There was a time, and not so long ago, that matriarchal -or Mother-centred societies were the norm, and within this system there was Goddess worship - known as The Triple Goddess. During these times, especially in modern Pagan traditions, the Triple Goddess was said to represent the cycle of a woman’s life. Honouring the Maiden, Mother and Crone, and is often associated with Artemis - the Maiden, Selene - the Mother, and Hecate - the Crone. The Triple Goddess can also be represented by a full moon, waxing crescent moon and a waning crescent moon because the rhythm of the moon and the female body both typically work on a 28-day cycle.

The Maiden— represented by the waxing moon, is the symbol of girlhood, freedom of expression, purity and untamed wildness. It is the Springtime of our lives.

The Mother— around 25yo- is represented by the full moon and being the symbol of love, fertility, growth and caregiving. Mother, the Summer.

The Crone—around 75yo, represented by the waning moon, the winter of our lives. She is the wise, more mature woman that embodies all of the women she has been before this phase.

So what happened to the period between 45 and 75 yo? Recently the gap was noticed by wise women Cedar Barstow and Jane Hardwicke Collings. They saw that Autumn was missing! The Autumn Queen ws missing.

So why should we care about these phases in our lives anyway, and the Rites of passage that in yesteryear punctuated them. And what have been the obvious consequences of living without this reverence towards tradition in the modern patriarchal society we have lived in over the past few thousand years?

Kamya is a women’s rites of passage guide and mentor. She tends the thresholds of life's transitions by creating handmade transformative rites of passages for girls, women, mothers, and elders that acknowledge and celebrate the significant cycles and stages of our lives.

www.kamyaokeeffe.com