A Crone's Reading List and Resources
Croning Ceremonies and Ritual
Practicing the Presence of the Goddess: Everyday Rituals to Transform Your World, Barbara Ardinger, Novato: New World Library, 2000.
(An excellent resource from a wise crone, with guidelines for rituals, both spontaneous and planned.)Calling the Circle: The First and Future Culture, Christina Baldwin, New York: Bantam Books, 1994.
(Stories and instructions for building circles designed for holding meetings and conferences and for fostering community.)The Millionth Circle: How to Change Ourselves and the World: The Meaning and Maintenance of Women's Circles, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Berkeley: Conari Press, 1999.
(Inspiring and informative resource for women's rituals and ceremonial circles.)Rituals By and For Crones, Bayla Bower
(Ritual sequences, outlines, worksheets, and crone considerations. Available by mail from Bayla at [email protected])The Seven Sacred Rites of Menopause, Kristi Meisenbach Boylan, Santa Monica Press, 2000
The Grandmother of Time: A Women's Book of Celebrations, Spells, and Sacred Objects for Every Month of the Year, Zsuzsanna E. Budapest, New York: HarperCollins, 1989.
(Wonderful reference for holidays and celebrations throughout the year.)Celebrating the Crone: Rituals & Stories. Guidelines and Stories of Croning Ceremonies, Ruth Gardiner
Llewellyn Publications, 1999.
(Marvellous resource for planning your croning ceremony)The Woman's Retreat Book, Jennifer Louden, Harper San Francisco, 1997
Moon Mother, Moon Daughter: Rituals and Myths That Celebrate a Woman's Coming of Age, Janet Lucy, Terry Allison & Jennifer Louden, Fair Winds Press, 2002
Ariadne's Thread, A Workbook of Goddess Magic, Shekhinah Mountainwater, Crossing Press, 1991
Celebration of Age: The Croning Ceremony (video), Connie Spittler
(An exploration of the modern revival of croning ceremonies for woman's rite of passage into the third phase of life. It may be obtained from Connie's web site at http://www.conniespittler.com/The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess, Starhawk, San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1979, 1999.
(A classic ritual text celebrating the goddess)Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions, Starhawk, Diane Baker & Diane Hill, New York: Bantam Books, 1998.
(A primer for pagan parents with useful information on ritual, songs, recipes and crafts - for adults and children too)The Twelve Wild Swans, Starhawk and Hilary Valentine. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2000.
(A wonderful guide for anyone who wants to engage in ritual work, as a solitary practitioner or in a group.)Casting the Circle: A Women's Book of Ritual, Diane Stein, Crossing Press, 1990.
(A splendid resource on multicultural goddesses and formal rituals celebrating the pagan wheel of the year)Woman's Rituals: A Sourcebook, Barbara G. Walker, Harper San Francisco, 1998
Celebrating Ourselves: A Crone Ritual Book, Edna M. Ward, Astarte Shell Press, 1992.
(A classic book of croning rituals and herstory from the Feminist Spiritual Community of Portland, Maine. Portland)Sisters of the Dark Moon: 13 Rituals of the Dark Goddess, Gail Wood, Llewellyn Publications, 2001
General
Crossing to Avalon, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Harper San Francisco, 1995
Goddesses in Older Women: Archetypes in Women Over Fifty, Jean Shinoda Bolen, HarperCollins, 2001
A Women's Book of Life: The Biology, Psychology, and Spirituality of the Feminine Life Cycle, Joan Borysenko, Riverhead Books, 1998
Stars in Your Bones: Emerging Signposts on Our Spiritual Journeys, Barkley Bozarth and Hawthorne, North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc., 1990
Hestia Come Home, Jerrilee Cain, Rutledge Books, Inc., 2001
Gossips, Gorgons & Crones: The Fates of the Earth, Jane Caputi & Paula Gunn Allen, Bear & Co., 1993
WomanSpirit Rising, Carol Christ and Judith Palfkow, Harper San Francisco, 1992
Circle of Stones: Woman's Journey to Herself, Judith Duerk, Innisfree Press, 1999
The Chalice and the Blade, Riane Eisler, Harper San Francisco, 1988
Women Who Run With Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ballantine Books, 1992
The Dangerous Older Woman: Myths and Stories of the Wise Old Woman Archetype, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Random House, 1999
A Crone's Crossing, Mary Fogarty, Crones Unlimited, 2001
The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe, Marija Gimbutas, University of California Press, 1990
The Language of the Goddess, Marija Gimbutas, Thames & Hudson, 2001
Be An Outrageous Older Woman, Ruth Harriet Jacobs, Harper Perennial, 1997
Meeting the Madwoman: An Inner Challenge for the Feminine Spirit, Linda Schierse Leonard, Bantam Doubleday, 1993
Winter Prairie Woman, Meridel Le Sueur, Midwest Villages & Voices, 1991
Elderwoman, Marian Van Eyk McCain, Findhorn Press, 2002
The New Book of Goddesses and Heroines, Patricia Monaghan, Llewellyn Publications, 1997
In Praise of the Crone: A Celebration of Feminine Maturity, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 1997
The Wisdom of Menopause, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing, 2002
The Crone Oracles : Initiate's Guide to the Ancient Mysteries, Victoria Ransom & Henrietta Bernstein, Red Wheel/Weiser, 1994
The Heart of Wicca: Wise Words from a Crone on the Path, Ellen Cannon Reed,
Red Wheel/Weiser, 2000When God Was a Woman, Merlin Stone, Harvest Books, 1998
Mirrors of Ancient Womanhood, Merlin Stone, Beacon Press, 1990
The Crone: Woman of Age, Wisdom and Power, Barbara G. Walker, Harper San Francisco, 1988
New Menopausal Years: The Wise Woman Way, Susun Weed, Ash Tree Publishing, 2001
Crone's Book of Magical Words, Valerie Worth, Llewellyn Publications, 1999
The Crone's Book of Charms & Spells, Valerie Worth, Llewellyn Publications, 1998
Back