Maiden, Mother, Crone… Or Something Else?

I’ve participated in a couple of discussions in the last month or so on the subject of the typical Triple  Goddess: Maiden, Mother and Crone  The Maiden is virginal.  She is the waxing moon; the early spring, not quite yet burst into bloom; she is  new beginnings.  She is a seeker of knowledge. The Mother is sexual  She is the  full moon, the fertile earth of spring and summer. The Mother is strengthened by the knowledge she has gained. The Crone is the waning moon.  She  is the cold, hard, deadly winter.  She is as wise as she is old, and recognizes she is in her final stage on this side of the veil.

One of the conversations I’ve been a part of is based on the question, “If I don’t have children, and don’t plan on having them, where do I fit into this triad?”  This was a theme I touched on in a baby blessing I officiated a few months ago. (Name redacted for privacy)

“We celebrate (name)’s progression from Maiden to Mother.  While the Maiden, represented by the waxing moon, represents beginnings, youthful enthusiasm and mysteries yet to be revealed, the Mother is the bountiful lady of the harvest, the swollen full moon, representing stability, fulfillment and power.  While some might think that giving birth creates a Mother, it is so much more than that.  Mothers are created when a women comes into her own.  When she is strong enough to care as much for others as she does for herself, when she has laid claim to her own spot in the world and watches over it with confidence, courage and love.  A Mother creates change in the world.  That change might be a beautiful infant, it might be creating something else that she is passionate about and tends with care.  (Name) comes to us today embodying all of these qualities.”

The Mother aspect of the Goddess can embody more than just a woman who has or will give birth.  Many modern women choose not to have children or put children off until they are older and more established.  They can still fall under the Mother title.

But is it time for us to create new titles for modern, changing times?  There seem to be spaces in between Maiden, Mother and Crone that could be easily filled.  I’ve read a few articles about their being a “warrior” or even a “temptress” aspect between Maiden and Mother.  Personally, I’m not all that crazy about the “temptress” title.  It imparts, at least to me, the idea that there is a stage in life where you’re all about seeking out a partner or even just sex.  While there’s nothing wrong with having a healthy sex life, it seems that there is probably more going on in a woman’s life than just being “tempting”. The title “warrior” sounds a little more up my alley, though I’d say that I never felt like more of a warrior than after I’d become a mother and had something real to fight battles for – and I know women who have passionate, warrior-like feelings about causes or animals that they have adopted as part of their Mother aspect.  For me, Warrior should come between Mother and Crone.

And speaking of Crone… once our children are out of the house, and we’ve got a few years on us, is that it?  We’re wise now and should just sit in our rocking chair and wait for death to greet us?  People in this world live longer than ever.  Our children grow up, leave home and we go back to school, start new careers, go on cruises or travel to places we’ve never been before.  To me this isn’t croning, though it is a new and exciting path in your life.

So what’s a woman to do?  Throw away the labels and just put the Maiden, Mother and Crone on a shelf as purely metaphorical aspects meant to represent the phases of the moon?  Add on an aspect or two to cover the “in-between” phases?  How do you address the Triple Goddess phases in your path?