An Archetype Guide for Elders

Once a month in my town, I offer a Sacred Circle for women 60 and over. Our themed discussions are rich as elders share their wisdom.

This month’s theme, "The Feminine Archetypes," focused on the stage Jean Shindola Bolen calls "the juicy crone," although I prefer the gentler word, "elders."

Words to know:

• Goddess: a female divine being in mythology or religion
• Archetype: a universal pattern or character found in stories across cultures
• Myth: an ancient story that carries a truth about human life
• Crone: an older word for a wise elder woman, reclaimed today as a title of honor

Archetypes honor our lived experiences, and invite us to examine the archetypes, past and present, within us.

By elderhood, many of us have typically reached the place of "self-acceptance," the ability to say, "This is who I am." The late Gloria Steinem observed that women get more radical with age—more knowing and fierce.

What Are Archetypes?

Archetypes are universal patterns of energy and character that appear in myths, dreams, and lives across cultures. We each carry many. Some have shaped our lives for decades; others have been waiting to emerge in our latter years.

Think of archetypes as seeds that are in all of us from the beginning. Depending upon circumstance and predisposition, some become activated and others remain dormant. (Bolen, p. 203).

Why Study Archetypes?

Understanding archetypes can help us become more conscious of our potential age; activating them can energize us and help us find new meaning. Many think of this third act of life (beginning at 60) as a time of wholeness and integration.

Seven Feminine Archetypes

Over our lifetime, we move through seven feminine archetypes. These are fluid internal patterns, and most of us embody more than one: a primary energy plus two or three secondary ones.

1. The Maiden (Persephone): driven by beginnings and possibilities
2. The Lover (Aphrodite): driven by sensuality and creative expression
3. Huntress (Artemis): driven by autonomy and independence
4. The Mother (Demeter): driven by a desire to nurture and protect
5. The Mystic (Hestia): driven by inner peace and solitude; spiritually centered
6. The Sage (Athena): driven by clarity; desire to mentor
7. The Queen (Hera): driven by leadership and a legacy

Goddesses Who Grow Old With Us

Each of these goddesses was probably part of our younger lives. She doesn't leave as we age; she ripens.

Demeter: Greek goddess of the harvest, the Mother

• Earlier in life: the nurturer, the provider
• In later life: nurturing grandchildren, friends, community, and the earth
• You may know her when you feed people, garden, or volunteer.

Hestia: Greek goddess of hearth and home, the Mystic

• Earlier in life: the woman who needs quiet time alone
• In later life: contemplation, prayer, meditation, a calm inner center
• You may know her when you savor your morning tea in silence.

Athena: Greek goddess of wisdom, the Sage

• Earlier in life: the planner and achiever
• In later life: seasoned judgment and the desire to mentor
• You may know her when friends call you for clear-headed advice.

Hera: the Queen

• Earlier in life: leadership and legacy-building.
• In later life: ruling her own life and making choices without asking permission
• You may know her when you say "no" without apologizing.

Goddesses Who Emerge in Later Life

These goddesses often arrive bringing four gifts: wisdom, compassion, fierceness, and humor.

The Gift of Wisdom

Metis, Greek goddess of practical wisdom

• Who she was: Athena's mother, swallowed by Zeus, and her wisdom lived inside him.
• What she offers: practical, instinctive know-how.
• You may know her when you solve a problem no one else could or realize how often your wisdom went uncredited.

Sophia, wisdom in feminine form, honored in Jewish and Christian traditions

• What she offers: spiritual wisdom; a sense of what’s sacred and what gives life meaning.
• You may know her when you sense a larger purpose or pattern in your life story.

Hecate, Greek goddess of crossroads and intuition

• Who she was: guardian of thresholds, who carried her torch to help Demeter search for Persephone.
• What she offers: intuition and guidance through life's transitions.
• You may know her when you face retirement, a move, or a loss, and trust your inner knowing.

The Gift of Compassion

Quan Yin, Chinese Buddhist goddess of mercy

• Who she is: her name means "one who hears the cries of the world."
• What she offers: mercy toward others and ourselves.
• You may know her when you forgive yourself for something you've carried for years.

The Gift of Fierceness

Sekhmet, destroyer who was also a healer

• Who she was: a lioness whose fury could destroy, and who was also a goddess of healing.
• What she offers: righteous anger and the courage to protect what matters.
• You may know her when you speak up about an injustice, or stop being "nice" when nice isn't right.

The Gift of Humor

Baubo, from Demeter's story

• Who she was: an earthy old woman whose bawdy jokes made the grieving Demeter laugh.
• What she offers: healing laughter and a refusal to take life too seriously.
• You may know her when you laugh at yourself, or at the absurdities of aging.

The Crone or Elder Archetype

This is a soul-satisfying time. Margaret Mead called this the PMZ: post-menopausal zest. The crone phase is about inner development, not outer appearance. An elder woman truly knows who she is.

It is also called a "choicemaker" when women do what is true for them at a soul level. We have found our voice. To be a crone means letting go of what should have been, could have been, or might have been.

According to Bolen, to flourish in this stage of our lives, we must release past resentments and disappointments, and stop seeing ourselves as victims of our past.

The Crone invites us to reflect on what we’ve learned. We value compassion and decisiveness, but we also know we can be fierce when needed: Gloria Steinem fierce!

Crones do not turn away from reality. They see flaws in themselves and others, but without harsh judgment; they have learned to trust themselves.

Angeles Arrien (2013), anthropologist, author, and crone, offers four guiding principles for this stage:

1. Show up.
2. Pay attention.
3. Speak your truth.
4. Don’t be attached to outcome.

In later life, women can draw on a rich inner cast of feminine archetypes. Some, like Demeter, Hestia, Athena, and Hera, grow old with us and ripen. Others, like Metis, Hecate, Quan Yin, Sekhmet, and Baubo, often appear only with age, bringing wisdom, compassion, fierceness, and humor. Together they point to the Crone: an elder who knows who she is, lets go of old resentments, and speaks her truth.

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