Ann Moir-BussyLast month we spoke of becoming ‘seers of other realities’, and that our task is to become the elder who has the responsibility to pass on wisdom learned. In ancient mythologies there are many stories of elders who are goddesses and in particular the Great Mother Goddess or the Great Grandmother. These images are archetypes.
Archetype is a word used by Carl Jung to refer to the universal patterns and structures in our collective unconscious – inherited or innate potentials, forms or ideas that are transformed into universal symbols once they enter the conscious mind. Archetypal figures include the Great Mother, the wise old Man, the Witch, the Child, the Hero and so on, and archetypal motifs may include birth and death, creation, floods, battles between good and evil, descents into the underworld. We find so many of them in the stories passed down in each culture for generations.
The Wise Old Woman is an archetype – an idea that in its essence is recognized by all cultures. We don’t engage with the archetype itself, but we meet them in culturally specific images in our dreams and in stories. So, in Native American people we might see her as grandmother Spider who weaves the world into being. In the Gaelic lands her name was Cailleach: literally the Old Woman – or the divine old woman – the granite faced old woman who created and shaped the land and scourged it clean through winter storms- a woman not to be messed with.
Archetypal characters fill the stories of generations, in fairy tales in myths and so on, – not just characters, but energies, embedded with instructions which guide us through the complexities of life – as in our recent fairy tales of Rumpelstiltskin and Rapunzel. They show us what we might become and the way to participate in that becoming. They can reveal to us longings and dreams we never knew we had.
Being an Elder Woman
The elder women in many of these stories were forceful and powerful archetypes who showed a fierce determination to dissolve the stereotypes, or the images held by contemporary culture of ageing women. Unfortunately, we don’ t often use the word ‘elders’ today – instead we have ‘the elderly’ and they are totally different.
An elder implies authority, a leader or senior figure within a tribe or group. – a person having authority and wisdom because of age and experience. Where are stories today of empowered and fulfilled elders today? Where are the those who speak not only of the psychological and physical dimensions of ageing, but also the existential and spiritual dimensions?
Elderhood is a spiritual passage and the purpose of this time of life is to grow into the person that we were always meant to be.
In our Western culture, old age is seen as a time of loss, and decay, at times embarrassing – advertisements to strike horror into any ageing heart.
Hags and Crones
Let us return to the archetypes of the wise elder women in the stories of the goddesses and in fairy tales. In later columns I will speak more of the goddesses. But here let’s explore the hag and the crone.
The word ‘hag’ was derived from Hageia -the goddess of wisdom. “Hag” comes from the old English word ‘haegtesse’ – meaning ‘witch’, and in the middle ages she was denigrated by the dominant patriarchal society as a sorceress, an ugly, old and malicious woman. So many stories portray her as that. Often overlooked was her fierce shedding of roles and stereotypes imposed on her, and her ability to change landscapes, clear it of negativity and bring new creation and life.
The hag was also known as the Crone – defined as a “feeble and withered old woman” and ‘dead flesh”. Does it make you wonder why there was (and maybe still is) such a fear of elder women and a denial of the wisdom they have accrued over their lifetime?
Redefining and reclaiming Hag and Crone
The three goddess archetypes of women in ancient mythologies were the maiden, the mother and the crone. The Crone (sometimes seen as the Dark Goddess) commanded the alchemical power to transform the trials of life, grief and sorrow into the gold of wisdom. She adapts to change, letting go of what is no longer needed and responding to what engages her energy. And she passes on her wisdom to others. What a beautiful image of becoming an elder.
Jungian analyst – Jean Shinoda Bolen write of the “Green and juicy Crone” – an integration of the archetypes of maiden and mother aspects of her personality. ‘Her attitude and spirit are like the fresh green of spring; she welcomes new growth and possibilities in herself and others. There is something solid about her being an adult whose life has borne fruit through cultivation and pruning, as well as tempering and work; she knows from experience that it takes commitment and love for budding possibilities in herself or others to grow into reality. There is also something about her passion for life that is like the juiciness of a summer’s ripe fruit’.
Cronehood offers the chance to give birth to oneself – to be a wisdom seeker. Let us embrace it – there are no maps but plenty of paths to choose or indeed carve out!
If you would like to delve deeper into the stories and myths that portray the archetypes of goddesses and elder wise women, then join me for a series of five one-hour webinars once each month till June. February session will explore Cailleach and the story of the Elder Tree’s Whisper.
To deepen your understanding, Ann is offering a series of five online zoom sessions to explore these areas in more depth. Registration is only $150 for 5 full access sessions, (even if you can’t be there for the live sessions).
The first session will be on Thursday 27th February from 7.00pm to 8.00pm
Register now for the inspiring series of:
Transformative Tales: The Journey to Wisdom and Growth
Session One: Cailleach, the Crone and the story of the Elder Tree’s Whisper.
A new website is coming soon but for February only, you will need to contact me via email: annmb.ab@gmail.com or phone me on 0400 474 425 and I will send you the log in and payment details.
Barbara Brewster
Gerard Bini
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