Celebrating Friendship & Honoring Life Phases with a Croning Ceremony

I was so blessed to be a part of a croning ceremony this weekend to help welcome three of my beloved friends and members of my spiritual healing community, Karen, Marie, and Terry, into a beautiful next phase of their lives. So what is a crone ceremony, you might be thinking?

A croning ceremony celebrates and honors the contributions a woman has made to her family, her friends, and others, and welcomes her to the new role she will play as a wise, experienced, and valued elder.

A croning ceremony is a rite of initiation into the wisdom years of life. A crone is a woman, usually over the age of 56, who is recognized by others as a wise woman. She is a spiritual elder and a wise mentor. She is a treasure of power and wisdom. Croning ceremonies empower the woman by affirming her attainment of wisdom. They acknowledge her beauty, her new status, her contribution to society, her leadership in the spiritual community, and her ongoing transformation.

In many traditions, there are three phases of life for people. For self-identified women, it is the Maiden, Mother, and the Crone. For self-identified men, it’s the Youth, the Warrior, and the Sage. They are really rites of passage. Crone energy is wise, calm, contemplative, strong, non-judgmental, and accepting. Along with clarity, insight, compassion, and knowledge.

Karen, Marie, and Terry all exude these qualities and it’s a delight to be a part of their tribe and learn from them. I was especially moved to hear all of the beautiful stories of their lives, including things they'd never shared with anyone before. What a powerful weekend!