Image done in Canva.
What it's All About:
We all know that this is something that we all having to face, pagan or not. Yet, today’s society is all about youth and forgetting about our elderly people. At the same time, paganism is all about the wisdom of the Crone and her male consort.
Paganism respects wisdom that comes with age, seeing it as a source of knowledge. We appreciate older pagans for their knowledge and experience as mentors and teachers. Pagan traditions have a great respect for their elders. We see older members of the community as guides to the young, and we sometimes ask their advice for.
As we age, we also go through spiritual growth and reflection. We look back on our lives as we get older and use it to reflect on accomplishments and failures and learn from them. They also take time to appreciate what we have accomplished and to look forward to the future. We should use this time to look within ourselves and find spiritual guidance. In Paganism, age isn't the end, it's a new beginning. This is the perfect opportunity to delve into the spiritual and find out what the future has in store. It's important that we are wise and share what we have learned with others. Elderly Pagans are seen as wise and powerful mentors, and we highly appreciated their knowledge and insight. This is what I will talk about in this show.
Songs Featured:
Dream Symbol Background Music by Samuel Francis Johnson from Pixabay
Story Stinger Sound Effect by Universfield from Pixabay
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Spirit Guide of the Week:
Photo by Laura Seaman on Unsplash
Gorilla
Dream Symbol: (There are three)
Photo by Mhia Mousa on Unsplash
Fake
Photo by Siegfried Poepperl on Unsplash
Famine
Photo by Gor Davtyan on Unsplash.
Feast
Transcript:
(05:14)
Welcome to another episode of the Music From the Goddess’ Vault Podcast. I am your host, Midnight Starr. You just heard some Spiral Rhythm with Maiden, Mother, Crone. Today’s show is all about aging in paganism. First, let’s get some stuff out of the way. Some pagan musicians reached out to me to tell you this. There is an album coming out called the Red Album. It is not out until June 24 of this year. It is a compilation album comprising 19 artists who have donated their time, money and music to create this. They're trying to raise money to support organizations that work for women's reproductive health. They're asking you to donate some of your money to this cause and to get the Red Album out to the public. Some of the musicians who are going to be in this project are Crow Women, Alexian, S.J. Tucker, and 16 others. Get more details about this project by checking out The Red Album Facebook page or visiting https://pagansong.com/the-red-album/. If you're interested in donating, the Abortion Access Pagan Music Project has a GoFundMe page linked in the show notes. Alternatively, you can find it by searching for it on GoFundMe.com. If you love this program, show some support for the Music From the Goddess’ Vault Podcast by making a donation to either http://www.ko-fi.com/goddessvault or http://www.patreon.com/goddessvault. Plus, keep up to date with Music From the Goddess’ Vault Podcast by signing up to my newsletter. You'll be in the loop when new shows appear. You can access past episodes by paying $7 a month or $70 a year. Or you can subscribe for free at http://musicgoddessvault.substack.com. That's http://musicgoddessvault.substack.com. You can get in touch with me via the blog, https://goddessvault1.wixsite.com/home or on Facebook. TikTok at Midnight Starr (with two r's and the number two). Instagram and Twitter @goddessvault. Mastodon at @goddessvault@witches.live and midnightstarr2@pagan.plus. And on Pixedfed at goddessvault@pixedfed.social. Now for the topic: Aging in paganism. Let's face it, getting older is inevitable. It's a part of life. However, in paganism, we honor the Crone and the Sage. Our modern society has this obsession with youth. This happens not only in the media. Ageism is present in the hiring process, and some of us noticed it. Yet, a lot of us don't plan on retiring anytime soon. In any case, the whole notion of the Crone is about wisdom and guiding the young. What have we learned from our past so that our future is better? No matter our age, there's spiritual growth and the gaining of knowledge within us. I will explain more of this in detail. Let's listen to one artist who will be on the upcoming Red Album: Alexian with Crone Chant.
(12:29)
I'll be discussing the crone and sage first and, in the next part, I'll go over the elderly in paganism. The 'wise grandmother' is the positive archetype when talking about the crone. She also represents life, including death and transformation. Previously, this was the way it was before Christianity took over. It was during the Middle Ages churches began to fear female wisdom, giving rise to the term 'hag'. The male version of the Crone is the Sage. When I search online, the only thing that comes up about the Sage is that they're wise. For all the non-binary people out there, there are conversations about the Triple Goddess and God. The Triple Goddess symbolizes the various stages of a woman's life. The triple god is that of youth, warrior, and sage. Otherwise, nothing to do with the life cycle of a man. Then there is a discussion that I read that should be non-binary like child, parent, and elder. But not everyone wants kids, and these are just roles, not reality. That’s something to think about. I'd rather stay on the topic of getting older in paganism. In the next part, I discovered something interesting concerning how we view aging in modern paganism. For now, here’s Warrior by Ginger Ackley.
