Midlife Shaman: Maria da Silva
Energetic boundaries for women over 50 aren’t about shutting people out; they’re about protecting your peace without closing your heart.
We women over 50 know something about giving. For decades, many of us poured our energy into careers, children, aging parents, friendships, and communities. Generosity was second nature; sometimes at the cost of our own well-being. We kept showing up, even when our tanks were running on empty.
Now, at midlife and beyond, a sacred question arises: How do I reclaim my sovereignty without hardening my heart?
The answer lies in reimagining boundaries. Not as walls. Not as defenses. But as energy work—something more fluid, compassionate, and life-giving than the rigid rules we may have been taught.
Boundaries as Energy Work
From a shamanic perspective, each of us carries an energy field that extends a few feet beyond the body. This field is alive, dynamic, and sensitive. When our field is strong and aligned, we move through the world with clarity and ease. But when we’re depleted or distracted, our aura becomes porous, leaving us vulnerable to the emotions, expectations, and dramas of others.
Traditional ideas about boundaries often suggest putting up a wall, saying “no,” or withdrawing. While those actions can sometimes be necessary, they don’t always address the deeper, energetic truth.
Energetic boundaries for women over 50 are not about defense; they are about calibration. They help us tune our field so that our compassion can flow without being hijacked by exhaustion.
Why This Matters After 50
Midlife is a threshold. For many women, it is the first time in decades that we begin to ask: What about me?
This shift is not selfish. It’s natural. After years of tending to everyone else’s needs, we realize that continuing to over-give is unsustainable. We are ready to release the patterns of self-sacrifice that once defined us.
Energetic boundaries allow us to step into this new stage of life with sovereignty. They make space for vitality, creativity, and joy to return. To deepen this work, explore Maria’s guide on how to rest in midlife—a sacred ritual to restore energy after decades of over-giving.
One of my teachers once said: “When you over-give, you rob others of their own strength.” That truth hit me hard. By protecting our own peace, we don’t only heal ourselves, we also empower those around us to stand in their own energy.
A Simple Practice to Seal Your Field
Here is one gentle but powerful practice you can try the next time you are heading into a potentially draining environment—a crowded event, a difficult conversation, even a family gathering.
- Pause and place a hand on your heart. Close your eyes for just a moment, no matter where you are.
- Visualize golden light. Imagine a soft, radiant glow emanating from your chest. Let it expand outward until it surrounds your whole body.
- See your luminous egg. Picture this light forming an oval cocoon around you, porous enough for love and joy to flow in and out, but strong enough to filter negativity.
- Claim your sovereignty. Whisper to yourself: “My energy is mine. I share it with love, but I remain sovereign.”
This practice takes less than a minute, but the shift it creates is profound. You may notice conversations flowing more easily, tensions softening, or simply that you feel lighter and less reactive.
How Energetic Boundaries for Women Over 50 Restore Joy and Vitality
Here’s the paradox: strong boundaries actually allow us to be more loving, not less. When our energy is calibrated, we can open our hearts without fear of being depleted. As women over 50, we’ve earned the right to give from overflow rather than obligation. To love without losing ourselves. To say yes with joy; and no with clarity.
Your energy is precious. Guard it with grace.
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About the Author:
Maria da Silva is a practicing shaman, writer and traveler who lives in Plymouth, Massachusetts and travels frequently to her home islands of the Azores. The founder of Wise Shaman Within, she is bringing peace, healing, and light to the world one client and one workshop at a time. Maria provides individual client sessions and also facilitates workshops in both the USA and Portugal. Visit her website: Wise Shaman Within.
