Throughout the centuries the mystery of womanhood and its attendant phases have given rise to countless myths and legends, but for me the clearest way to understanding follows the eons-old "Maiden, Mother, Crone" progression, or the Goddess Tripartite. This is an illustration found in many ancient civilizations and is for me most clear as the waxing moon of maidenhood, waiting to ripen, the full moon of motherhood which astonishingly gives life in many diverse ways, and, finally, the waning moon of the crone.
She, the crone, embodies the elder role within the tribe. She has left the skipping flirtation and discovery of maidenhood behind. Likewise, her hardworking, child-rearing days are behind her. Hopefully, with the days of reflection in which to meditate, she takes advantage of the opportunity to consider all the wisdom of the world, to integrate it, and to become the locus for that wisdom within her tribe.
Some women become crones which are dry as dust, uninteresting, and hollow as an old stump. If we are truly women of wisdom, we choose to age differently. My aging has been a thing of grace throughout my entire existence, and for the next season I bear the Creator nothing but gratitude. To honor and celebrate the progression into that season which will lead me inevitably into the next life, I will gather friends and family on September 28, 2013 at the Davis Art Center in Davis, California, for a champagne dessert and a croning ceremony.
I don't know how folks will react to this; some of my friends have considered this to be 1) silly 2) pagan 3) self-indulgent. Me, I say: I'm having a pretty good time, all things considered, and my biggest question right now in my life is if I should stop coloring my hair. My next question is: Want to join me? Want to look smack in the face of the ONE THING that American womanhood is supposed to fear above all others:
AGING?
I say: Let's join in raising a glass to honor women of "a certain age", let's celebrate wisdom, power, grace, and the beauty that comes with experience of life. RSVP to me at dori.marshall@gmail.com or leave a comment here below to join the fun. Bring a token, talisman, or trinket to affix to my traditional walking stick to wish good wishes into the grey journey.
I said a "Croning", not a "Crowning"!
You are cordially invited to a champagne dessert on
Saturday, September 28, 2013
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
at
Davis Art Center
1919 F Street, Davis, CA 95616
