Venerable - elders and crones

Week 43

VENERABLE

adjective

1. commanding respect because of great age or impressive dignity; worthy of veneration or reverence, as because of high office or noble character: a venerable member of Congress.
2. a title for someone proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church to have attained the first degree of sanctity or of an Anglican archdeacon.
3. (of places, buildings, etc.) hallowed by religious, historic, or other lofty associations: the venerable halls of the abbey.
4. impressive or interesting because of age, antique appearance, etc.: a venerable oak tree.
5. extremely old or obsolete; ancient: a venerable automobile.

I've been scratching my head again about what to write... who knew that certain letters of the alphabet could be so hard to find pagan associated words with?!  So this blog I've happened upon 'venerable'. Why, you ask?  Well a venerable person would be otherwise be considered an elder.  I don't know about you, but I've had the 'respect your elder' thing thrown in my face a few times within the pagan community. So, I shall visit that in this blog.

What is an elder?

adjective, a compar. of old with eldest as superl.

1. of greater age; older.
2. of higher rank; senior: an elder officer. 
3. of or pertaining to former times; earlier: Much that was forbidden by elder custom is accepted today.

noun

1. a person who is older or higher in rank than oneself.
2. an aged person. 
3. an influential member of a tribe or community, often a chief or ruler; a superior.
4. a presbyter.
5. (in certain Protestant churches) a lay member who is a governing officer, often assisting the pastor in services.
6. Mormon Church. a member of the Melchizedek priesthood.

What is a pagan elder?

According to this site:

"Spend any time at all in the Pagan community, and you’re bound to hear someone referred to as an Elder. Typically used as a term of respect and honor, Elder is a status that is generally given to someone, rather than claimed for oneself. It is considered bad form to announce that you are a Pagan Elder - let someone else grant you the designation, if you have indeed earned the status.

You may often find that someone who is a Pagan Elder is a little uncomfortable with the title - not because they haven’t earned it, but because often they do their work for the community out of love, rather than because they’re out collecting titles. They are individuals who have taught, shared, blazed new trails, spoken out for those who could not speak, and who have, in general, tried to make the world a better place."

So the non-pagan definition is somewhat different to the pagan term. How many times have you heard someone in the pagan community, demand that you respect them because they are your elder? I have lost count. One such person is someone I have dubbed Mrs Bucket. You know, her from Keeping up appearances, she who put on airs and graces and said Bucket was pronounced Bouquet. A right old baggage who thinks they are better than everyone, knows everyone and everything and is very very important and how did you survive before she came along.  I've mentioned her a few times in previous blogs, an unsavoury woman who I wish I had never met.  One of her war cries is that she is an elder and must be respected and listened to.  She is not alone and I'm sure there's a few male pagans out there who also make these claims.

To me, an elder in the pagan community, is someone who has been practising their craft for many years, they could be considered an expert on it and most likely to have risen in the ranks of their particular path.  An elder is the leader of a tribe, a person of great age and wisdom.  An elder is as the quotes above say, someone who has been given the title, not someone who has claimed the title as their own.  Just because you are older than your counterpart, doesn't mean your an elder - that just means you are OLDER.  Age does not demand more respect, wisdom does.  Being a know-it-all doesn't mean you are wise, it means you're an insufferable person who has filled their glass with information and hopes to pass it off as knowledge.  Knowledge means to have an understanding of information.  Anyone can recite something that's been taught, understanding what has been taught is knowledge.  You see where I'm going with this? 

Crones

In 'normal' terms, a crone is an ugly, cantankerous old woman. In pagan terms, it refers to the last aspect of the triple goddess The Maid, The Mother and The Crone.  Turning 50 or 60 does not mean you are a crone. It means you've reached an age. A crone isn't an age group, it's the last chapter of your time in your mortal body. For instance, you could have a 60 year old Maid, a woman who still has the mentality of that aspect.  She's never married, had children and hasn't learnt the lessons of the Mother, to then become the Crone.  I would liken a crone to an elder in some ways. She has learnt many lessons and is venerable.

So to recap. Just because you are 60 odd years old does not mean you are an elder or a crone.  Your peers will venerate you if you're worthy of such accolades. You cannot claim to be an elder just because you're old and a pagan.  Just like you can't claim to be a witch, then a druid, then a druid-shaman, after only being on the scene for a couple of years, without any training. You can't give yourself titles without EARNING it.  So stop facilitating these moronic women and men, who make these false claims so they can feel important. Stop being glamoured by their false claims and lies. Stop looking at age as something to define you and look to achieved wisdom and knowledge instead - whatever the age.  Otherwise, you are creating these ego powered people.

In 'normal' terms, a crone is an ugly, cantankerous old woman aka Mrs Bucket.