for mood support during perimenopause, can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills, antidepressants, blood thinners, and numerous other medications. Licorice root, wonderful for adrenal support, can raise blood pressure and interact with diuretics and corticosteroids. Even something as seemingly benign as ginkgo can increase bleeding risk if you're taking blood thinners.

A trained herbalist knows these interactions. They'll ask you what medications you're taking, what supplements you're already using, and they'll craft a protocol that works with—not against—your existing healthcare regimen.

Self-prescribing without this knowledge isn't empowering. It's risky.

Dosage: The Space Between Medicine and Harm

There's a saying among herbalists: "The dose makes the poison." It's true for pharmaceutical drugs, and it's equally true for plants.

Too little of an herb might do nothing at all. Too much might cause side effects or, in some cases, real harm. And the "right" dose isn't something you can simply read off a bottle—it depends on your body weight, your constitution, your sensitivity, what else you're taking, and what you're trying to address.

Kava, for instance, can be beautifully calming for anxiety when used appropriately. But in excessive doses or when used long-term without breaks, it can stress the liver. Motherwort is a wonderful heart and nervous system tonic, but in too-high doses, it can cause digestive upset or interfere with heart medications.

An herbalist understands these nuances. They start conservatively, adjust based on your response, and monitor how you're doing over time. They know when to increase, when to decrease, when to switch approaches entirely.

The Diagnostic Dilemma: What's Really Going On?

Perhaps the most critical reason to work with an herbalist—and a licensed healthcare provider—is this: you need to know what you're actually dealing with.

That exhaustion you're attributing to perimenopause? It might be, or it might be hypothyroidism, anemia, sleep apnea, or chronic Epstein-Barr. The heavy bleeding? Could be hormonal, or it could be fibroids, polyps, or endometrial hyperplasia. The anxiety? Nervous system dysregulation is common in perimenopause, yes, but it could also be a thyroid disorder, blood sugar instability, or unprocessed trauma rising to the surface.

A skilled herbalist takes a thorough health history. They ask questions you might not think are relevant. They look at your tongue, feel your pulse, notice patterns you've missed. And importantly, they know when to refer you to other practitioners for testing or evaluation.

Herbs can support your body beautifully, but they can't diagnose disease. You need proper assessment to ensure you're not missing something that requires different intervention.

The Sacred Relationship Between Herbalist and Client

Working with an herbalist is not a transaction—it's a relationship. It's a partnership in your healing.

During perimenopause especially, when so much is changing and so much can feel uncertain or overwhelming, having someone who really sees you, who listens deeply, who holds space for both your physical symptoms and your emotional experience—that itself is medicine.

An herbalist doesn't just hand you a bottle of capsules and send you on your way. They spend time understanding your story. They witness the fullness of your experience. They help you make sense of what's happening, not just in your hormones but in your life, in this threshold moment between who you've been and who you're becoming.

This is the difference between consuming a product and receiving care. Between managing symptoms and being truly supported.

The Earth Speaks Through Those Who Listen

Herbalism is a practice of deep listening—to plants, yes, but also to the human body, to the whispers of imbalance before they become screams. This kind of listening takes time to develop. Years of study, yes, but also years of practice, of seeing how different bodies respond, of learning the subtle languages of healing and of harm.

When you work with an herbalist, you're benefiting from this accumulated wisdom. You're receiving the fruits of their training, their experience, their mistakes and successes, their ongoing relationship with the plants themselves.

There's a humility required in this work—a recognition that we don't master plants, we collaborate with them. That we don't force healing, we create conditions for it. That each person, each body, each moment requires presence and discernment.

This humility is what protects you. It's what ensures that the herbs you receive are truly in service of your wellbeing.

Empowerment vs. Isolation

I want to be clear: I'm not saying you should be passive in your own healing. Far from it. Your intuition matters. Your felt sense of what your body needs is valuable. Learning about herbs, reading, exploring—all of this is wonderful.

But there's a difference between being informed and being isolated. Between empowerment and going it alone.

