Sadly, though, older people are often pushed aside in today's society where youthfulness is so heavily touted. Jokes are made about so-called "senior moments". Just the terminology "old woman" seems like a derogatory remark when it is spoken in our society...and growing old has been a fearful time for many of us, myself included, because of cultural views which leave many women who are entering their menopausal years as feeling desperate, isolated, and alone. Some of us become embarrassed to admit how old we are, and because we try to stop the aging process, we spend a fortune on cosmetics to keep a youthful look. But, we find that we are never truly happy until we can admit that the woman in the mirror with the many wrinkles and flaws has her own beauty and grace.
Many women choose to have a 'Croning Ceremony' to claim their crone energy when they reach the age of menopause...although there is no specific age where one becomes a crone. This can be a very powerful way of marking this right of passage in your life. Actually, I was having a very difficult time accepting the fact that I was growing old...and several friends who understood what I was going through and took it upon themselves to perform a simple little ceremony which began with a smudging of the household. Then they sat around telling stories of their cronehood and brought out photos documenting events that occurred during those years. Toasts were given and a couple of women gave me a little gift. Then, we all went out to a restaurant to eat...nothing much...just a simple little ceremony, but it is so important to honor our 'Right of Passage." After all, we are confirmed when we are young, we have Sweet Sixteen parties, we celebrate our marriages, our birthdays, but we tend to sweep our passage into cronehood under the rug.
I am not going to lie and say I felt an immediate change is the way I faced the aging process, but it did open my eyes as to what a special time of life this is if we only give it a chance. So, give it a try. Your croning party can be an elaborate ritual or something as simple as mine was. I'd like to close today with a little poem written in the 4th century.
Contentment in Old Age
The women mock me for being old,
bidding me look at the wreck of my years in the mirror.
But I, as I approach the end of my life,
Care not whether I have white hair or black,
And with sweet-scented ointments,
And crowns of lovely flowers and wine
I make heavy care to cease.
(By Palladas, 4th Century A.D.
Also read these ebooks:
Rabbi Michael Laitman - Attaining The Worlds BeyondMark Mirabello - The Odin Brotherhood
Anonymous - Teachings Of The Odin Brotherhood
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