I came across this poem - author unknown - in the latest issue of the Beltane Papers. As the Wheel moves on towards Winter Solstice the Crone gets ready to transform into the Maiden once again.
I found the words well chosen and the poem evoked the thought well.
Bright Blessings
Sharon
the Crone
“I am the silence of midnight and black velvet skies
I am the shadow of vision that tempers your eyes.
I am the darkness of secrets that draw the veil thin.
The coldness of winter that shakes on your skin.
I am the grandmother, weaver, enchantress and crone.
The knowledge of justice that strikes at the bone.
Destruction is mine when its time comes to be.
Death to the living, who all come to me.
Mine is the hand of the spinning of fates.
Mine is the passage between life’s fragile gates.
I am the giver of magickal sight,
the slight sliver of waning moonlight
on a cold winter’s night.
I am the branch of ageless worn trees
Hear my voice and know me !
I am the raven that flies through the woods,
Black silken wings opened up to the sky !
Bearer of closure, competition and truth
Dreamscapes and Banshee am I !
Mine is the wisdom that comes in the dark.
Mine is the dying that calls to your flesh.
Mine are the hidden remains of your heart.
Mine is the mist that will take your last breath.
Give unto me what is old and outworn,
and I will return it with new life reborn.
Give me your sorrows, your sadness, your grief,
and in the dark hour, I will give you relief!
I am the giver of death and rebirth.
Mine are the last things, before they are first.
See me in shadows, and in the dark sea.
I am the Crone !
hear my voice and know me! “
- author unknown
SAMHAIN October 31-November 1
The Witch's New Year, The Feast of the Dead
It is the first festival of winter and the last of fall. The festival was set by the ancients to coincide with the appearance of the constellation of the Pleiades on the eastern horizon at nightfall. The Crone rules here where the gates of life and death stand open and the curtain between worlds is the thinnest. All things are possible as we stand on the threshold of reality and listen to the words of those who came before. We take this time to honor our ancestors. It is a time or reflection.
In Old Europe the warmth of the Summer is gone from the land and the first frosts will be seen by the end of the month. It is the time of slaughter. There is enough hay in the barns for the breeding stock, but the rest of the live stock must be killed to provide food for the hard winter. This is the great sacrifice. The giving of life so that life may continue. The Oak King died to let the Holly King Rule.
YULE - WINTER SOLSTICE December 21-22
The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year and represents the farthest excursion south of the sun. After this day the sun will begin to appear farther North each day, and the days will begin to grow longer. We are half way through the weight of winter and celebrate the transition from death to life, as it is the moment of the Sun King's Birth, which reflects in our world as the beginning of the growth of light. The Crone gives her crown to the Maiden, and new replaces old. It is the turning point of the winter. Our metabolism has slowed down and the crafts we've worked on during our the gifts that we give to others. We feast as we have not feasted in months. It is a celebration to give us a break from our bleak hard winter and to remind us of the spring that is ahead.
The Witch's New Year, The Feast of the Dead
Winter Solstice: December 21
It is the longest night of the year, the shortest day. We meet to honor the darkness at its peak, reclaiming the night sky and the dark womb as source of light and life. We rejoice in the return of the sun as the light begins to grow. The Goddess is the newborn baby. We honor the birth of the Sun Goddess, Lucina, coming with her crown of lights to disperse the darkness. Amaterasu (Japan) comes out of the dark cave, sees her reflection in a mirror, and lights the world with love from the beauty she sees. Yemaya (Africa) creates the world anew from her womb.
