transformation

Little maidens get ready for the ceremony. They know their time is coming.


The young women lined up are waiting for the ritual. Horsey Girl is last in line, and chagrined at my taking pictures.

The giant puppets lead the way for the community of women. We march and chant and sing and dance around the girls who will soon become women.


Maiden, Mother and Crone are larger than life. We embrace the next generation and welcome them with love.


"Mom, what is a Crone?" H.G. asks me in the book store. "Well, she has a lot of life experience, so she is a good person to ask for advice," I say. "She is a Wise Woman, and a Keeper of the Mysteries. Some Crones don't bleed any more, but not all menopausal women are crones...it's really a state of mind."

Here the resident Crones wield their mighty brooms.


I feel so blessed to bring my daughter to this rite of passage (see her there on the left with her long black cloak!) It was an experience we will never forget, one not usually seen in the larger world...blessed be the women and girls who made our time so special. Young women need to be honored and accepted into the society of women; it is time to put competitions aside, and come together for the Highest Good of all.

So be it!