I began learning about Wicca to help me with a book I’ve been writing. It wasn’t until I read about the Trinity Goddess that I began to learn for my own spiritual and mental health. What I refer to as the Trinity Goddess, are the three aspects of the Goddess, as well as the God. The Maiden, The Mother, The Crone. For the God: Divine Child, Son/Lover, Sacrificed Savior/Lord of Death. These are some definitions given to us by D.J. Conway:
The Maiden: Color is white. Goddess of Spring and rebirth. She represents the waxing and crescent moons.
The Maiden can be so different for each woman. My Maiden years were full of abuse, mental illness, and promiscuity. I find it difficult to see how I would have related to the Maiden, but perhaps it’s the white she wears. White on women typically means pure, which often means untouched. So how could I relate to that?
I think the answer lies with the Maiden herself. No one says that the white means pure. The fact that the next stage is Mother says it all. The Maiden is all those years of development. Everyone has different experiences growing up. The Maiden is who the person needs at that time. If she needs an untouched and pure Maiden, then that’s what the Maiden represents. If the person struggles with the day-to-day and is not untouched, the Maiden represents all of it as a stage of life. It is important during those hard times, to remember that your life will go on. That it does not necessarily have to go on in the same situation you find yourself in now. The Maiden represents hope to me. Hope that we will survive her stage and mature into the Mother.
The Mother: Color is red. Goddess of Summer. Represents the full moon. Can help with physical desire, mental will and concentration, spiritual balance and understanding.
As a mother, this is the stage of the Trinity Goddess I relate to the most. I am a mother. I am a mother of three beautiful little girls. It’s my main identity, I am so much in their eyes. It’s a pressure that is far from easy to uphold. I have to be an example because they are watching. They watch me, watch my reactions as expectations for them. I want to be a strong woman for them, but there are too many days when I am far from strong. I know my oldest picks up on this. I put on a mask for her, but her empathy is very strong. She can feel when I am low.
This is why I need the Mother. I need someone I can talk to, vent to, that will not respond in words. Will not give me their opinion. I just need to be heard without judgement being made. The Mother does not respond with words. She clears your mind so that you can do what is necessary. I do as much as I am possible of doing for my family. I watch my temper, I strive to be patient beyond what is to be expected. In my low days I ask the Mother for strength. Not strength given to me, strength inside myself that I hadn’t tapped into.
The Crone: Color is black. Goddess of Winter. Represents the waning and new moon. Most fear the Crone, for she means inevitable death. They don’t know what awaits us on the other side.
I don’t find the Crone scary or intimidating. To me, the Crone represents the life you lead after the other stages have passed. Maybe you were never a Mother, but sought her guidance when you could not relate to the Maiden. That is how the Crone is. The final stage in life. When the Mother seems too young, or your problems are past that stage in your life, it is the Crone to whom you seek guidance.
To live long is an achievement I hope to make. It is not sad when someone gets old, it’s amazing. Everything you would have seen in your years, the people you met, the lovers and/or friends. There is so much to reminisce in this stage. When your time is up, you can embrace the Crone, proud of what you had achieved.
My Wiccan Story