Are You Afraid to Get Old?

I wrote the article “Whispers of the Crone” several years ago after hearing the words run through my mind every night before I fell asleep. I wasn't sure what it meant, but I knew I needed to write something about crones.

For most of my life, I have been a feminist and a naysayer against the cultural expectation women place on themselves to be beautiful and stay young looking. Why do celebrities choose to undergo face-lifts and botox treatments until their face is so frozen they can't smile? Yes, I know men do it too. It is difficult for me to understand the mindset of someone who would go to such lengths to avoid what is a natural process – aging.

Yet that is what the cosmetic industry wants us to do. Buy a certain cream to make your skin look softer and younger. It is a multi-billion dollar industry, measuring in the hundreds of billions. Can you even imagine that number? Yet, women in particular will continue to listen to the hype which convinces them that they need to buy products that help them appear to be youthful.

“Whispers of the Crone” invites the reader to take the opposite approach. Wrinkles are beautiful. Getting older is not a terrible disease we must avoid at all costs. It is a natural part of the journey of life. Eventually we get to the end of our journey in this life, yet I feel confident that the journey doesn't end with death.

I celebrate my cronehood and try to accept with grace everything that comes with it. Please take a moment to let me know your thoughts about the article, or about getting older in general.

To read the article first, hop (or hobble as the case may be, to Whispers of the Crone – Meeting Our Personal Crone.