True empowerment includes knowing when to seek guidance. It includes building a team of practitioners who can support you from different angles. It includes recognizing that asking for help isn't weakness—it's wisdom.

You don't have to figure this out by yourself. You don't have to be your own herbalist, your own doctor, your own therapist, your own everything. That's not empowerment. That's exhaustion dressed up as self-sufficiency.

What to Look for in an Herbalist

If you're ready to work with an herbalist—and I hope you are—here's what to look for:

Training and credentials: Look for someone with formal education in herbal medicine, whether through a reputable herbal school, apprenticeship with experienced practitioners, or clinical herbalist certification.

Experience with your specific concerns: Perimenopause, hormonal health, women's wellness—these require specific knowledge. Find someone who specializes in what you're dealing with.

A holistic approach: The best herbalists don't just throw herbs at symptoms. They look at the whole picture—physical, emotional, spiritual, relational.

Good communication: You should feel heard, seen, and respected. Your herbalist should explain their thinking, answer your questions, and make space for your concerns.

Collaboration with other practitioners: A good herbalist knows their scope and is willing to work alongside your other healthcare providers.

The Invitation

Perimenopause is an initiation. It's calling you into a deeper relationship with your body, with the Earth, with your own power and vulnerability. It's asking you to slow down, to listen more carefully, to tend to yourself with real care.

Plant medicine can be a beautiful part of this journey—but only if approached with the respect and wisdom it deserves.

So yes, learn about herbs. Read, explore, develop your curiosity. But when it comes time to actually work with these powerful allies, trust someone who has devoted their life to understanding them. Someone who can see you clearly and hold your healing with skill and reverence.

You deserve that level of care. Your body deserves that level of respect. And the plants—those ancient, generous teachers—deserve to be worked with by those who truly know them.

This is not about giving your power away. It's about stepping into a different kind of power—the power of collaboration, of received wisdom, of being held in your transformation rather than navigating it alone.

That, to me, is what real healing looks like.

Taylor Short, of Harmonious Return is a Perimenopause Herbalist, Writer & Earth Intuitive. She’s passionate about starting a natural perimenopause revolution and tap into the wisdom of the earth and your body’s natural healing abilities so you can step out of barely hanging on… to fully blossoming and thriving in your full, authentically balanced self!

Harmonious Return is your answer to finding a Local herbalist near you in Denver, Colorado.

Here for you.

 

Perimenopause vs. Menopause: What's the Difference and When It Starts

Okay, real talk: are you confused about whether what you're experiencing is perimenopause, menopause, or just regular life being extra? You're definitely not alone. These terms get thrown around like everyone knows exactly what they mean, but honestly, most of us are just winging it.

If you've been Googling "am I too young for menopause?" at 2 AM, or wondering why nobody warned you that your 40s might feel like hormonal whiplash, this one's for you. Let's break down what's actually happening in your body during these transitions – no medical jargon, just straight talk.

The Short Version (Because We're All Busy)

Perimenopause = the transition period before menopause when your hormones start getting wonky (can last 2-12+ years)
Menopause = when your periods stop completely - AKA no more ovulation ( 12 months without a period)
Post-menopause = everything after menopause (the rest of your life, basically)

Of course, there's WAY more to it than that, so let's dive deeper.

Perimenopause: Your body’s natural transition

Perimenopause means "pre menopause," and it's your body’s way of naturally transitioning and recalibrating into a new phase of life - menopause - when you no longer ovulate. Think of it as the opening credits of a movie – you know something's starting, but you're not quite sure what you're in for yet.

When Does Perimenopause Start?

Here's where it gets interesting: perimenopause can start as early as your mid-30s, but it typically begins in your 40s. I've worked with women who started noticing changes at 35 and others who sailed through their 40s without a blip until 48.

The average age is around 47, but "average" doesn't mean much when we're talking about your unique body. Your genes, lifestyle, stress levels, and even your birth control history can all influence when perimenopause begins.

If you think you may be in perimenopause… chances are, you are. Trust your body. 

