Maiden Mother Crone Options

I assume we're all familiar with this trinity, the three stages of life. My question is, where would you say the transitions are? Back in ye olde dayes things were so different; women had to mature faster and died faster as well, so the 'mother' stage could have been ushered in as early as sixteen. Now of course people live so much longer and, in general, are healthier, so the ages are a bit skewed from what they used to be. So, how long are you a maiden for? When do you become the crone? I'm sure everyone has different takes on this - especially depending on their own age; I admit, as bigoted as it sounds, thirty still seems old to me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/13.gif) - and I'm curious to see what people have to say.

when menstruation starts you stop being the maiden, and when it stops you start being the crone? - that's the way i've always heard it said

never forget the dark traveller, the one who is not there, the fourth sister, the black sheep, the dinural 'sun-rider', sometimes called hecate or dark annie or black annie, she who is gone walkabout, etc

a forgotten part of that trinity, she is just as powerful and she is the she that is dead, the ghost of herself seen in the daylight sky

her cycles are set, reflecting those of the earth (some say causing it)

plowing, planting, growing, harvest

the trimesters and birth

impregnation, carrying, birth, afterbirth

spring, summer, fall, winter

periodicity and scarring and mystery, etc,

she sets the rhythm: oysters open, migrations migrate, women menstruate to her baton

she is the woman over the waves, where in the palm of her hand there comes pictures that you can see only if you are also in the palm of her hand, and the pictures change over time - she is in a bunch of my stories, usually a robed woman with blond hair changing to black hair, and usually is dancing or chanting

there is only one 'lady', and her one 'lamp', and her number is 4 (magic), her symbol is the moon, her dark side is full of secrets, and her voice is the voice of rhythmic change over time - the gift you give her is your devotion, or at least acknowledgement, but she is not fawning after you, breathlessly waiting to meet you, for she is always older than you

that's a small look at what i have on 'the lady' - and there is only one 'lady' (of the night or whatever) - one of my pet peeves is for a woman to call herself 'the lady' - paula deen does it constantly (as in the lady and sons), it turns my stomach, and despite her full-moon-shaped, squinty-eyed little aborted-fetal pig-face reminding me side-wise of the lady's lamp, she is not even related to the lady, nor would she know her voice if it shouted at her - sorry, but that no-no is a big deal to me, like someone calling themselves the hierophant (like marilyn manson does, but even spelling it wrong!) without knowing anything about it

grrrr - sorry again, i just got back from a trip to hell, so now i guess i can call myself 'persephone' (though i would never dare to, for i am not her daughter)

This post has been edited by esoterica: Apr 11 2009, 07:24 AM

To me it seems like you move from Maiden to Mother when you transition to actual motherhood or a more "Mother" role. For me (I do not have children) this equates to being more of a teacher than a student, which I mean in a very loose sense. It is something I noticed recently (I'm in my mid 30s). The transition from Mother to Crone seems to be when you have the age and wisdom to fit more into that role but I don't have any actual experience with that. Hopefully someday I'l be able to report on that transition. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

nice! - that's a good thought, and it works also for the males who are aligned to the lady too - they have a tough time of it sometimes, sometimes even by our own female prejudice, but usually those males have a past life or two where they were female and she was a harsh mistress - so yeah, they can mirror the major cycles through their lives! - very nice!