Embracing Your Maiden, Mother, and Crone

The three-fold archetype known as the Triple Goddess comes from ancient Pagan traditions and embodies the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. These three aspects line up with phases of the Moon – waxing crescent, full moon, and the waning crescent, as well as the three stages of a woman’s life – youth, adulthood, and elder years. While we move through these phases linearly, each facet of the Triple Goddess also represents qualities in everyone, inner parts of us, applicable at different times in our lives. Here at SG this year, we created a Triple Goddess Harvest series with kits and rituals to honor all three: The Maiden for Lammas, the Mother for Mabon, and the Crone for Samhain. Life phases are stereotyped in different ways, especially here in the Western world. For example, the maiden or youth is glamorized, while the crone is often overlooked or shunned. The truth is, each of these archetypes can be seen as compasses to our cycles – where we are and what’s the best way to celebrate, honor, and move forward. How can we see the beauty in all the phases? In this blog, Embracing Your Maiden, Mother, and Crone, I’m celebrating them all.

To learn more and RSVP for our FREE online Triple Goddess Full Moon Samhain Event on October 30, click here. And you can find the toolkit we’ll be working with in ritual here.

Embracing Your Inner Maiden

Stones: Yellow Aventurine to empower you. Golden Quartz to magnify prosperity.

Herbs/Oils: Rosebud to bring forth happiness and good luck. Myrtle, the emblem of fertility and purity embodying maiden energy. Pau d’Arco Bark to bring strength and positivity.

Moon: Waxing Moon

Goddess: Persephone

The Maiden archetype aligns with the waxing phase of the moon and represents the youthful chapter of a woman’s life. She’s also represented by the dawn and Lammas, the first harvest celebration of the season, honoring the goddess Persephone. Persephone is the maiden and personifies joy, freedom, life, and every flourishing seed. She’s also a symbol of integration and a powerful role model of what it means to embody your full self, light and shadow united. We celebrate the inner maiden anytime we’re engaged with new beginnings, enthusiasm, or creativity. She represents potential, self-confidence, exploration, and wonder.

When we’re feeling unmotivated or overworked, the Maiden reminds us that we wake up every day to a new beginning, and we can start our day over anytime we like. A lot of magic can get kicked up when we see projects, relationships, or situations from a new perspective or in a new light. You might be surprised by how invigorated and fresh you feel when you embrace your inner maiden!

Embracing Your Inner Mother

Stones: Cat’s Eye for intuition and harmony. Citrine for mental clarity and money magic.

Herbs/Oils: Shredded B Caapi to awaken motherly instincts. Olive Leaf to enhance fertility and desire. Corn Silk to bring protection and luck.

Moon: Full Moon

Goddess: Demeter

The Mother archetype is symbolized by the full moon and represents adulthood in a woman’s life. She aligns with the day, and Mabon, the celebration of the second harvest, and honors the Goddess Demeter. Mabon, in the Northern Hemisphere, is also known as the Autumnal Equinox and on this day, daytime and nighttime are equal in length. Demeter is associated with agriculture, the harvest, and fertility. She’s also considered to be an Earth and a Mother Goddess. We celebrate the inner mother when we’re nurturing and compassionate. She represents manifestation, superabundance, and the kind of enduring love we should all know from our mothers, and hold for ourselves and each other.

Give a little extra TLC to the area of your life that needs it most (including yourself)! If you don’t have children to care for, you can try volunteering an hour of your time or cultivating your garden. The Mother teaches us patience, understanding, and the incredible gifts of service. Feel your self-confidence and compassion rise when you celebrate your inner mother and all that you birth in the world!

Embracing Your Inner Crone

Stones: Labradorite to activate the Third Eye Chakra and open your senses. Bronzite to learn the art of letting go.

Herbs/Oils: Marigold for respect and admiration. Fumitory to purify and dispel negative energies. Sweetgrass for peace, unity, and calling spirits.

Moon: Waning Moon

Goddess: Hecate

The Crone archetype is symbolized with the waning phase of the moon and represents the elder years of a woman’s life. She’s also represented by Samhain and midnight, honoring the Goddess Hecate. Hecate is the Greek goddess of the night, moon, crossing over, witchcraft, magic, and the unseen. She embodies the final phase of the harvest season – a time to take stock of what did not blossom, to reflect on what withered away. And a time to acknowledge how much exists beyond what appears available with your five mortal senses. We celebrate the inner crone anytime we embrace mystery, transformation, and release.

The least honored of the three archetypes, the Crone is often depicted in society as someone to be feared or outcast – she reminds us that aging and death are part of life. Time does take a physical toll on us, and we don’t like to face it, but there’s a special kind of elder wisdom that only comes through many years of living. To embrace your inner Crone is to truly let go. This doesn’t always have to be something serious, like death, although we all get there eventually. It’s something we can practice while alive. Try writing down an old thought pattern that no longer serves you, showing gratitude for it, and then tearing it up or burning it (safely). Enjoy the feeling of acceptance and release when you embrace your inner crone! 

In Closing

When you’re willing to recognize and embrace all the aspects of the Triple Goddess in yourself, you’re weaving the cycles of Mother Earth and the cosmos into your day-to-day life. Work with the Triple Goddess archetypes for a deepened spiritual connection and to integrate your light and shadow for wholeness and balance. May you be open to the infinite opportunities, and witness to the beauty in each of these phases in your own life and the world around you. And so it is.

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