The goddess inside
Wicca gathering celebrates nurturing abilities and wisdom of women.

By ANNIE NELSON of the Tribune’s staff
Published Saturday, April 14, 2007

Being called a crone is not generally considered a compliment among older women, but in Wicca it is a term of reverence for the wisdom and power a woman has earned by the final stage of her life.

The stages in a woman’s life reflect the three faces of the goddess in Wicca: the maiden, the mother and the crone. The three faces of the goddess and their manifestation in a woman’s life are being celebrated this weekend in the Ozark Avalon Church of Nature’s annual Triple Goddess Gathering.

"As Wiccans, we see the goddess as being both within ourselves and around us in nature," said Rose Wise, high priestess of Ozark Avalon. "Each woman is a goddess and part of the larger goddess that is reflected in the natural order." (Continues)