Maiden, Mother & Crone: Celebrating 3 Generations

Every Maiden isn’t young. Every Mother doesn’t have a child. Every Crone isn’t old. What’s important is the energy each embodies and how it makes itself known. Which Goddess are you?

The Maiden embodies the creative force. Like one of spring’s colorful perfumed flowers, her purpose is to attract. Dancing with wild abandon, she gathers the stuff of life – big dreams, bold ideas, and intense desires. But she’s impatient and doesn’t settle down long enough to bring them into reality. She isn’t supposed to. Her story is about beginning. We see her in the waxing Crescent Moon. The Maiden is usually young…but not always. Regardless of your age, if some new relationship, or new project, or new idea is calling you, slip on your fancy shoes. Dance with the Maiden.

The Mother embodies the creative act. Sensual, sexual, fertile and strong, she’s the one who weaves the ideas, dreams, and desires, then gives birth to something tangible. She feeds and protects. The energy of the Mother is often seen in her child. But the child doesn’t have to be human. The Mother’s devotion could be to an idea, a project, a cause, or a story. She is the Lady of the Dance. Her story is about fulfillment. We see her in the Full Moon. The Mother is usually of child-bearing years…but not always. Regardless of your age, if you’ve birthed a creation of any sort, give it time and tender loving care. Find a rocking chair. Feel the rhythm. Nurture with the Mother.

The Crone embodies creative transformation. She sees far beyond the last note of the dance. What was, is no longer. The Wise Woman, she recognizes that death is only a change and that beyond death is life in a new form. She leads those going on that new path, and comforts those left behind. Her stories are about endings. We see her dark outline, an empty womb, in the waning Crescent Moon, what singer/songwriter Wendy Rule calls “the old moon held by her daughter.” The Crone is usually old…but not always. Regardless of your age, if you know, sense, or feel that it’s time to move on with a project, a job, a relationship, do it. Be bold. Cut the cord. Feel the grief. Walk away. It helps to remember that the Crone herself transforms…into the Maiden.

Every summer, I spend a week with hundreds of women writers from all over the world. The gathering is the annual conference of the International Women’s Writing Guild <www.iwwg.org >   I’ve attended this conference every year since 1996, always inspired by how often several generations from one family would attend. In 2008, I designed the closing ritual to honor those many Maidens, Mothers, and Crones.

“We are not just many women gathered here this night. We are generations of women, from every corner and curve of the world. While we may not all be related by the blood of our veins, we are deeply connected by the blood of our wombs – even if we have yet to experience the flow, even if the flow has long ceased.”

I talked about the energy of the Triple Goddess. Then I cued the dramatic, beautiful and very powerful song Diety by Wendy Rule, from the CD of the same title < www.wendyrule.com > As it played, a procession of 27 women slowly, solemnly, entered the packed auditorium, each carrying a candle. Nine were dressed in the white of the Maiden, nine in the red of the Mother, and nine in the black of the Crone. One by one, each one gave tribute in her own words to the Goddess she represented. Here are a few examples:

I honor the story of the Maiden. I honor the seeds within me and scatter them as I go.    Jan Phillips / www.janphillips.com

I honor the story of the Mother. I remember to nourish and nurture myself. / Judy Adourian  / www.writeyes.com

As a Crone, I summon wisdom into our lives. I summon Sophia. / Susan Tiberghien  www.susantiberghien.com

I honor the story of the Maiden. I represent unlimited potential. / Judith Searle www.judithsearle.com

I honor the story of the Mother. I offer warmth and light to tender shoots. / Marsha McGregor www.marshamcgregor.com

I honor the story of the Crone. I know what it means to lose and let go. I have the power to cut the threads of that which is finished. / Paula Chaffee Scardamalia www.diviningthemuse.com

In the auditorium that night were Maidens in their nineties and Crones in their teens. You could be feeling any one of the three energies right now. Remember, age doesn’t matter. What does is that you acknowledge the energy and work with it. You don’t have to create an elaborate ritual. Just reflect. Then write. Or draw. Or sing. Or drum. Say out loud, “I am the Maiden.” Or, “I am the Mother.” Or, “I am the Crone.” You’ll discover layers of meaning only your heart can know.