The Perimenopause Experience: Expect the Unexpected

If there's one thing that defines perimenopause, it's unpredictability. Your hormones aren't gradually declining like a gentle sunset – they're more like a strobe light at a nightclub. Up, down, up, down, and sometimes completely off when you least expect it.

Your periods might become:

• Heavier or lighter than usual

• Longer or shorter

• More frequent (every 21 days instead of 28) or less frequent (every 35-40 days)

• Completely MIA for a few months, then surprise! Back again

Other perimenopause symptoms (although this list is far from exhaustive): :

• Hot flashes 

• Night sweats

• Disrupted sleep patterns

• Mood swings

• Brain fog 

• Lower energy levels & motivation

• Weight gain

• Heart palpitations

• Vaginal dryness

• Loss of libido

• Anxiety & Depression

• Itchy, dry skin

• And more! 

The Hormone Roller Coaster

During perimenopause, your estrogen levels can swing dramatically – sometimes higher than they've ever been, sometimes lower. Progesterone tends to decline more steadily, but even that's not consistent.

This hormonal chaos is why you might feel like a completely different person from day to day (and why hormone testing isn’t really an answer for peri). One day you're Wonder Woman, the next day you're barely functional. It's not in your head, and you're not broken – your hormones are working hard to try to find their balance in life.

How Long Does This Last?

The million-dollar question, right? Perimenopause typically lasts 2-12 years, with an average of about 4 years. But (you knew there was a "but" coming) some women experience a shorter transition of just a few months, while others deal with perimenopausal symptoms for over a decade.

I know, I know – "2-10 years" is about as helpful as saying "it'll take somewhere between a minute and forever." But this wide range is actually normal because every woman's body transitions at its own pace.

Menopause: The Official End of an Era

Menopause itself is actually just one day – the day that marks 12 months since your last period. That's it. It's not a phase; it's a milestone.

The 12-Month Rule

You're officially in menopause when you haven't had a period for 12 consecutive months. This typically happens between ages 45-55, with the average age being 51.

Why 12 months? Because during perimenopause, you might skip periods for 3, 6, or even 9 months, then have one show up unexpectedly. 

What's Happening in Your Body

During menopause, your ovaries are basically retiring from egg production. Your estrogen and progesterone levels drop to their lowest point and stay there. This hormonal shift is what officially ends your reproductive years. What’s not often mentioned is how this is a HUGE rite of passage and something to CELEBRATE, not dread. Look at all the wisdom you’ve gained up until this point. You, my dear, are a freaking rockstar! 

Post-Menopause: The New Normal

Everything after that 12-month milestone is considered post-menopause (AKA the best part of your journey in life if you ask me). This is the longest phase – it's the rest of your life after menopause.

Early vs. Late Post-Menopause

The first few years of post-menopause (often called "early post-menopause") might still involve some transitional symptoms as your body adjusts to its new hormonal baseline. After about 5 years, most women find their symptoms stabilize, and they enter what's sometimes called "late post-menopause."

How to Tell What Phase You're In

This is where it gets tricky because the lines between these phases aren't always clear. Here are some general guidelines:

You're Likely in Perimenopause If:

• Your periods are still happening but have become irregular

• You're experiencing symptoms like hot flashes, mood changes, or sleep issues

• You're between 35-55 years old

• You haven't gone more than 12 months without a period

You're in Menopause If:

• It's been exactly 12 months since your last period

• This is technically just one day on the calendar

You're in Post-Menopause If:

• It's been more than 12 months since your last period

• You may or may not still have symptoms

The Surgical Shortcut: Surgical Menopause

If you have your ovaries surgically removed (called an oophorectomy), you'll go into menopause immediately, regardless of your age. This is called "surgical menopause," and it tends to cause more intense symptoms because the hormonal drop is sudden rather than gradual. This is one of those rare occasions HRT will likely be a great option for you (in combo with herbs of course). 

Hormone Testing: Will it Help?

The honest answer? Not really, at least not during perimenopause. Hormone levels fluctuate so dramatically during this phase that a blood test might show different results from week to week.

The most reliable way to know what phase you're in? Track your periods and symptoms. Your body will tell you what's happening if you pay attention to it.

