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(click on title for complete information and printable flyer. Register
and pay below).
Gather
the Women for Life: A Journey Into Wholeness
(Soul Retrieval Workshop)
Date
to be announced. Join our Email List for notices of this and future
events.
Shaman's
Shadow Center, 426 Huey P. Long Ave., Gretna, LA
REGISTER
HERE
(Click on a topic below for complete information)
Rites
of Passage
First
Blood
Motherhood
Croning
Marriage/Partnering
Life
Passages
New
Moon and Full Moom Ceremonies
Spirit-Calling
Ceremonies
(Visit my Services Page at Shaman's
Shadow for complete information on the topics below)
Ritual
Tools created specifically for you
Power
Animal Retrieval
Soul Retrieval
Extraction
Nearing Death
& Fear of Death
Meet Your Ancestors
Dealing with Illness
Tools are objects which have been "charged"
for special purposes, which are usually set aside for special occasions
and viewed as "sacred" by the users. Tools for use in rituals,
such as spirit dolls, prayer beads, drums and rattles, fans, smudge
kits, totems and fetishes, altar cloths, etc., may be purchased or hand
made. Some believe that tools made for an individual with intent
and in a prayerful manner carry more energy for the work they will be
doing.
I am very proud of my
gallery at Shaman's
Shadow, which displays an extensive collection of tools I've
either picked up from my world travels or hand crafted myself.
The gallery includes information, and in some cases, prices on items
either in stock or that I can custom make for you.
Here are a few examples of ritual tools featured
in my Gallery.
(Please
visit my travel agency at Sacred
Explorations for complete information on our tour and travel
packages, including low cost getaways to U.S. destinations.
Services
Explained
First Blood
Motherhood
Becoming the Crone
In ancient times women’s wisdom was revered,
and the crone (a woman past her child-bearing years) was recognized
as a great value to the community, and often consulted for her wisdom.
Crones shared the seats of power around council fires with young warriors
and the older tribal leaders. Having witnessed the passing of many
years and surviving all forms of disaster, with a well honed intuition,
a crone could “see” what lay ahead for her people. Only
after her family was raised would a woman have time to focus her attention
on her tribe.
Crone originally meant “Mother of Time”,
and when Goddess worship was popular all women celebrated this exciting
and final stage of life. Unfortunately, as modern patriarchal
(male-dominant) societies began to spread, defining God as a "father",
men as "heads of the household" and woman as mere "helpers"
and "servants", feminine power in society began to decline.
The crone lost her glory, and the world lost the vital influence
of the "divine feminine" on world affairs. The term "crone"
became a negative connotation, confusing to many, and terms like "old
cronie" came to mean weathered old men.
Today's older women have all but forgotten
how to use their wisdom and power. Today’s male-dominant society
is so focused on youth that neither women nor men are comfortable
with aging, an unavoidable aspect of life! We fight this natural process
every step of the way, utilizing many modern miracles, from magic
winkle vanishing creams to life-threatening surgeries, all in an effort
to present an artificial image of youth. Few realize nor lament the
loss of crone wisdom, yet all suffer from the loss.
Fortunately, more and more women are stepping
back into their power, and have begun to celebrate this final stage
of life with the enthusiasm it deserves. Croning Ceremonies are back
in vogue!
A woman has three very distinct stages of life
once she passes her adolescent phase; these stages are, maiden, mother
and crone. Each stage has a power of its own.
- The maiden is fertile and attracts
a worthy mate to bear her young. She is bursting forth with the
full vitality and life-force of a springtime meadow.
- Once a woman finds her mate, she moves into
another very powerful stage of life, motherhood. This life-giving
time is as close as any person can come to co-creating with the
Creator! Society itself molds itself around supporting the family
unit.
- Once the family is nurtured and grown, the
crone is still looked to for guidance by the others in her
circle of life.
Statically women live longer than men. This
is thought to be due to the “grandmother effect”…older
women are needed to assist the younger women with the children and
family needs, so women stay strong and vital much later in life than
men. This sense of purpose keeps women mindful of their health
and provides the "reason for living" that keeps life going.
Can you imagine a world where Grandmothers—CRONES—from
all walks of life come forward to assist their communities in healing
the problems we face in modern society? How differently might
world problems be solved?
Many women are now choosing to reclaim their
power, to openly admit to the world that they are crones and celebrating
this stage of life with a Croning Ceremony—demanding
and honoring their place in Life’s cycle. Every Croning Ceremony
is unique to the woman being honored and can therefore take on many
different elements, but the most important is for the woman to formally
step into her place of power and determine what that means for her,
and for her peers to recognize and receive her as a Crone. For some
it involves a large celebration with flowers, friends, and food. For
others it is a very simple ceremony with nothing more than a candle
and perhaps a significant other. In all cases the woman focuses
and becomes aware of her evolution towards greater social responsibility
and power.
Remember one thing, ladies; YOU are becoming
the crone. Your whole life is a preparation for the time when
your intuition and spiritual awareness will be at their peak, and
you wisdom will be needed by your community as never before. Emphasizing
your awareness of this time with spiritual rituals and ceremonies
is important. Such ceremonies have been part of the human story
since the beginning—they’re hard-wired into your brain.
Your intuition will tell you when and how to hold your ceremony.
Some of the best books written on Croning are
available in my bookstore.
I am always available to assist with this type of ceremony should
you desire a guide. Fill out a Contact Form
and we can discuss you needs.
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