croning ceremony
What is a Croning Ceremony?
A croning ceremony is a rite of initiation into the wisdom years of life. A crone is a woman, who is usually over 56 and having gone through menopause, and who is recognized by others as a wise woman. She is a spiritual elder and a wise mentor. She is a treasure of power and wisdom. In our historical time, as women live longer than ever before, we need new rituals for this life passage into later years.
Croning ceremonies empower the woman by affirming her attainment of wisdom. They acknowledge her beauty, her new status, her contribution to society, her leadership in the spiritual community, and her on-going transformation. They challenge the oppression by patriarchal societies of elder women as old, unbeautiful has-beens, and useless.
Look around and notice the wisdom, beauty, and power of our elder women. This is what we celebrate during the Easter Season – the continued new birth and resurrection of love that will not die, by honoring our dear friends and sisters.
Female identified persons: if you feel you are wanting to mark your intentions for your third stage of live (after menopause) please let Pastor Stacy now for this year or up coming ceremonies. 2016 Croning celebration is during the Liturgy of the Divine Feminine on May 15 (Pentecost).
Male identified persons: There is an honorary Male Croning Ceremony here at herchurch that takes place about every three years.
Judith Lavender, Dancer, Minister of Embodiment, blesses crones (2013)
Call to celebrate the Crone
Croning ceremonies empower each woman by affirming her attainment of wisdom.
We acknowledge her beauty, her new status, her contributions to society, her leadership in the spiritual community and her ongoing transformation. They challenge the oppression by patriarchal societies of elder women as old, un-beautiful has-beens, and useless.
Look around and notice the wisdom, beauty and power of our elder women. This is what we celebrate annually During the Easter Season — the continued new birth and resurrection of love that will not die, by honoring our dear friends and sisters who claim the title Crone.
The definition of Crone is…the power, passion and purpose of ancient female wisdom. The crowing triple phase of the ancient Triple Goddess: Maiden/Mother/Crone. The Crone is joyous, outrageous, real and at ease, living from the inside out. The Crone’s title was related to the word “crown” and she represented the power of the ancient tribal matriarch who made the moral and legal decisions for her subjects and descendants.
It was patriarchal interpretation of the medieval metamorphosis of the wise woman that changed the word Crone from a compliment to an insult and established the stereotype of malevolent old womanhood that continues to haunt elder women today.
The herchurch community honors the crone and bestows upon them blessings, symbolic gifts, and the honor due our elders and women of wisdom. Women: if you feel you want to mark your intentions for your third stage of life (after menopause), please let Pastor Stacy know.
Pentecost (May 19) 2013 was our first male croning ceremony. Men who wish to acknowledge the qualities of the Wise Crone in themselves are invited to this ceremony. This ceremony is celebrated when men within the community are ready to identify themselves with the qualities and sensitivities of a Crone. It is indeed a great and historic honor.
