Spring Returns
By Janet Morrissey
Spring begins March 20th at 5:58 PM EDT this year. For the first time in 40 years, the moon will be hosting some extraordinary events for us. The moon will be full, called a worm moon or the last full moon of winter. Many birds feed on earthworms which emerge around the month of March. In addition, it will be a supermoon, which means larger and brighter. Time to celebrate and honor the moon.
Sister Corita Kent taught at Immaculate Heart College and was recognized for her Pop Art. The following poem was given as part of a commencement speech in 1980. Because of the difficult winter many parts of our country have had this year, the vision of the crocus coming forth brings hope and promise.
Thank you, Sister Corita. I have had this poem in my collection for years and have loved it. Here is the poem by Sister Corita Kent:
The crocus comes up
Before the first green leaves of spring.
It is the first of all the flowers to say
That after the long, dark creative period
That is winter
The seemingly dead ground
Sends up these miracles
That speak of spring coming up out of winter,
Hope coming out of despair——
That speak also of the interconnectedness of all things——
For they are nourished by the ground and sky
And by us who plant them and allow them to grow.
This up that comes at the sight of a crocus is like a message from the universe,
Saying
Our lives are connected with all other lives,
So that what we do really matters.
Mother Board Launches First Regional Crones Counsel Gathering
By Win Fiandaca
In conjunction with International Women’s Day, our first Regional Crones Counsel took place in San Diego, California, Saturday, March 9th. Board member Anne Richardson along with her team that included Mother Board President, Janet Morrissey and several San Diego Crones created and offered us a program that felt in every way like our annual gathering! We called in the Directions and settled into a day of enjoyable and meaningful activities. We drummed and we sang. We walked an amazing labyrinth that nestled itself into a bright green field of clover. We attended workshops and participated in wisdom circles. And of course, Storytelling, the heartbeat of every Counsel.
Our senior-most Crone, Alice Yee, who turns 100 in May (!!) told us of her experience as one of the 2,000 delegates to the National Women’s Conference in Houston, Texas, 1977, the first meeting of its kind since 1948. “The goal was to hammer out a ‘Plan of Action’ to be presented to the Carter Administration and Congress for consideration and/or adoption.” You could have literally heard a pin drop as she described her emotions with the arrival of the flame, carried by a relay runner, that had started in Seneca Falls, New York.
Thirty-three of us gathered in San Diego: Crones from Arizona, Utah, Colorado and California! Founding member and past Board President Susan Ann Stauffer came as well as several other women who are longtime Crones, and much to our delight there were Newcomers! A Truly memorable event.
Crones Counsel XXVII – Changing Woman
September 4-8, 2019 – Tucson, Arizona
Our Counsel this September in Tucson, Arizona, honors Changing Woman, an important Navajo and Apache Earth Mother deity. She gave the people ceremony and ritual, including a beautiful 4-day ceremony, the Kinaalda*, to celebrate and honor a young girl’s entry into womanhood. Like Changing Woman, we Crones initiate ceremony. For 27 years we have created beautiful and meaningful ceremonials to honor our age-wise women who have turned eighty. As one 80-yr-old Crone recently said, “Who else is going to do that?” We are! And we do! The Honoring Ceremony is a centerpiece of each Counsel.
Come to Tucson in September. Drum, sing and dance. Tell your story. Participate in workshops and wisdom circles. Laugh at the follies. Eat delicious food. Explore the neighborhood (33 shops and restaurants within a 2-minute walk of the hotel.) Celebrate and honor our age-wise women. And for goodness sakes, honor and celebrate yourself! The Southwest awaits you!
*YouTube video: Kinaalda: A Navajo Celebration of Womanhood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLiKvTQkc90
Win Fiandaca – winfiandaca@gmail.com Andrea Hartwig – hartwigconsulting14@gmail.com
Articles for Crone Times
By Kianna Bader
Have you sever thought of writing an article for Crone Times? We would love to hear your voice. The theme for the next issue is “Strength.” It must be a personal story of some time in your life that you wish to share with us. For further information, contact Julie at ejsanfrancisco@hotmail.com or Kianna at Kianna4064@gmail.com.