Circle of Crones

Women elders creating healing spaces

I am lucky enough to volunteer at a local wildlife hospital. 

People bring in a variety of injured or ill animals. Recently it was baby bird season, where baby birds may fall out of nests, be attacked by other animals, or be injured in a variety of ways. 

The other day we noticed a baby blue jay simply sitting on the floor of his cage, not resisting any attempt to pick him up, not gaping (opening his mouth to accept food). 

We volunteers, mostly elders, and mostly retired women, talked about having noticed this bird and being concerned with his possible level of injury or illness. We came together to talk and took our concerns to the vet-tech in the treatment room and then filled out an FYI note to call their attention to this bird so that they would take a closer look at him sooner.

I stepped back for a few moments and watched the group gather around this bird. 

I felt a sense of awe at this circle of women, this group of elders, this gathering of crones, and the healing intention and power contained within. 

Here was this circle of feminine grace and love, a tapping into our connection to the earth, to its creatures and to each other, to feel how we can create a presence as we band together in the service of healing, to feel the power of this Sacred Circle of Crones.

Some of the benefits of crone-time in life

As elders, we have more time to stop and notice, more time to advocate and attend and collectively put our concern into action.

Yes, we can feel more invisible as we age, and so perhaps we can be quietly powerful and persistent. There is an unspoken bond, yet one that is strongly felt. There can be strength in invisibility, an ability to quietly do things behind the scenes, not seen as much and therefore not seen as a possible threat, not questioned, and not stopped. 

I could feel the connection among us as we hovered over this tiny creature. This was a collection of lives that have been spent caring and caregiving, relationship-keeping and teaching, and wisdom-keeping and sharing.

Our mission now seems to be to spread kindness where and when we can.

After many struggles, we have learned our own self worth and boundaries. We can embrace the word NO so as to be able to give a fuller YES. We can more fully inhabit our bodies now that they are no longer seen so much as objects. We can blend more easily into the background to better listen, observe, watch, learn, teach, and act.

What a gift it can be to be able to quietly sit and be, to be able to walk down the street in peace, to dress comfortably for ourselves, to direct our attention where and how we choose. We can give gifts as we declutter and realize the impermanence of everything always and fully embrace each precious moment as being all that there really is. We can embrace this crone time of life and all the gifts that it can offer to us and to others.

More crone wisdom

We can feel our regrets and realize that we need to let go of them.

We can finally learn that the one that we most need to forgive and heal is ourselves, and that we need to find the compassion and courage to be able to give this to ourselves. 

We can see others’ faces and see the feelings underneath.

We can make eye contact with kindness, depth, and love that all come from a lifetime lived. 

We can fully say hello with all of ourselves.

We can openly care without embarrassment, worry, or restriction. 

We can embrace our emotionality and sensitivity and begin to heal others and ourselves. Our kindness is not weakness, but rather strength. Compassion takes courage. Kindness can lead to action. Empathy takes courage. It takes courage to feel the pain of another, to allow ourselves to be immersed so as to understand, to reach out with that empathy and touch souls. 

A call to arms

This, it seems to me, is a time that the world desperately needs us, this circle of crones, this gathering of wisdom and compassion. Perhaps we can come together now, when we are most needed, and quietly begin to heal each other, the earth, its creatures. If not now, when? If not us, whom?

 I don’t know exactly how we can do this, but I do know that I believe it is up to us to take this on, to step up and demand the space to heal, to prove that love is stronger than hate. We can finally acknowledge and embrace the fact that we can and do have the boundaries and strength to fight when needed. We are kind, not weak. We are compassionate, not stupid. 

We are crones that are not to be discounted. We can be the healers of the world. We need to step into that role fully and completely, before it is too late.