Everything Under the Moon

OK, so this has been bubbling arouind in me awhile. I am getting to the age (well, OK, I'm THERE) where I see myself aging. I'm post menopausal.
Now this isn't a rant against aging.
For one thing, I have no choice about the matter. I'm going to age anyway, so I might as well try to do it gracefully.
This is a rant about the WORD crone. That is one ugly word. It is associated with shrivelled, mean, old witches (and I mean witch as personality- not practice- there). Why on earth would we call ourselves such a word?
I started looking for the origin of it, and found some sources citing a man named Robert Graves- long since dead- he wrote about the triple Goddess- wasn't faithful to his women. That's about all I got out of it. So I'm supposed to call myself a crone because He said so? I don't think so. Why does the Goddess movement embrace this word?
We really need a better word for this stage of life. I'm a baby boomer- I still (at 58) wear blue jeans, listen to loud rock, like and enjoy sex, am relatively attractive, and I'm not shrivelled or bad tempered. I'm also not ready to be put aside and considered past my prime.
How about Elder? I could live with that. Wisewoman. Elder Mother. Grandmother (I'm not one yet, but I could live with it).
Just don't, by Goddess, call me a crone.

I must ask, what is wrong with the word crone? Do you really have the imagination to believe that it is a mean, ugly, old woman? I think a Crone is a beautiful, wise, and gentle woman who has lived and seen much and understands more than those who are younger than her and could very well know more than those who are older than her. I mean, they could call you old hag or even worse a spinster instead. There are a lot of worse words out there than Crone.
I don't even call my grandmother, grandma, she is mom, my grandpa is dad. My parents are mommy and daddy. I am the only one in the house that actually calls my parents that still.
I love your rant but I just wanted you to know what a younger person believed the word crone means.

One of the most amazing women I know is a crone. And she is proud of the word. To her it speaks of experience, of years in the craft that brought her the knowledge she has now. She is notorious for getting into teasing arguments that end with "I'm the crone, I trump you!" so she can get her way. She is by no means shriveled, ugly, or crippled. Instead she is a wise, beautiful woman who everyone turns to when they have a question. She is a Reiki Master. She is ordained to perform marriages. She uses the wisdom of her years to lead the younger generation.

Perhaps my view will change when the title crone actually applies to me, but for now, all I can see is my mentor and guide, and the title crone seems like a great achievement to me.

I do agree with Calico. It's not even about how some people define it in a negative way; I just don't like the sound of the word.

It's like being named Glenodora or something! Maybe Glendora has a positive, lovely definition, but the name sounds awful.

But most my life, I have lived in places where the word Crone was really never used in conversation and I had very rarely seen the word until I got into the witch community two years ago, where it's defined as a positive. So it doesn't bother me that much.

And like you Calico, I really don't act or look my age. Everyone says I look a lot younger. I still get carded at 48![/list]

If you look up meanings and origins of the word crone they are awful! I know that some people are trying to re-define the word as positive, but my point as why try? why not just use a better word? It DOES have a bad sound, I agree. And to most people I think it DOES mean an old, shrivelled, ugly woman.
I don't care WHO says I should use it and be proud- I think it's a nasty word.
Personally, I maybe would vote for matriach. Maiden, Mother, Matriach. Much better than crone.

I totally agree with everything you said, Calico. Matriarch is a very lovely title.