As a woman reaching middle age, I am all too aware of the extremely shallow materialistic conveyance of false perfection and youthfulness that us women are expected to eek and imbue at all times, until, at some point, we fall off of the known planet, hiding away in our ugliness and lack of usefulness. Aging is a process that is no longer respected nor accepted as a beautiful phase of our lives, rather as a hideous, undesired outcome, a loss, a prelude to death and something most people fear with disdain.
Two “older” lady friends of mine, now completing menopause and desiring to embrace their third stage of life, have asked me to do a Croning Ceremony for them, to honor this transition as an accepted and profound part of life in which they take deep pride and gratitude in attaining. As I am younger than both of them and feel they are both wiser than I, I have, as a side effect, been giving my own life process a bit of contemplation.
I have decided to create this blog as a way to address the “issues” of aging, for women, and how we can transform this process from being an “issue” into a transformation, where we embrace the Wisdom we have earned from our years on Earth, and now use that wisdom to embrace the third great aspect of our lives. It is a time when we cultivate all of our life’s workings into the now in a powerful and potent way we have never before been able to do. Without worry of appearances and no longer raising our children, the freedom in embracing the Crone is truly felt. Like the Old lady Dame Gothel, all know as the witch who kept Rapunzel locked in a tower until puberty: She who was barren had the most fantastic garden! All fertility is seen and sensed in the Crones outer world. (Thanks to Ruth Gardner, Celebrating the Crone.
In this blog I will share quips and quotes, histories and ceremonies for all to learn from and join in. I encourage you to join in and share your experiences. Like a fireside story, each of us unique individuals has goodness to share. I invite you to tell your stories by this fireside, and delight in the Power of the Crone!
The Beautiful Crone 