I follow the wheel of the year and I delight in the changing of the seasons. I recently started celebrating with a small group of lovely souls, and on Samhain we are performing a croning ceremony as well as the regular Samhain sabbat.
{ ! YES ! A croning ceremony! And on Samhain to boot. } Samhain is the time of the year to celebrate the cycle of death and rebirth, so as far as I’m concerned, the timing is pretty close to perfect.
Maiden, Mother and Crone; the three archetypal stages of the feminine
I am really excited about participating in an evening that not only honours our lovely All Hallow’s Eve, but that is also a tribute to the amazing crone stage of life. For me, the crone stage of life is more than a decade off- but I have always felt like an old soul in many ways and I am looking forward to being a full fledged crone when my time comes. Reaching the crone phase is, after all, a mega-milestone in most pagan traditions.
The crone is the teacher,
the elder, and the wise woman
I love that women in these traditions embrace their femininity after 50. That fact that grey is beautiful, and that post-menopausal hips are still seen as luscious speaks loudly to my soul. In my perfect world, we would revere people’s experiences and wisdom, and we would really respect the elders that we have in our lives.
I fully subscribe to the idea that we an learn something from each and every person that life puts on our path, and when that person is a crone – YOWZERS – oh the things they can teach!
Lovely crones are something to celebrate and to applaud. And reaching the crone phase gives us reason to dance.
I want that for my second half of life.
I really, desperately want that.
Given the alternative of becoming nearly invisible in a society that is totally obsessed with the beauty of youth, I’ll take the crone phase, thank you very much!
I like to think I will be able to embrace my crone phase, gracefully.
Even if mass media and advertising continue to operate as if older people don’t exist, and even if silly store clerks continue to ignore their 50+ customers as they fawn over their younger clientele… yes, even then… I like to think I will be able to own my inner crone and to love her and accept her with all my heart.
The phase of the beautiful, wonderful crone.
I am not sure how easy that will be. But I am 100% sure that it will be much more joyous and much more fun if I can celebrate it all with a group of like-minded crones. One day, I want to rejoice in my crone status and to wink at the years as they pass, and I want to sing praises to the third phase of my life as the moons wax and wane. I want to embrace the silver and white, and laugh with my descendants, as the fire warms our hearts and our hearths.
– – – I will record the specifics of the ceremony after Samhain – – – –
I recorded an podcast about the lovely crone here: https://soundcloud.com/pixiecurio/embracing-the-crone-life-strategies-for-the-soul
