Insta-Crone

Insta-CroneŽ

12 March 2003

I have been thinking lately on the whole Maiden-Mother-Crone thing. And my birthday has made me even more aware of this. As I've said before, I see the Wheel of the Year as a reflection of the Wheel of Life: birth, death, rebirth. I see also the archetypal goddess cycle in life. The maiden is youth; the mother is, well, motherhood, and the crone is elderhood (for lack of a better word). I have a corresponding god cycle in my own personal theology for you guy types out there: youth, father, and elder/sage (I'm not sure what the exact phrase for the final "phase" is yet--how to put into a simple, short word or phrase the idea of maturity, wisdom, sacrifice, and mortality?). But since I be female, I tend to identify with the goddess cycle. :)

The Maiden is youth personified. Not yet "weighed down" by cares and responsibilities, she is constantly learning and growing, and having immense fun while she does it. She laughs. She loves, but not as...maturely? seriously?...intensely?...as the mother or the crone. She has yet to experience the all consuming and unconditional love. She can be somewhat capricious in her nature; one minute still and serene, the next a tornado whipping across the land. Yes, she can be destructive, but not out of malevolence or some kind of "evil". [I believe there is neither pure evil nor pure good in this universe, at least not in the Christian sense. It's not a black and white place, it's not even grayscale. This universe is infinite-bit color.] She does it because she does. It may or may not "make sense" or "have a purpose"; and is it really my place to tell a deity what her intent is supposed to be?

The Mother is more difficult for me to describe. She is a mother, of course. She has carried and brought forth the god, continuing his journey. She knows the unconditional love for her child. She knows the all consuming love for her consort. She is has a maturity that the Maiden does not. A maturity of emotion and intellect, although not necessarily of wisdom. [I hold intelligence and wisdom to be two separate but related things. Perhaps a carry over from rpg? Probably, but I don's see that as making it any less valid. Intelligence is an area of learning. Wisdom is and area of knowing. I'm not sure how else to explain it.] She is the giver of life and the protector of life. She sets us tasks or "problems" so that we may learn. In a sense, the Mother is similar in temperament to the Maiden: a calm summer day or an earthquake laying waste to the land. Again, not out of "evil" but out of a desire to lead, teach, and, yes, protect.

The Crone. In western post-Christ mythology, a crone is generally seen as someone to be feared and avoided at all costs. One of her duties is to be the bringer of death. And perhaps this is why she is feared so. [Many humans have a fear of death and worry about what happens after. Some live their lives in such a way as to ensure a "reward" (such as the Christian Heaven). Others attempt to "buy their way in". Still others, like me, don't believe in a concept of eternal reward/punishment. There are more beliefs, but these are the ones I am most familiar with.] But I see her as a companion at death. She is there to accompany us, to calm our fears, to show us the way to the Summerlands should we need it. She is also the most mature of the Triad, but I don't mean in the sense of she is older. She has accumulated the knowledge and wisdom of a lifetime. She perceives the "meaning" behind the seemingly meaningless. She protects and yet is able to let go when necessary. She knows that grief is an inevitable and important emotion for those who lose loved ones. She grieves with those "left behind", but she tempers her grief with the knowledge that one who has died has not ceased to be or is being punished or whatever. And I find this to be comforting.

So this somewhat simplistic and abridged description of my Goddess/es was leading up to this question: where do I fit into this cycle? I have no and will have no child, so by the most basic definition I am not now nor will I ever be a mother. So am I to traipse along as a maiden and then BANG! Crone-ification? Or am I "allowed" to use a broader definition of the concept of "mother" and have I reached that point in my life? I mean, now that I am 30 years old, do I automatically qualify for the next "level"? Does age really have anything to do with it at all?

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Insta-CroneŽ

12 March 2003