winter

“Ancient Queen Of Wisdom, Hecate, Hecate. Old One, Come To Us” ~Goddess Chant

As we enter the dark time of the year and the wheel is turning to winter, the cycle denotes a period of increased darkness, frozen ground, and a sharp decline of visible abundance. It marks a time of letting go, of allowing things to fall away; it is the destruction phase of the life cycle.

We welcome this season through honoring our ancestors, the spirits of those who have walked the Earth through the ages, and by reflecting on the mysteries and wonders of life and of death.

The energy of the Crone emerges during this time of year, reminding us of the need to surrender, withdraw and retreat into the counsel of our inner spiritual world. While most online dictionaries enjoy subjugating the essence of the Crone into a cantankerous, old woman (which She is surely capable of being if you attempt to defy or ignore Her message!), the true nature of the Crone aspect of the Goddess radiates spiritual power, wisdom and mastery. Traditionally, She is associated with the later stages of the life cycle, but the potential for integrating Her teachings is available to us all, if only we pause and listen to Her call.

In Western society, our culture does not typically seek out conversation about or the experience of aging and dying; we tend to run as fast as we can away from it. The Crone is the last guest we want invited to our party. Perpetual youth (which is particularly expected among women) has become one of our many cultural addictions; as if an anti-aging facial cream will miraculously prevent our kidneys from failing or negate our Soul’s desire for a rest from the physical plane.

The reverence and respect for the wisdom and teachings of ancestors and elders that is practiced in so many cultures throughout the world has become lost in our society and invariably distorted through judgments and assumptions about what it means to be ‘old’.

It is true that at first glance, there is little aesthetic appeal in the dying process within an aged human body. Our skin becomes spotted, wrinkled and tears easily. We lose hair, hearing, and agility. Our teeth become fragile, rot or fall out. Our bones can break in a fall, and we can become bed-ridden for weeks from a common cold because of depressed immunity. Essentially, we are falling apart; our life vessel that we call the human body eventually deteriorates.

Yet, this process can serve as a clear reminder to each of us how inexplicably bound we are with Nature and the ephemeral earthly experience. We are reminded, more urgently, more deeply and more loudly, that while the concept of Time is a non-linear physical construct, the length of time our human form will sustain us appears to be quite limited and definitive.

We are both growing and dying all at once. Nature teaches us about the beauty of death through the creation of life; about the seeds of growth within decomposition and decay; for we dance within these cycles each day in the rise and set of the sun and the wax and wane of the moon.

Perhaps that is our unique human paradox to contemplate and experience. To learn and understand how to exist comfortably in both life and in death; to gracefully welcome the season of each. In choosing to embrace the deep inner wisdom and spiritual power of the Crone, we also embrace the ageless, the timeless and the formless, transcending duality in the practice of being fully present and open to ourselves, each other, and the Earth.

Come to The Eye and engage with the Crone; we have books (Wisdom of the Crone, Ellen Cannon Reed, etc.) statuary (Baba Yaga, Medusa, Hekate), pendants and candles to welcome and celebrate Her arrival.