It’s finally spring! Not the time of year you’d expect to be thinking about the Crone, right? Well, I have some perspective on the Crone Journey that seems to fit with spring energy.
A few weeks ago I drew a card from my gems and minerals deck, The Illustrated Crystallary by Maia Toll. The card I got was Amber, or “What are you becoming?” This has been the guiding question for this part of my Crone Journey. The image above is a sacred spot at Ardantane.
Reflecting on what I am underneath all of the busy-ness and work-related energy which has consumed much of my life up until now has been like the refreshing feeling of seeing new life in spring. All is possible! Everything is yet to be uncovered!
Spiraling Inward
I recently attended a talk by Craig Childs, a local author, who talked about a connection between the symbol of a spiral and our evolution through life. He described the spiral as concentric circles leading to a center, which is the essence of our lives. I was amazed by this visualization, as I always draw spirals from the center out and that is how I had been seeing them. Now I am envisioning my Crone Journey as helping me get to the center of my being.
When I first retired, I filled my time just as full as it had been when I was working, with absolutely no effort. It was easy! And then friends began to ask “What are you doing with your time?” And the answer was, really, nothing. I guess I was getting stuff done, but there was no…point. No direction.
The Plant World
So I began to look for a direction. I found that planting, growing and working with green beings was a huge draw for me. Yes, I am a Cancer sun sign. I began, as I have mentioned in a previous blog, learning about plant communication during the Corona Virus lock down. Then it was on to studying herbal medicine, which has led me to the practice of mixing my own herbal teas to drink each day. I feel better and stronger physically and spiritually because of this practice. This is what being a witch means to me! Witch, heal thyself! I am collecting rare seeds to try growing this year, along with my staples of arugula and sugar snap peas, which I chose because the animals living around my garden don’t eat them! My next adventure will be working as a co-gardener with a friend of mine who is an accomplished food farmer. I want to be an earth worker and healer at the same time, and I have much to learn. Singing The Garden Song by David Mallett as I work, I ask the Goddess to bless the seeds. I aim to be a Keeper, as is written in We Are Keepers by Carole Crowwomyn.
I find inspiration from Wise Crone Diana Beresford-Kroeger, author of To Speak for the Trees. She is a scientist and a Druid of ancient Irish lineage. Her wisdom and energy are strong and full of hope, which is a commodity I need in my life as sure as breath. She has a plan for how we can make a difference with our friends, the trees. We can affect marvelous healing for our human and plant, animal families. Find out more at Call of the Forest. Get ready for some forest bathing! Which is a good segue to my next direction:
Body Health
I have also found more time for yoga and breathwork. I started a 30-day 30-minute yoga challenge at the beginning of the year, and it opened up a whole new way of feeling good for me. It was exciting to know that I would have 30 minutes, uninterrupted, every day to explore my relationship with myself. Now I find the time most days to continue the practice, and it’s quite the Crone luxury! Check it out here, and explore even more at Find What Feels Good.
Eating better is something I find more time for, and I can feel renewal happening inside me. I have stopped eating while doing other things so I can focus on what I am eating and how it is affecting my body. It never used to seem like I had enough time to do this, though that was only my mind playing tricks on me. The Crone Journey allows me to slow down and look at what I think, and see that I can change the way I live. So, what am I becoming? A song by Alane Crowomon describes it beautifully. I am becoming a Deep Well Woman. The deeper I look, the more well I become.
Crone Music
The third direction of my Crone Journey is a musical one. I have had time to explore the music I have loved throughout my life and see where my inspiration as a musician stems from. I have a deep connection to the music of social justice, as described in this recent post by Tara Kreauweaumonn. I have loved folk music since I became aware of it in my tweens. As a member of the Crow Women band, I have begun to write a bit of (very folk-inspired) pagan music. Music is a vessel for powerful magick in my life. I am currently working on a Crone song about Ishtar. And, for this post I have written a Spiral Crone chant. It goes to the tune of “We Are a Circle” by Rick Hamouris.
It is a circle
into a spiral
into the center
is the journey
Peel back the layers
of a lifetime
to find the Crone
who lives within
for more articles about Crones and Croning, visit our Croning and Saging Rites page here on Pagan Song