Those of us who have accomplished enough of our personal healing to reach emotional maturity by the end of the first half of life, enter the second half with a remarkable burst of new energy, a protectiveness both of our own rights and those of others. For this reason, I have chosen to call the midlife woman the Guardian. Perceiving injustices, and willing to call people and institutions to their higher purposes and best expressions, the woman who steps fully into the Guardian archetype has the ability to encourage the best in herself and others. As she continues to develop a larger social, political, and spiritual perspective throughout her forties and fifties, she is prepared to become a visionary with the heart and guts to create change.

Joan Borysenko, A Woman's Book of Life