Being a Crone

Spring greetings from beautiful Boston. After a nice, gentle, nourishing week of rain, the weather has been delightful, starting on Mother's Day. I spent the weekend welcoming new mamas at the hospital and as I drove in to work on Sunday afternoon, I saw so many people out strolling around and it looked like at least one mama in every group. It all felt like a true celebration. 

I loved noticing all the different ages of mothers I was in contact with over those three days --the young women giving birth as well as some older ones; the women I work with who have children of all ages, babies all the way up to grown up; those of us who are now grandmothers. There's so much concern about getting older, especially amongst women. While I sometimes wish I knew then what I know now, I've come to truly appreciate being an elder or Crone.

Tragically, the Merriam-Webster dictionary (shame on you M-W) defines Crone as a cruel or ugly old woman. Historically, nothing could be further from the truth.  Crones, Hags, and Witches were the healers and leaders in ancient communities. Crone comes from crown, implying wisdom flowing from one's head. Hag comes from hagio or holy and Witch describes a wise woman. Scholar and author Clarissa Pinkola Estes (Women Who Run With the Wolves) maintains "The Crone is the one who sees far, who looks into the spaces between the worlds and can literally see what is coming, what has been, and what is now and what underlies and stands behind many things.".

This time in a woman's life is sometimes called the third phase, full of wisdom, power, and release with a deep connection to the natural cycles of life and death. Since I've been observing, first-hand, a certain lack of reverence for elders, I'd like to share another POV to consider, going back many centuries and coming up to the present:

• A Crone has a vast amount of accumulated knowledge and insight coming from simply living a long, full life

• Our energy is not as much about physical strength (although that can be maintained by making a decision to do so), but more about an inner understanding of oneself and what roles Ego and Soul play.

• As we age, we can find ourselves naturally investigating introspection and self-discovery.

• We recognize the importance of letting go of what no longer serves or fulfills us.

• It's a time to unlock creative potential -- think Grandma Moses who started painting at age 78. She went on to live to be 101. Her paintings hang in major art museums and still sell for over $1 million.

• One learns to trust their instincts and listen to their intuition.

• It's a time to just stop giving a f*#k about all the small sh%t.

Personally, I feel like I see more and more of the "big picture" with each passing year, and it allows me to slow down and go quiet and deep. It's a good place to be. 

Wherever you are, raise a toast to your NOW and know that it just might be that the best is yet to come!

Sending sparkles and love your way!