Where does the Crone come from?

The image of the ‘crone’ – an ancient old woman – has a special role in women’s wisdom, and especially within menstrual-lunar tradition. The old woman embodies energies and gifts that are available to women through a specific aspect of their female nature.

The menstrual-lunar tradition is represented in mythology and folklore in the form of four female archetypes – energies that lie within all women, regardless of culture or background. Each archetype is associated with a lunar phase and a phase of the menstrual cycle. The archetype of the Maiden is the growing energies of the waxing moon and our pre-ovulation phase. The Mother archetype is the abundant and complete energy of the full moon and ovulation. The decreasing energies of the pre-menstrual phase and waning moon are embodied by the Enchantress archetype – the beautiful mature, sexy sorceress. Finally, the menstrual phase and dark moon is embodied by the ancient woman, the ugly old witch, the Crone archetype hidden from the world in her magical cottage deep in the forest.

The Crone energies are like the winter, quiet and still. Her outward face is hidden, and she is turned completely inward. She lets go of the need to interact with society and to conform to its requirements. The Crone doesn’t have the physical energy to make things happen; instead she watches and, in her stillness and being, allows events to evolve. She is the weaver of Universal Energy, who creates with intention and flow. We find her in stories of the ancient wise woman in the forest who talks more to animals and trees than she does to people. We find her in the family as the old grandmother sitting in the corner by the fire, making sharp observations that make everyone feel a little embarrassed. And we find her in the old woman who sits all day looking out of her window watching the world.

We can directly experience the Crone energies in our menstrual phase if we allow ourselves to let go of modern expectations. During menstruation our physical, mental and emotional energies are at their lowest, and we dwell in the deepest level of our awareness – our soul mind. In our menstrual phase we naturally want to withdraw from life and to rest in our being. We are more able to let go of our emotional and mental baggage, to watch the world without being involved emotionally, and to let things develop without our intervention. If we no longer have a cycle, we can still experience the Crone energies by connecting with the lunar cycle and reflecting it in our lives by resting, withdrawing and meditating during the few days of the dark moon.

Living the Crone year energies

Since the Womb Blessing started it has moved through the Maiden energies of birth in 2012, the Mother energies of fullness in 2013, and 2014’s challenging changes of the Enchantress energies. Now the Womb Blessing family enters the Crone energies for a year offering us rest, flow, allowing, forgiveness and acceptance. After the wild ride of the Enchantress year, the Crone says to us ‘Rest my child in my arms and let life be as it is.’ She asks us to be with her in her winter energies, in her menstrual energies and in her dark moon energies.

The message of the Crone is ‘Enough’. She tells us that we have enough. She holds us and says that we are enough being who we are. And she tells us that it is enough – that we no longer need to relive and act out our past, our patterns and our conflicts and hurts. The Crone year is a year of loving acceptance and allowing. There is nothing to change or fix. It is a year to reflect and to give the Divine Feminine your goals and dreams and to let Her arrange them without your effort.

The Crone is the Dark Mother, the mother of souls and rebirth and a powerful Creatrix, but to connect with her creative energies in our lives we need to let go to her and trust her. In this year she gives us the gift of restoring our energies and of gentle healing and integration of all the energies and changes that have come in the last three years of Womb Blessings. Then we will be ready to be reborn from her cauldron into new dynamic energy in the following year.

How to approach this Crone year

• Surrender, then things will happen.
• Be patient and trust.
• Don’t fight to make things happen.
• Follow each opportunity the Crone brings you.
• Don’t use energy when you don’t have to.
• Let things develop in their own time.
• Rest more in your menstrual phase to experience the Crone energies and gifts.
• Write down your feelings and insights during menstruation to teach you how to live in a Crone energy year.
• Remind yourself that you live in a Crone year – see reminder below.

The Benefits of the Crone year energies

• Soul guidance – knowing your purpose in life.
• Discovering deep truths, guidance and wisdom.
• Letting go of the past, of old patterns and emotional baggage.
• Being able to forgive and restore relationships through love and acceptance.
• Accepting and loving yourself as you are now.
• Creating without action.
• Developing trust.
• Healing and restoring your energies.
• Deepening your spiritual connection to the Divine Feminine.

The gifts of the Crone year are available to all of us in the Womb Blessing family but only if we let go and surrender. So when modern life tries to stir up the Maiden energies within your life, remind yourself and call the Crone to you:

Gentle Mother of the dark and stillness
into your arms I place my life and my desires.
I surrender these things to your love and creation
and know that in your timing all will be birthed.
All is well.