Guest Author - Linda J. Paul

Women are all Goddesses. There is absolutely no doubt of that. And, every single woman in this world is beautiful. There is absolutely no doubt about that either. We are born into this world as beautiful reflections of divinity.

I love the idea of the triple Goddess. We are the maiden in her innocence, the mother in her nurturing aspect, and the crone in her wisdom. Women are powerful beings. We produce young from our bodies and protect and guide them into their own adulthood. The cycles of our bodies and our lives correspond to the very rhythms of the Earth itself. We are the heartbeat of the Mother.

In ancient times, the cycles of a girl’s or a women’s life were celebrated. In Native American culture, when a girl started to menstruate, her transition from childhood to womanhood was celebrated by her tribe or clan. The Elder women of the tribe were treated with respect and honor for their wisdom. In fact, in gypsy culture, no decisions of the clan were made without the consent of the Matriarch. A nod of her head one way or the other decided every issue.

I remember when I got my first period, my mother and I made a trip to the store, and sat down and discussed this mystery of my young body. I called up my best friend and we sat and giggled and checked out the packages which held necessary paraphernalia for this once a month rite of passage. A few months later, she called me to announce that she was now also a member of young womanhood. We celebrated with hot fudge sundaes.

When my daughter went through the transition at 13, we went to the store, and sat and discussed the mystery once again. She called her best friend… and we celebrated with hot fudge sundaes.

This sacred ritual of mother and daughter sharing happens all the time, all around the world. It is a time when we bond once again in a different way. We begin to see our daughters as young women, and we begin to worry about them in ways we never did before. And, we sit down once again and talk about the facts of life.

I think that this mother daughter bond is something very sacred. And, this bond does not have to connect with your biological or adopted daughter. It extends to all of the young women who are a special part of your life. It is a rite of passage that we can all share. Just as menopause is a rite of passage we can all share.

I started the change of life when I was 44. I was in the middle of a divorce, my mother was sick, and I was moving from Maine to Connecticut with two young teenage boys in tow. I had my period for three weeks straight and it wasn’t letting up. So, I found a Gynecologist in Ct., and went in for a visit. He propped me up on the table and proceeded to inform me that my eggs had all shriveled up, and that my uterus was irritable. Hmmmmm. He recommended that I take the estrogen laced pills he gave me and if the bleeding didn’t stop.. Well, we would go ahead and pull out the uterus. After all, I didn’t need it anymore anyhow.

My irritable uterus and I went home, and I sat down and thought about what he had said. I realized that I was holding on to the mother aspect of who I was, but that my body was ready to let that go. It was telling me that I was ready to transition into the world of the “gasp” crone. The next few years were interesting ones. I found a women’s center that I liked, and they helped me get through the transition with ease and grace, and I even kept my irritable uterus.

I had a Croning ceremony when I turned 50. I sat in my purple robe in the center of the circle of my friends and relatives, both male and female, and each in turn approached me and told a story about how I had changed their lives. Some of the stories were brief, some more complex, some funny and some heart wrenching. And, then each of them offered a small token from the heart. I have those tokens in a box which will someday be passed on to my daughter when I leave this world behind me. It was a wonderful experience, and one I will always remember with a smile.

You don’t have to be of any particular belief system in order to have a Croning ceremony. I have included a few links to some that are geared to any religion. It is also a beautiful way to honor a mother, a grandmother, or someone in your life who has acted as a mentor and a teacher.

Love and Light…