So What is a Modern Crone Anyways?

The other evening my husband and I were watching some TV show that was listing the 10 greatest inventions of all time, before it got to the final 4, hubby asked me what I thought was going to be #1. With out a doubt, I replied, “The Gutenberg press.”

Now there were some big time inventions vying for top spot such as the light bulb, the computer, electricity, even the internet, but all of these others couldn’t have been invented if it had not been for the Gutenberg press.

Because the Gutenberg press could print multiple pages of the same text quickly and efficiently, it made information available to the masses for the first time in history. Before that, books had been handwritten and in very limited supply, therefore knowledge at that time was only available to the educated rich.

Knowledge has always held power. If you have the answers for other people’s problems, you will soon be in high demand. That was how the wise woman, or Crone gained reverence, and an exalted station in the village – she knew things others didn’t. Her lifetime of acquired knowledge in herbs, healing, midwifery, divination, even tribal laws made her an important figure, garnering great respect. That was until the patriarchal Christian church came along and wiped out any competition for power.

Remember the witch hunts? Most of those woman were nothing more than the conjure woman and Crones of the villages.

Today though, all of humanity has access to knowledge via books and the internet. If you can read, you can acquire an education. So what purpose would a traditional Crone be to her community today, when all one has to do is ask Google to solve a problem?

Have you ever followed a recipe of your mothers to the teaspoon, but could not achieve the same results? The missing ingredient, the one that is not written on the recipe card, is experience. Your mother had perfected the right techniques for success through years of repeating the same recipe until it became the family favourite that it is today.

Would not all older woman be considered Crones then? After all, they have all gained a lifetime of experiences. Well they would if they have synthesized all their experiences into a personal kind if wisdom.

Here’s how I would describe personal wisdom: When an experience, good or bad, no longer holds an emotional charge in you, and you can now look at it objectively, it has become a personal wisdom.

So what about a modern Crone, what makes her different from her ancestors?

In a word – technology.

The modern Crone has the ability, through technology, to create a deeper well of reference for her acquired expertise.

No longer does she need to have a library of facts in her head. She can now embrace her well practiced area of expertise and attach it to the infinite data bank of the internet.

Let me give you an example.

I read Tarot cards professionally. I also had 40 plus years of experience studying humanity through my career in retail, where I’ve encounter many walks of life, and every character type out there. That, and 15 plus years of continuous learning about the signs and symbols of the tarot system, would be education enough to become a proficient card reader. But because I strive to continuously learn more and more in order to gain a deeper knowledge of my craft, I also know that there are other modalities of divination present within the images of the cards, and because I have a vast library of knowledge at my finger tips via the internet, I can access information on other topics such as astrology, numerology, Jungian symbology to name a few, which in turn, enhances my Tarot practice.

I don’t need to become proficient in these other processes. I don’t need to take copious notes. All I need, is the wisdom to know that these methods exist and that they will bring a deeper level of insight to my interpretation of the cards.

In essence, today’s Crone can create an infinite storehouse of knowledge and wisdom for any area of expertise, simply by knowing how to access technology.

There is one more aspect of the modern Crone that makes her unique from any other generation. Todays elders are the last generation to have grown up without computers. Sure, computing machines were being invented as early as the 1820’s but personal computers didn’t hit the mainstream marketplace until the early 1980’s. Today’s 60 year old was well into her 20’s by them.

What’s significant about that, is that today’s Crones are the bridge generation between the old traditions and the technological age. There is a potential for a wealth of information through these elder’s life experiences, that we may never see again.

Why use the name Crone when there are other terms a mature woman could use to express her sageness? The ancient root meaning of the word crone is, “crowned one”. When one has mastered their own life, it can be said that they are a sovereign soul – a whole being. Like the sovereign queen of a nation, a Crone answers to no one but herself and her creator and has earned the “crown” of mastery and self command.

The patriarchal powers of the world are threatened by feminine strength and as such, corrupted the true meaning of powerful female words such as crone, hag, and witch towards more negative interpretations.

The bad ass in me needs to rebel. I want to stand in my aging power, take back my rightful place in society and declare with confidence, that I am a modern Crone and I won’t go to the rocking chair with out a fight.

Now that I’m thinking about it, maybe I should have answered my husbands question the other night by saying the universe’s invention of the wise Crone archetype should top the list of greatest inventions. Something to ponder for another time.