In September 1999 I drove out to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia to attend a Wise Woman Weekend held at a lovely lakeside centre called Naramata, a 20-minute drive north of Penticton. It was a weekend full of rich, rewarding and delightful experiences. Two hundred women, ages 21 to 80, all gathered together to celebrate and honour themselves in many different ways. There was a pot-pourri of workshops from which to choose and, although I wanted to go to all of them, it was not possible so I reviewed the titles and chose the ones that called out to me. The one that intrigued me the most was Rites of Passage: Crowning of the Crone. I had no idea what this would entail so I went to see.

Inside the room gathered sixteen women sitting in a circle on chairs. In the centre lay a blanket covered with various items–cedar and willow bows, colourful ribbons and ropes, feathers, beads and dried flowers–for making our crowns. As our hands worked on our unique creations, we went around the circle sharing our thoughts and feelings, and at times calling in the spirit of our mothers, grandmothers and other significant women in our lives to join us. It was a time to reflect on the wisdom that has been passed down to us from all the women who have influenced our lives and now we were about to honour and be honoured for that wisdom that is in each of us. After we finished our crowns there was a ceremony in which we were individually escorted by a high priestess in front of two crones sitting on a double throne who blessed and honoured us by placing the crown on our head and passing on some words of wisdom. This workshop was the highlight of my weekend, filling me for the first time with a deep connection to the gracious and enduring wisdom of all women since time began. The next day I left Naramata feeling full of love and hope, and with a strong connection to women everywhere.

On my drive back to Saskatoon, I kept thinking of how lovely it would be to have a Wise Woman event such as this for women in Saskatchewan. So upon my return I excitedly discussed the idea with Anne Elliott of Spiritworks Books, who agreed with me. We then began our planning and invited Debra Stobbe, who owns and operates Country Oasis near Clavet, to be part of the organizing team. The result is the first Wise Woman Celebration being held at Queen’s House Retreat and Renewal Centre on June 29 and 30 in Saskatoon. Our intention is for this to be an annual event for women to come together and celebrate the beauty of women with song, dance, playshops and merriment.

Anne Elliott

When Melva described the Wise Woman event she attended in British Columbia, I knew we had to bring it to Saskatchewan. This celebration will be a wonderful opportunity for women of all ages to gather and learn about the three-fold goddess: Maiden (Beauty), Mother (Power) and Crone (Wisdom).

All around the world women are reclaiming feminine archetypes and ceremonies. In her excellent book, Ariandne’s Thread, Shekhinah Mountainwater describes the three-fold goddess: "The maiden is the first, and represents birth, newness, beginnings, play, adventure, individuality, enchantment, risk, and childhood". "The second aspect of the goddess is the mother, who swells with life, with babies, with green and abundant life." "The crone is the third and final aspect and she is the dark moon, the wintertime, old age and knower of mysteries."

At Spiritworks we often have the privilege of helping customers find resources for a variety of goddess celebrations. Due to the large "baby-boomer" generation, many middle-aged women in our province are planning crone birthday celebrations. Some women become crones when they turn fifty, others wait until they are a grandmother. There is no magic age; one knows when one is a crone.

The Wise Woman Celebration, which will be an annual event, is an opportunity for Saskatchewan women to celebrate our unique natural selves. This first celebration will feature some new songs and dances, as well as a special multi-disciplinary performance by Lia Pas and Paulette Bibeau on Friday evening that depicts the three-fold goddess. There will be a variety of playshops from which to choose, free time to mingle, reflect and relax, nurturing breaks, and Spiritworks will have a table with lots of resources.

The theme of this first Wise Women Celebration is Beauty, Power and Wisdom. Let the call draw you and the celebrating begin!

Read all about the Wise Woman Celebration playshops and schedule of events.