In the society we live in, at least in the West, there is a great obsession with staying young, fit, wrinkle free, beautiful. You can see some of the signs of this in the number of “aesthetic” beauty parlours that seem to have popped up on every high street, although one could argue about whether they do actually make one more beautiful, and what are the long-term consequences of the processes and chemicals being used?

In contrast to the above, I offer crone ceremonies. Traditionally the journey of the Goddess in human form is from childhood (the maiden), through puberty and the time of fertility (the mother), to maturity (the crone). These stages are not achieved simply because time passes; they are rites of passage.

“Crone” is derived from the word cronus (time), and points to the wisdom gained through life experiences. The time of the crone is the time when life experiences help a woman shed the concern she has regarding judgment from others.

Crone also means crown. It is the time when a woman can more confidently wear her crown to reclaim her ancient identity, her identity of True or Higher self, who she is without all of the conditioning that is so inevitable in this society. All that can now be stripped away so her glory shines majestically. She can confidently crown herself and step into the third aspect of the Goddess: embodied maturity.

Crones are the preservers of knowledge and the bearers of wisdom. They are the healers, mentors, and advisors. They are the wise woman. It is not about loss – loss of youth or attractiveness or fertility – but about gain and growth – in wisdom and experience and compassion and beauty that is both inward and outward.

In ancient societies around the world, women were wisdom keepers, healers, teachers. The crones helped younger women bring new life into the world and helped older women as they took their final breaths and exited this mortal realm. The Crone enjoyed a special, revered status and was praised for her wisdom, healing skills, and moral leadership. She has a profound understanding of life and the world around her – she is a font of wisdom for her community and a source of inspiration.

There is a very interesting recent documentary by Brian Johnson called ‘Don’t Die’. I am not going to give any spoilers in here, but I found it fascinating. There were a couple of unexpected twists and turns but there also seemed to be a complete lack of any Spirituality or belief in consciousness beyond the physical. It was the complete antithesis to conscious aging or indeed an acceptance of death as part of life.

I prefer the philosophy of Mac MacCartney, one of my favourite teachers who founded and runs Embercombe. One of his pieces of advice is Live while you are alive. And at the end of your days, what did you do for the Children’s Children.

Here’s to a life worth living.