Cycles of Womanhood

The Crone

All women are cyclical beings, constantly in motion, waxing and waning along with the moon. We grow into our most outward nurturing aspect, sharing our light and love with all that come into our circle, and then slowly retreat once more into the welcoming dark to rest and replenish ourselves.

Our phases echo the Earth’s seasons; her spring is our maiden, her summer our mother, her autumn our enchantress and her winter is our crone. As we deepen our awareness of these connections and what they mean for us as individuals, the greater our ability to support ourselves and maximise our potential to achieve all that we aspire to.

In this series of articles, I am acting as your guide to the four archetypes which correspond to the four moon phases… maiden/first quarter, mother/full moon, enchantress/third quarter and the crone/dark moon. Each phase last for roughly 7 days, peaking on day 3 or 4, yet as well all know each one of us are different and our experiences belong solely to us.

Here in the darkness and isolation of winter, the great grandmother observes from her place beside the fire. She watches as icy fingers stretch across the land, the shadows lengthen, stealing away the days, and the moon hides her face, because along comes the Crone.

The image of the Crone is of the old wise woman that sits silently in her chair, ignoring the hustle and bustle of her family all around her. She appears to be asleep but then an argument goes too far, or a squabble can’t be resolved and so she speaks. Her voice is quiet, but it has an authority that will be respected. She has heard all it all before. She sees through the bravado, cutting through the nonsense to heart of what really matters. Her advice is to be heeded and her warnings not to be dismissed.

The word ‘crone’ is often considered a negative one in modern western culture. Conjuring a similar image to the word hag. It has negative associations of the wizened old witch deep in the forest. The witch you are warned about, the witch you grow up scared of and know to avoid. We do not embrace aging, we run from it and in doing so we run from all the goodness that it holds within it. The wisdom that you can only acquire from living.