What If We Were Crones?
What do you see when you look at this picture? Do you see an ugly old crone or a beautiful young woman? Why is one more valued than the other? What if we could see the beauty in both images. What I love about this picture is that the artist is actually showing us two sides of the same coin and both are equally beautiful.
The beauty of the young woman is obvious but did you know that way back, an aging woman, known as a crone, was revered for a different kind of beauty. They were the shamans, priestesses, midwifes and medicine women of society. She was worshiped for her inherent wisdom that was born of knowledge and life experience. She was seen for her power. Her body was no longer fertile but her mind was laser sharp and because of that she was able to reclaim her power for herself and for others. Keep in mind that crones were in their 40’s and 50’s back then because life was short.
Aging in our society is not easy when you’re constantly bombarded with messages of loss and limitation. I get it. I have, and still do, struggle with not looking the same as I did in my 20’s and 30’s. It can be hard not to. More wrinkles, less perky parts and graying hair are not easily accepted. It’s hard to go against what society values. Its so easy to question your value and worth against a standard of youth and beauty. And you can feel powerless to change it, despite what all the anti-aging lotions and potions will tell you.
Life has changed significantly since then, thats for sure, and maybe our ‘villages’ no longer need shamans and priestesses (or maybe they do) but what if today we claimed even just a little bit of our power back based on the wisdom and life experience we have earned. Instead of viewing midlife as the beginning of the end what if we used our inherent power to redefine a new chapter based on what’s truly meaningful for us. It could be chasing a dream, reinventing your life or simply re-igniting an old passion but whatever it is, we as the new age crones hold the power to do truly magical things.