Celebrating the Crone: Rituals & Stories

by Ruth Gardner

Design Your One-of-a-Kind Croning Ritual This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1567182925
• ISBN13: 9781567182927
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Celebrate the Crone in You!

This is an absolutely delightful little book and would make a wonderful gift tfor the older woman or for those who are dealing with the "change of life." Ms. Gardner relates the stories of many women within the pages of this book, telling of their emotions, sharing their strength, fears, and tears with their close friends. It is most heartening to find books about women, real women, and books that will help us come to an understanding of who we are as people. Ms. Gardner begins with the basics, discussing women in general, and the symbolism in their lives. She tnen teaches you how to create a meaningful ritual that is unique to each person. The bulk of the book however, is true stories of women and their crowning rituals. They will make you laugh, shake your head, and cry, all at once! The back of the book has some poetry, songs, and other information to assist you in your celebration. Thank you Ms. Garner!

Women over 50 will love this book! Read and become a Crone!

Celebrating the Crone by Ruth Gardner A Book Review by CharLittle@aol.comEvery woman of age needs to celebrate being a Crone. A year ago the Desert Crones of Tucson, AZ. met in the Saguaro National Park where this old woman was crowned a Crone in a spiritual ceremony rich in ritual. It was a moving experience and I had no difficulty relating to the Sacred Feminine since masculine and feminine are both an integral part of myself and my own spirituality. I knew little about Goddesses at that time but it didn't matter. What was important is that I was gaining a new and positive perspective in my own aging process.How I wish I had Ruth Gardner's book, Celebrating the Crone before my crowning. I had never read about this ceremony and never attended the crowning of a Crone before my own. Gardner's book is a blueprint for those who desire crowning in a special coming-of-post-menopausal-age ceremony and ritual. Ruth Gardner, a retired Registered Nurse with a B.A. in Human Resources, has also been a member of the Minnesota Society for Clinical Hypnosis. At one time she owned and operated a Training and Development Company. She has published books on the the subject of Handwriting Analysis, which is quite a stretch from nursing, hypnosis and croning.After Gardner retired she felt a desire to celebrate her own aging process and devised ritual and ceremony which she executed in 1993. Several women, including her daughter, were present. After viewing a video about Ruth's croning the women wished to meet again as elders with common goals, thoughts and feelings and eventually, these women became the Desert Crones of Tucson. Gardner affirms in her book that there is an elder women's spirituality movement that is worldwide. After thousands of years of patriarchy, awareness of women as healers, priestesses, wise women and female divinity, is lost from our memories. Women like Gardner are reclaiming their power as older women. We are redefining the term, "Crone" by accepting and loving who we are. It is okay to be old. It is a good thing to be a Crone. As Gardner states, "we defy those who disparage us." In her book Gardner tells a story about the time in Arizona when the police were called to stop a croning ceremony because they were thought to be witches in the park. There has been much opposition even among Crones themselves. There have been Crones who have not discussed their crowning ceremonies thinking it may be too threatening for family and friends to understand. Regardless of negative cultural attitudes towards old women, the Crone movement progresses and Gardner's book takes it one more giant step forward. She discusses the "jubilee" celebrations which are passage ceremonies for aging women held in some churches. Gardner asks if these two kinds of celebrations are so different. Another question which arises in my mind is "Can a woman be on a spiritual path without organized religion?" Gard