Wiccaning, Quickening & Puberty, Elder & Croning
        What an interesting assortment of terms.  So, what do they all mean?  Each of them pertains to a specific stage in the life cycle, much like the yearly cycle.  Wiccaning, like spring, is the beginning of life.  Quickening and Puberty are like the exuberant, lustful summer.  And Elder and Croning are like the autumn times of our life.  The winter of our life, death, is left for another lesson.

        A Wiccanning is a pagan form of a Christian baptismal.  The circle is cast in the normal manner.  The child is brought into the center of the circle at which point the HPS and HP will ask the parent(s) what is to be done.  After indicating that the parent wishes the child to become a member of the community, the HPS and HP walk the circle with the parent(s) who hold the child.  The child is presented to the individual quarters and, after returning to the center, to the Lady and the Lord.  The child is then given a name by its parent(s) by which the community will know the child.  Next, the parent(s) make a commitment to provide for the child; a commitment spoken before the community and before the gods.  The Goddess mother and God father also make their commitments to provide for the well-being of the child.  The child is then presented to each member of the gathered community for blessings.  Gifts for the child can be left at the various quarters as seen fit by members of the community.

        Here is a sample, but I’m not certain of the author:

        Baby Blessing Ritual

        The timing of this ritual is up to the parents, but waiting for a waxing to Full Moon is probably best for positive growth energies. If done at home, the crib can be decorated with daisy, lavender, and parsley for protection and bounty. If performed elsewhere, the parents may wish to carry sprigs of fresh herbs which have significant symbolism and keep these with the child during the ritual. Afterwards, dry them as a keepsake. This ritual, sometimes called Wiccanning, often marks the naming of the child and welcomes
        a new soul to this world.

        Invocation

        "A canopy of eventide spreads dark from out the glen,
        With ravens wings, a rising moon, and blessings that we send.
        To you, our friends, we build a bridge to span the air and sea,
        With beams of light and lavender that magic might move free.
        To touch the hearts of those we love,
        This child whom now, we bless
        With songs of hope and harmony, sealed with a holy kiss
        We call upon the Goddess Minne, to hold _________ in Her arms
        With hands of warmth and comforting,
        And keep you ever safe from harm."
         

        Thus we have recognition of birth and childhood.  Quickening and Puberty pertain to the emerging sexual maturity of a young girl and a young boy.  These are usually gender specific rituals involving only the same gender as the child.  For a young girl, the ceremony is conducted shortly after the onset of menses (menstruation).  For a young boy, the ceremony is usually conducted around his twelfth or thirteenth birthday.  I’ve not been to either one so I can’t tell you much more than this.  However, covens or Wiccan churches that celebrate these events can provide you with more details.

        And then there is the Croning and elder ceremonies.  They are not the same thing!  An elder ceremony is conducted by a coven or church to recognize an elder within the community.  And an elder is determined in part by age but also in part by maturity and experience within the craft.  As such, some elders have been known to be in their late 20’s, having been raised in the craft, while other covens will not recognize an elder until they’ve achieved at least 50 years of age.  Again, this is a specific ritual for which I have no more details.

        On the other hand, a Croning ceremony is a recognition of the onset of crone aspect of a woman.  I’ve read different viewpoints as to when this is to occur.  Some state that it should occur after menopause has started since the woman is clearly no longer in the maiden / mother stage of life.  Others state that the Croning should occur around age 45 since this is when a woman is considered to have reached her middle age.  (For point of note - many women do begin to experience menopause at around age 45.)

        I know this one, because I did one for myself having just reached the age of 45.  Based upon my last gynecological exam, I’m not expected to enter into menopause for about another 9-10 years.  So why did I choose this time?  Because much of my life has changed; some of my doing and some merely as life moves through its cycles.  I am now divorced and my youngest child is an adult.  As such, there is no need for me to be mother or wife.  It was time to move on.

        I’ve read articles / books on Croning rituals done by covens.  But I’m not part of a coven.  And yet I felt it was important to recognize this change in my life.  So I did.  In part, the ritual was a rededication of my life to this path.  In part, it was a recognition of those in my life who have helped me along the way.  In part, it was a recognition of my ancestry and heritage.  For all those reasons, I lit candles the evening of my 45th birthday.  A few of the candles had been given to me by friends and family.  Some were left over from specific rituals that held meaning for me.  And others, well, others were lit so that the room shown as though the first day were dawning.  In a sense it was since a new time of my life was dawning for me.

        Much changed after that ritual.  Not at first, not all at once.  But for a while (and those who’ve been following the class will notice that I lapsed behind in posting lessons), I was unable to move beyond into my new life as I grieved for what I was leaving behind.  I did not think I would react so.  I was wrong.  It was a hard struggle to recognize - seeing what is lost to me to be left behind as I move on.  Part of me wanted life to be the same as it used to be.

        But that is what a ritual recognizing a life cycle is supposed to do.  It is a recognition that we are leaving something behind as we grow into more than we were before.  I’m growing now.  I like the crone.  Oh, I’m still a mother - I will always be a mother to my sons.  And I’m still a maiden since my heart still requires the need to play in innocent delight.  But more important is the insight I am gaining as I begin to recognize in my sons, in my nieces and nephews, the cycles of life as I first experienced them.

        I don’t know that there is a similar ceremony for men.  I think there should be recognition of it in some way.  Yes, it is true that men can still be fertile into their 80’s, but I think Croning is more than just the passing of a biological function.  But that’s just my opinion.

        No lesson this time.  Only that you reflect upon the biological changes of human life.  And relate them to the changes of the season.
         
         

        © 2001 Mother