The Soul Garden

New Year and new/old ways of showing up

2026. Here already. It didn’t seem like a moment ago when even the thought of the year 2026 seemed sooo far away, so off into the future that it didn’t even really bear thinking about. And yet, here it is. Back in the 12th Century, the German mystic and abbess, Hildegard of Bingen said that you create the world around you with your thoughts. She had this concept of ‘vices and virtues’, which work on the idea that you can ‘neutralise’ and shift negative thoughts and habits into something more positive. Something kinder. I think we need big doses of that in the world right now. When I run workshops [https://georginalangdale.com/collections/workshops] about some of Hildegard’s ideas and ways we can work with them in today’s world - they always sell out, and the people who come to them seem to go away inspired and invigorated by her ideas. I reckon I’ll need to run quite a few of them this year! Anyway, the point of this and the video is to say that over the years I’ve woven creativity, compassionate and spiritual care, nature, ecotherapy, herbs, traditional art materials and techniques, into the way I show up in the world, and provide ways for others to add to the support and inspiration they call on when navigating life transitions. Admittedly doing so many things at once can get exhausting and so there has been abit of ebb and flow to this work. But I am stepping into the year, into 2026, clear about the fact that it is OK to show up talking about these different things. I’m rattling towards 60 and I think that does make a difference in thinking. I find it liberating. A near death experience as a child showed me how everything is connected, and has been a powerful teacher throughout my life. This year I am going to embrace the positive in that, and try not to worry about not having a forensic focus on just one area. Oh if life and curiousity were that simple! So, this post and video is off the cuff, ad lib and me simply trying to introduce myself and give you a bit of background if I am new to you. I also want to say here (I forgot to say this in the video) that I wish you happiness and peace for the year ahead, and encourage you to explore the things that really matter to you and that feed your soul in beautiful and delightful ways. Hildegard would probably say that if you are able to do that, you are giving yourself good medicine, and making the world a happier place too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georginalangdale.substack.com [https://georginalangdale.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

We are all made of Stardust

Navigating life in this chaotic world can be tricky, but I'm finding that the wisdom of a Renaissance physican and philosopher, and self-proclaimed 'Soul Doctor' is helping. Nature, cosmos, music, art and dance are all things that can help us live in a way that cares for the soul. Marsilio Ficino and his ideas became the focus for the Pecha Kucha talk I did as part of the 2025 Hawke's Bay Arts Festival on Tuesday 14 October. I've had a number of requests for recording sof it, and so I have made a recording here for this episode of the Soul Garden. If you are interested in my coaching, workshops and products check them out at Archeus.nz [https://archeus.nz/]and GeorginaLangdale.com [http://www.georginalangdale.com]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georginalangdale.substack.com [https://georginalangdale.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

HRT and the Menopause Transition with Dr Samantha Newman

This interview is an oldie but a goodie. A couple of years back, I managed to get some time in Dr. Samantha Newman's schedule to talk to her about hormonal changes that occur as we go through menopause. It was a good discussion and a valuable resource for women wondering if HRT might be right for them, so I’ve reissued it here on my new Midlife Living podcast. Sam Newman is not only a GP, she is a women's health export and has her own private practice, FEMALEGP [https://www.femalegp.co.nz/], where she sees women in person, or online (I have to say this whole new online way of delivering medicine has a real place in today's healthcare). She's passionate about making a difference for women and to really giving time and space to hear about and help with their health issues. Menopause is a strange time and what we may think is normal, is not normal, and also, Sam makes us question what we are prepared to accept as the new normal and offers ways to help. Sam reminds us that our hormones have many and varied roles, from periods, to brain function, to inflammation reduction, you name it, there's a hormone in the mix there somewhere. If you are looking for information about hormonal changes and some of the things we can do to manage them, then make a cuppa and have a listen. And here are some links for you. Until next time, Georgina xx Sam's private practice is called FEMALE GP and can be found here: [https://www.femalegp.co.nz/] NatFem Botanics is a range of natural and organic products for menopause and beyond, including including products for vaginal dryness. You can find the range here  [https://archeus.nz/]and we ship internationally The book Sam mentioned is The Vagina Bible: Vulva and Vagina - Separating the Myth From the Medicine, by Jennifer Gunter. Other links: Continence New Zealand [https://www.continence.org.nz/] DermNet [https://dermnetnz.org/] ISSVD The International Society for the Study of Vulvalvaginal Disease [https://www.issvd.org/]: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georginalangdale.substack.com [https://georginalangdale.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Vessel of Peace

