The worship of the Goddess in ancient cultures reflects the phases of the Moon. Her archetypes live on within our hearts and minds. Our lives, as women, proceed through the stages of the Triple Goddess.
~ the Maiden ~ the Mother ~ the Crone ~
We begin our journey as the Maiden. This stage represents purity, youth, freshness and all that is new and full of awe and wonder.
During this stage we have our health, our innocence, our idealism and our entire future ahead of us. Our every breath is braced in anticipation! As the Maiden we see beauty and the wonder of nature in all things. The Maiden is represented by the New Moon and the Waxing Moon.
Time passes quickly and we move beyond this state of idealistic innocence. At age 27.5 we come upon our Progressed Lunar Return. This marks a very different cycle life.
By the time we have reached this phase we have encountered our first disappointments, disillusionment and a certain amount of pain. Maturity pushes us to step into a new role. It is now the time for us to support new life and accept the responsibility of our actions and the results of our decisions. We may or may not become biological mothers during this cycle, but that is not the issue. Our maturation has expanded our view of the world and of those around us. We are no longer infatuated with the newness of our own life, we have experienced some of the bitter edges and understand the need to offer support and love to others.
In our growing maturity we embrace life in the this second phase as we become the Mother. This is a phase of power and fullness which matures us deeply and fully. We now are interested and able to protect and nurture others. The archetype of the mother is the fullness of womanhood. The role of the Mother is one of power, she is the creator of life, the giver, the comforter, the protector, the lover. During this phase we learn confidence, patience, self discipline and responsibility. The Full Moon represents the power and grace of the Mother.
As we approach our Second Progressed Lunar Return (age 55) we move into the final cycle of the triple Goddess. The most difficult to accept and the most misunderstood, we now become The Crone, The Wise Woman, The Hag.
It can be a shock to find oneself suddenly entering this final phase of the cycle, becoming the Crone. Our culture does a poor job of honoring the wisdom of time and age. It is easy to feel that we have disappeared, that others no longer see us.
However, with our own acceptance and understanding, our job in this cycle is to educate the culture, to teach others, and our own value is part of what we must teach. We have much knowledge to pass on, our years on this planet have brought us face to face with the internal wisdom and mysteries of time. The stage of the Crone Goddess symbolizes wisdom and deep transformation. The Crone must care for The Maiden and The Mother. It is time to embrace the inner Wise Woman, the Crone, the Hag, the keeper of Mysteries.
As we move into this cycle and embrace our internal Crone, we recognize the deep value of our stories, we see that all the years of our experience have taught us much. It is time to take seriously our role as teacher, as wise counsel. The Crone is the Elder, the great teacher, the Waning Moon. As we now face another dimension beyond this life, it is our job to pass on the wisdom we have gathered from all the years as Maiden and as Mother. We must hold no bitterness, we must release our attachments, we must learn to move gracefully into age, wisdom and the ultimate coming of death.
It is time to tell our stories with pride and with humility.
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