(15:12)
Time for another Spirit Guide of the Week. I am going back into the animal world to talk about the Gorilla. If the gorilla is your totem animal, you're a leader. Not in a hostile way. You're a leader who can keep the peace and facilitate group discussions. If the gorilla is your power animal, communication is key - and it's crucial to give it your undivided attention. But before you do all that, the gorilla is telling you to respect yourself and everyone else around you. If Gorilla is your spirit animal, a wise and knowledgeable teacher will enter your life. When you're dealing with a problem, let the Gorilla give you strength. The same goes if you are feeling lonely and want to be around other people. Gorilla would tell you to go outside and connect with nature as you spend too much time inside. You can call on totem animal gorilla if you're always in your head and want to be more grounded. If the gorilla is your spirit animal, find people who will build you up and not break you down. If the gorilla is your spirit animal, seek peace and serenity in your life. That is it for now. Stay tuned for another spirit guide of the week.
(26:30)
That was The Uley Gorilla - John Daniel by Inkubus Sukkubus. Have you ever heard of a Croning Ceremony? We pagans have a ceremony to celebrate when one of our young daughters gets their first period. Well, a Croning Ceremony is at the opposite end of the age spectrum. This is a milestone when a woman has arrived at menopause and is now the wise elder and healer in our community. This ceremony helps her feel powerful and restores her place in society. This is a time to celebrate the crone goddess, who is the third stage of the triple goddess. You can say that a Croning Ceremony is another initiation one. Traditionally, it was done when a woman hits 50. But you can do that even if someone is over 50 or 60. It depends on the individual. We're celebrating someone becoming a Crone in a more positive way. We're reclaiming what we lost due to how society sees the elderly today. How you do a Croning Ceremony depends on the individual on how they want to celebrate it. They can do one with a small group of family and friends. Or they can have a huge extravaganza to honor their Crone status and transition. I believe there's a Saging Ceremony for the men when they get older. Please let me know if there is one. That’s how we pagans view growing old. Let's listen to There Was an Old Woman by KIVA.
(26:29)
Here's another dream symbol to interpret. Today it’s fake, famine, and feast. If you dream of something or someone being fake, it means you're pretending to be someone you're not. If you fake your own death in your dream, it may be a sign that you want a new life. When you dream of your partner faking their own death, it means that you are discovering something new about them. Famine in dreams typically represents a dark turn in your job and wellbeing. A dream in which you are famished suggests that you require compassion, attention, and psychological nutrition. If you have a dream about other people becoming famished, it means you have compassion for them. If you dreamed that you were feeding people in a famine-stricken location, this suggests that you have the capacity to provide others affection. The typical meaning of a feast in dreams is your emotional demands or sexual needs. In dreams, being late to a feast represents a disagreeable event that will be on your mind. And if you dream of being left out at a feast, it might mean that you tend to prioritize the needs of others over your own. If you want a dream symbol to interpret and maybe have a dream symbol featured, I will mention the contact information at the end of this show. So keep dreaming.
(33:41)
Time for another myth. Here’s another worldoftales.com story. This one is from Germany and its called The Grey Mare of the Garret.
(36:55)
Before the story, you heard I Shall Feast by :Of the Wand and the Moon. That is it for this show. Again, I am your host, Midnight Starr. I would like to remind you that if you are interested in donating to the Red Album project, which I mentioned at the beginning of this show, the Access Pagan Music Project has a GoFundMe page linked in the show notes. Alternatively, you can find it by searching for it on GoFundMe.com. Get more details about this project by checking out The Red Album Facebook page or visiting https://pagansong.com/the-red-album/. It's for a good cause. Got an idea for a show topic, spirit guide or dream symbol? Share it on the website https://goddessvault1.wixsite.com/home, through the Facebook page, TikTok at Midnight Starr with r’s 2, Instagram and Twitter at goddess vault. On Mastodon at goddessvault@witches.live and midnightstarr2@pagan.plus. If you want to help keep this show going, you can donate money to either https://www.ko-fi.com/goddessvault,https://www.patreon.com/goddessvault, or you can become a fan on https://www.glow.fm/goddessvaultpodcast. If you want to be the first to hear the latest episode, you can sign up for the newsletter, https://musicgoddessvault.substack.com. I am going to leave you with Omnia and Old Man Tree. Blessed be.
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