What I've got for you in this episode of The Soul Garden: conversations for Midlife Living, is a guided meditation that I have recorded and called Vessel of Peace. I wrote and recorded this meditation for a client, but after listening to it she suggested Ishare it with others. So like a stone dropped into water, my hope is its medicine will ripple out to others too. This is a meditation for those times that we need a bit of healing. Maybe we’ve gone through a medical intervention. Maybe we have had a relationship change, a loss. Maybe we are just feeling lost ourselves and need something to help us regain our equilibrium. My hope is that this meditation is for any midlife woman who may be feeling any of these things.   Increasingly these days I find myself thinking of the words of the medieval mystic Hildegard of Bingen, who lived in the 12th century in Germany. She said, whatever we think and feel on the inside becomes the world we create around us. So for me, the words ‘vessel of peace’ move beyond just peace and the sense of self, but ripple out to become the world we create around us. I invite you to get comfortable and give yourself 20 minutes for this meditation and maybe if you like it you may know somebody else who may like it too and I invite you to share it with them also so whoever you are wherever you are. Take a beautiful, nourishing breath. Get ready. Get relaxed. And let the meditation begin.     You can find my offerings at archeus.nz [https://www.archeus.nz/] Instagram: @ArcheusNaturalLiving [https://www.instagram.com/archeusnaturalliving/] Facebook @ArcheusNaturalLiving [https://www.facebook.com/archeusnaturalliving] Youtube @ArcheusGeorgina [https://www.youtube.com/@archeusgeorgina]     This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georginalangdale.substack.com [https://georginalangdale.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Let’s talk about Transforming Life after Menopause with Wendy Sweet.

“Forget about menopause,” my guest on this episode, Dr. Wendy Sweet, urges us to focus on ageing, and the issue of ‘inflammaging’”. I caught up with Dr. Wendy Sweet, founder of the hugely successful My Menopause Transformation, online lifestyle-change programs for Peri to Post-Menopause for symptom reduction, weight loss and fitness. We first connected about six years ago, over a pot of the hormone-free natural balm [https://archeus.nz/collections/vulvovaginal-care] I make for vulvovaginal dryness, and it was great to reconnect again. Her programmes are helping women around the world, and in this interview she touches on some of the reasons why. After many years of researching women’s health and the impacts of the menopause transition on our physiology and wellbeing, Wendy bucks the trend of ideas of the way we should exercise and eat at this time of life. Wendy believes the answer to good health in our postmenopausal years doesn’t lie in focusing on weight training and protein, but rather on a more moderate approach to exercise, a solid understanding of the foods that help us at this time of life, and the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. This approach can help us reduce inflammation and open the door to an active and empowered ageing after menopause. Personally, I love to talk with someone who is donkey deep in the science of a topic and right on top of the latest research around it. It’s clear that Wendy has a deep understanding of the changes we go through as women in midlife. I hope you enjoy what she has to say, and perhaps go further and take a look at her website, mymenopausetransformation.com [https://www.mymenopausetransformation.com/] You can find my range of natural products for midlife and beyond at archeus.nz. [https://archeus.nz/] You can find my offerings at archeus.nz [https://www.archeus.nz/] Instagram: @ArcheusNaturalLiving [https://www.instagram.com/archeusnaturalliving/] Facebook @ArcheusNaturalLiving [https://www.facebook.com/archeusnaturalliving] Youtube @ArcheusGeorgina [https://www.youtube.com/@archeusgeorgina]   This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georginalangdale.substack.com [https://georginalangdale.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]