What About Birth Control?

Here's something that confuses a lot of women: if you're on hormonal birth control, you might not know you're in perimenopause because the synthetic hormones can mask the symptoms and regulate your cycle.

Some women choose to stay on birth control through perimenopause to manage symptoms and prevent pregnancy (yes, you can still get pregnant during perimenopause!). Others prefer to come off hormonal birth control to better understand what their natural hormones are doing.

Managing the Transition: It's All About Support

Whether you're in perimenopause or dealing with menopause symptoms, you don't have to just "tough it out” or get on HRT. There are lots of ways to support your body naturally through this natural transition:

Natural approaches include:

• Herbal support - this is where your life can change for the BEST (more below) 

• Regular movement and exercise

• Stress management techniques

• Nutritional support

• Sleep hygiene

• Community and emotional support

The key is finding what works for YOUR body and YOUR life. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to this transition. This is where working with me as an Herbalist for Perimenopause comes in very handy! Schedule your Herbal Discovery Call. 

The Big Picture: You're Not Alone in This

Here's what I want you to remember: wherever you are in this process, you're not alone. Every woman who lives long enough will go through this transition. It's not a sign that you're getting old or that your best years are behind you – it's a natural part of life that deserves to be understood, naturally supported and CELEBRATED!

Your experience might look different from your friends', your mother's, or what you read online, and that's completely normal. Your body is unique, and your transition will be too.

If you're struggling with symptoms, feeling overwhelmed by the changes, or just want someone who understands what you're going through, don't hesitate to reach out for support. This transition is significant, and life is too short to struggle through when you can breeze through and feel more vibrant than ever! 

Whether you're just starting to notice changes or you're well into your post-menopausal years, remember: this is not the end of your story. It's the beginning of a new chapter, and it can be a really good one.

Taylor Short, of Harmonious Return is a Perimenopause Herbalist, Writer & Earth Intuitive. She’s passionate about starting a natural perimenopause revolution and tap into the wisdom of the earth and your body’s natural healing abilities so you can step out of barely hanging on… to fully blossoming and thriving in your full, authentically balanced self!

Perimenopause Herbalist based in Denver, Colorado | Get Support 1-1 or Join a Group

 

The Perimenopause Initiation: Reframing This Life Transition as Sacred

What if I told you that perimenopause isn't something happening TO you, but something happening FOR you? What if this challenging transition is actually a sacred initiation into the most powerful phase of your life?

I know, I know. When you're dealing with hot flashes, mood swings, and sleep that's more elusive than a decent parking spot at Target, "sacred initiation" might sound like spiritual bypassing at its finest. But stick with me here – because reframing how we see perimenopause can truly change how we experience it.

The Story We've Been Told (And Why It's BS)

Let's start with the story our culture tells us about perimenopause: it's the beginning of the end. Your best years are behind you. Your body is broken and needs fixing (hello HRT over prescription). You're becoming irrelevant, invisible, past your prime.

This narrative is not only wrong – it's harmful. It turns a natural life transition into a medical problem that needs to be solved, preferably quickly and quietly, so we can get back to being productive members of society.

But here's what our culture doesn't understand: perimenopause is not a disease. It's not a malfunction. It's an initiation – one of the most profound initiations a woman can experience.

What Is a Life Initiation, Anyway?

In traditional cultures around the world, life transitions were marked by rituals and recognized as sacred passages. These initiations served to help people move from one phase of life to another with intention, support, and wisdom.

An initiation typically involves:

• A period of separation from your old identity

• A time of transformation (often uncomfortable)

• Integration of new wisdom and power

• Emergence into a new phase of life

Sound familiar? That's because perimenopause follows this exact pattern.

Perimenopause as Sacred Passage

When we look at perimenopause through the lens of initiation rather than illness, everything changes. Suddenly, those uncomfortable symptoms aren't just problems to fix – they're information, invitations, and opportunities for growth.

The Separation Phase: Letting Go of Who You Were

Perimenopause often begins with a subtle but persistent feeling that something is... different. You might find yourself questioning things that once felt certain. Maybe you're less interested in pleasing everyone around you. Maybe you're feeling called to make changes in your life, your relationships, or your work.

