Witches, Crones and Samhain

At one of our very first SheHive events - five years ago this Thursday - one of our community members, Nancy P., declared that she wanted to reclaim the word “Crone.” She was sick of older women being labeled “hags” and wanted to reclaim the word to describe a wise woman.

The thought has stuck with me all these many years.

By definition, the Crone is an old woman - often described as disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, with magical or supernatural associations. I think of all the women, throughout the ages, that have been labeled “disagreeable” and assigned magical powers. They were called witches and burned at the stake because they first and foremost had that magical power of “thinking for themselves” and demanding they not be treated like second-class citizens.

Heretics!

It makes me think that the Crone is only disagreeable in that she has the magical power of not giving a fuck what anyone thinks of her anymore and dares to live a life of her own choice because of it.

And if that is truly the case… sign me up!

I wouldn't go back

In a culture that idolizes youth and women so airbrushed they look like toddlers with boobs, moving into my Crone phase hasn’t come easy. Every wrinkle reminds me that my childhood fairy tales of marrying the rich Prince and being swept off to a life of indulgent luxury and never-ending rainbows probably isn’t going to happen. But you couldn’t pay me to go back to earlier phases of my life if the trade off was that I had to leave behind the lived experiences and wisdom that my 51 years has brought to me. It brings me so much more joy than my peaches-and-cream complexion at 24 ever did.

Because, honestly, I wasn’t even smart enough to appreciate that peaches-and-cream complexion at 24.

I mention it because...

I bring this all up because just last night  Lisa Schmidt and Julie Hardy,  shared the event description for the October Celebrating the Wheel of the Year event with me. This monthly series uses the Sabbats - seasonal events like solstices, equinoxes, and the midpoints between - and a variety of traditions to create monthly celebrations that bring passion, purpose, and a bit of whimsy to life.

This month Julie and Lisa are going to lead us in a celebration of Samhain - the New Year in the Wheel of the Year. Samhain marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark season. In addition to leading use through grounding rituals, they are going to share a little about where our Halloween traditions came from, how to honor our ancestors and discuss - get this! - the archetypal figure of the Crone.

Five years to the day that Nancy declared she wanted to reclaim the Crone, we’re going to finally do it. I love it when the world comes full circle like that.

Come explore your inner-Crone

If you are ready to embrace your Crone phase, or just curious about Samhain, or simply need an excuse to gather with a group of awesome women to bring a little passion and purpose to life, I hope you join us this Thursday for what is always a night of laughter, learning and deep insights. Click here to learn more about the event and register.

With much love and gratitude,

Ursula Adams, MSc
SheHive Founder & Leadership Coach