Crone Allies and Resources
Day 7: Moving Ahead with Project Agapé
Stare at that picture above. Old wood, if not ancient, withered from ashes of a cinder cone volcano and centuries of weather. There is majesty in that ruin, stories to tell, lessons to learn, and stunning cracks and crevices in which to lose ourselves.
It too has Crone status, with more years on it than any of us currently reclaiming the definition of a wise, Elder woman. Within its ecosystem are minute organisms that call it home as a shelter, as a source of insect food, as a habitat for wild plants and animals.
It’s part of a food chain.
It recycles nutrients.
It provides habitat to wild plants and animals.
It promotes various food chains and food webs.
It manages essential ecological processes and promotes lives.
As do we human Crones.
We have so much work to do within our lived experiences and our remaining years. We can expand our circle of helpers by recognizing who our allies are on this long road ahead to change the world.
Younger women: In my mind 70 is the new 60 (or so I would like to believe). We don’t have to be over 70 to create change. We need younger women with experiences in a variety of work spaces, with advanced degrees in fields we perhaps haven’t thought of or realized their importance, and with a determination to cause actual change.
Who do you know personally? Who do you know in your community? Reach into the larger world of the planet - who is creating meaningful change, dialogue, and possible solutions? I know many of my former students now in their 30s and 40s who are already working in fields that will potentially solve future problems. Our allies are all around us. Imagine uniting them for a kind, compassionate future.
Youth and adults of all genders and ethnicity: Who do you know personally? What do you know about their lives and issues? Who lives safely in your community? How well do you understand your community’s acceptance of differences? Reach into the larger world of the planet - who is creating meaningful change, dialogue, and possible solutions? Imagine creating a kinder, safer, more compassionate world for them.
Men: Yes, I know there have been wise shamans throughout indigenous history. Yes, I know there exist right now men who care about women, men who treat women with respect, and men who work to help advance women’s causes. I was married to one such compassionate man for nearly 45 years.
They can be allies, but in a different manner. They support US and our causes. We Crones are attempting to make slow, significant changes all around us. The thoughtful male ally with no personal agenda beyond working to become a genuine world citizen is welcome in the Crone world.
Who do you know personally? Who from any of these broad groups do you see as allies along the road to loving kindness and compassion?
I have two tasks for you at this stage of the project:
One, make a list of people you know in any category/field/occupation who would make a good ally to spread kindness and compassion, and later in the project would perhaps be willing to investigate what needs historical correction to become the actual truth of our history. Put your list where you can see it: on your work table, on a bulletin board, in your journal, on a Post-It on the refrigerator. Add to it as people occur to you, especially historical figures who could be considered Crones or Crone allies. No need to share at this point.
Two, identify a resource that you trust (human, paper, digital, book, magazine, etc.) that you can share with the group. I will need basic bibliographic information: Author, full Title, Subtitle, Copyright date, Edition (if there is one), Publisher, Online source. For now, send the one you think is the best of the resources you use, along with enough information (paragraph?) about its substance so we know more about the resource. Books you have read, newsletters, podcasts - and start a personal list that can be added to over the months to our Resources.
I’ll start a master list by categories (general at first), and then add as we discover more. I’m asking for one resource at this point, but chances are as a Crone you have plenty. Send along whatever you would like to add (it would be nice to have it in format easily transferable into another document).
I’ll take the entries and begin a database for all of us to access. How? I’ll figure that out. I would like this database to be continually annotated: as we learn something new, something that has changed, incredible quotes, inaccuracies, unresolved questions, we will make the changes. I also would like this to be cross-referenced as our resources grow. This will be available to all Crones who subscribe to the newsletter to access whenever they wish.
My entry: Slain, Leonard. The Alphabet Versus The Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image. 1998, Viking Penguin.
From the Preface:
“…Ephesus on the Anatolian Coast - the site of the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, the largest shrine to a female deity in the Western world. Until Christian authorities closed it in the fourth century, a woman (or man) could officially worship a goddess and priestesses could officially perform major sacraments. As our group contemplated these facts, our guide told the legend of Jesus’ mother, Mary, coming to Ephesus to die….
“On the long bus ride back to the airport, I asked myself why Mary would have chosen a place sacred to a ‘pagan’ goddess as her final resting place. Even if the legend was fiction, why did it gain credence? This led me to ponder a larger questioning hovering over the entire trip - what caused the disappearance of goddesses from the ancient Western world?” (vii)
Intriguing, huh?
Smile at someone today, do one little act of kindness (for most of us it could be shoveling a short sidewalk for a neighbor…)
Linda, March 2024