This is the separation phase – you're naturally beginning to let go of identities, roles, and patterns that no longer serve you. The people-pleasing version of yourself might start to feel foreign. The part of you that said "yes" to everything might start saying "actually, no."

This can feel destabilizing, but it's also liberating. You're being called to shed old skins and step into something new.

The Transformation Phase: The Messy Middle

This is where most of the "symptoms" live – the hot flashes, mood swings, irregular periods, sleep disruption, and brain fog. In the medical model, these are problems to be fixed. In the initiation model, they're part of the transformational process.

Your body is rebalancing itself. Your nervous system is recalibrating. Your relationship with stress, with your energy, with your intuition – all of it is shifting. Of course this feels chaotic and uncomfortable! You're being remade from the inside out. SPOILER: This is where herbs become your besties - they are the queens and kings of helping your body to rebalance naturally. 

Hot flashes might be your body's way of  burning away what no longer serves you. Many women report that hot flashes often coincide with moments of insight or emotional release.

Mood intensity might be your emotions finally having permission to be fully felt and expressed after years of being "fine" and managing everyone else's needs.

Brain fog might be your mind's way of forcing you to slow down and tune in to different kinds of knowing – your intuition, your body wisdom, your inner voice.

Sleep disruption might be creating space for you to process, dream, and integrate all these changes happening within you.

I'm not suggesting these symptoms are easy or that you should just suffer through them. But what if they're not just random malfunctions? What if they're part of an intelligent process of transformation?

The Integration Phase: Becoming Who You're Meant to Be

As you move through perimenopause and into menopause, you begin to integrate all this change and step into a new version of yourself. Many women describe feeling more authentic, more powerful, and more clear about what matters to them.

This is the phase where you become the woman who:

• Says no without guilt

• Trusts her intuition deeply

• Finally lets go of the hustle culture

• Knows her worth and isn't willing to negotiate it

• Has access to a different kind of wisdom

• Feels connected to something larger than herself

The Gifts of the Perimenopause Initiation

Every initiation comes with gifts – new capacities, wisdom, and power that weren't available before. Here are some of the gifts that the perimenopause initiation offers:

Enhanced Intuition and Inner Knowing

As your hormones shift, many women report that their intuition becomes stronger and more accessible. You might find yourself just "knowing" things in ways you never did before. Trust this. Your body is developing new capacities for wisdom and insight.

Decreased Tolerance for BS

One of my favorite perimenopause "symptoms" is the sudden inability to tolerate things that don't align with your values. This isn't crankiness – it's clarity. You're developing better boundaries and a clearer sense of what deserves your energy.

Connection to Ancestral Wisdom

As you move through this transition, you're joining the lineage of women who have walked this path before you. You might find yourself feeling more connected to your ancestors, to the wisdom of older women, and to ancient ways of knowing.

Spiritual Awakening and Deepening

Many women experience a spiritual awakening or deepening during perimenopause. This might look like a return to spiritual practices you'd abandoned, an exploration of new belief systems, or a deeper connection to nature and the cycles of life.

Creative Renaissance

Don't be surprised if you find yourself drawn to creative pursuits during this time. Many women discover new artistic talents, return to abandoned creative projects, or feel called to express themselves in new ways. This creative energy is part of the life force that's being renewed within you.

Leadership and Service

As you integrate the wisdom of this initiation, you might find yourself called to serve in new ways – whether that's mentoring younger women, advocating for causes you care about, or stepping into leadership roles you never considered before.

Honoring Your Perimenopause Initiation

So how do you honor this transition as the sacred passage it is? Here are some ways to work WITH this initiation rather than against it:

Create Ritual and Ceremony

Mark this transition with intention. This might be as simple as lighting a candle and setting an intention each month, or as elaborate as creating a ceremony with trusted friends. The point is to acknowledge that something significant is happening and to approach it with reverence rather than resistance.

