Call Natalie Smith a crone and she'll thank you. To Smith, "crone" isn't a nasty barb but a title bestowed upon her 20 years ago by a group of younger women wishing to honor her wisdom and experience.
Now at 88, Smith is among the elders at the Concord Unitarian Universalist Church. With horned staff in hand, she leads the closing blessing at the annual winter solstice service and, as a retired federal budget officer, critiques the church's books. In between, she serves as a role model for younger women in a world that often values their beauty over their other skills.
"Society puts a burden on women that you're all supposed to look 16, and I think a lot of women are still trying," Smith said last week. "And I think a lot of them give up. They figure that they don't count. I think society really does a job on older women."
To combat this sort of ageism, a growing number of women are embracing the title of crone, participating in ceremonial rites and founding groups of like-minded peers.
Once a pagan ritual tied to matriarchal faiths, croning is becoming the yoga of post-middle age women's empowerment, rooted in ancient spirituality but practiced in modern and often secular ways.
This is exactly the kind of thing that I would love for you to share on the website I'm trying to build, if you have the time.