The Miracle of Aging

The miracle for Greta, Marianne says, can be the shift in perception that allows her to see the gifts she is receiving from her current situation. "Allow your body to be what it is, to need what it needs," Marianne says. "What I submit to you is that allowing yourself to be in that place, you will find that there is some piece of your womanhood, some unintegrated place of your psyche that is going to be healed as you answer the demands of this moment."

For many women like Greta, growing older can represent a change in energy and focus. "When we're younger, we're always out there because 'If I get this, I'll be okay. I'm trying to make this happen.' There's always a grasping," Marianne says. "Then life almost forces you to sit within yourself and you go, 'This is not so bad,' and you become more magnetic. ... And your life changes from the inside out."

Oprah says she has realized this shift in her own life. "Camille Cosby said, 'You're going to love the 40s because you then know who you are and you don't have to put up with other people's stuff in the same way. ... You know how in your 20s and 30s you're running around trying to do everything for everybody? Something starts to happen in your 40s and you go, 'I'm not available,'" Oprah says. "And when you hit 50, please. Maya Angelou said this to me that the 50s are everything you were meant to be. I really think the 50s are the greatest. So for those of you who are in your 20s and 30s, you have much to look forward to because you inhabit yourself."