Connect with Other Women

Initiations were never meant to be walked alone. Seek out other women who are going through or have been through this transition. Share stories, support each other, and remember that you're part of something larger than your individual experience.

Listen to Your Body's Wisdom

Instead of immediately trying to fix or suppress symptoms, try listening to them first. What might your body be trying to tell you? What needs attention? What wants to be released?

Embrace the Pause

Perimenopause is asking you to slow down, to pause, to turn inward. This isn't laziness – it's necessary for the transformation that's taking place. Give yourself permission to rest, to reflect, and to be in process.

Work with Nature's Rhythms

Your body is remembering its connection to natural cycles. Pay attention to the moon phases, the seasons, and your own internal rhythms. You might find that honoring these cycles supports your transition.

Seek Wise Women and Guides

Find healthcare providers (like your new herbalist bestie here), mentors, and guides who understand perimenopause as a natural transition rather than a disease. Work with people who can support both your physical needs and your spiritual growth during this time.

The Crone Archetype: Reclaiming the Power of the Wise Woman

In many traditional cultures, the post-menopausal woman was revered as the Crone – the wise woman, the keeper of deep knowledge, the one who could see clearly because she was no longer bound by the biological imperatives of fertility and child-rearing.

Our culture has forgotten this wisdom, but you don't have to. You're being initiated into the Crone energy – the woman who:

• Speaks truth without apology

• Holds wisdom that can only come from lived experience

• Is connected to deeper mysteries and cycles

• Serves as a bridge between worlds

• Mentors and guides others with her hard-won knowledge

This is powerful medicine, friends. This is not something to rush through or medicate away.

Rewriting the Perimenopause Story

What if we stopped talking about perimenopause as something to survive and started talking about it as something to embrace? What if we saw it not as the end of our power but as the beginning of a different kind of power?

What if we recognized that the same culture that tells us perimenopause is a disease is the same culture that profits from our insecurity, our need to stay young, our fear of aging? What if we questioned that narrative and wrote a new one?

Your perimenopause story doesn't have to be one of suffering and decline. It can be a story of initiation, transformation, and stepping into your full power. It can be a story of becoming more yourself than you've ever been.

The Sacred Rebellion

Choosing to see your perimenopause as sacred is actually a form of rebellion against a culture that wants to keep women small, quiet, and insecure. When you embrace this transition as an initiation, you're refusing to disappear. You're claiming your wisdom, your power, and your right to take up space in the world.

You're also modeling something different for younger women who will someday walk this path. You're showing them that perimenopause doesn't have to be feared – it can be honored.

Working with the Initiation (Not Against It)

This doesn't mean you have to suffer through difficult symptoms without support. It means approaching those symptoms with curiosity and respect while also taking good care of your physical and emotional needs.

Use herbs, work with healthcare providers, adjust your lifestyle, seek support – but do it all from a place of honoring the wisdom of your body rather than trying to force it back into old patterns.

Think of yourself as an apprentice to this new phase of life. You're learning its rhythms, its needs, its gifts. Be patient with the process and trust that your body knows what it's doing, even when it feels chaotic.

The Other Side of Initiation

Here's what I want you to know: initiations are temporary. The intense transformation phase doesn't last forever. On the other side of this passage is a woman who knows herself deeply, trusts herself completely, and is connected to a source of power that can't be shaken by external circumstances.

The women I work with who have embraced perimenopause as initiation often tell me they feel more like themselves at 55 or 60 than they ever did in their 20s or 30s. They have a clarity, a groundedness, and a freedom that can only come from having walked through the fire of transformation and emerged whole.

This is your invitation to trust the process, honor the journey, and step into the power that's waiting for you on the other side. Your perimenopause isn't happening to you – it's happening for you.

Welcome to your initiation, beautiful. The wise woman you're becoming is already inside you, waiting to emerge.

Taylor Short, of Harmonious Return is a Perimenopause Herbalist, Writer & Earth Intuitive. She’s passionate about starting a natural perimenopause revolution and tap into the wisdom of the earth and your body’s natural healing abilities so you can step out of barely hanging on… to fully blossoming and thriving in your full, authentically balanced self!