Raven as Maiden Mother and Crone

by Ellen Levinson

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Price

$165

Dimensions

14.500 x 10.500 inches

Title

Raven as Maiden Mother and Crone

Artist

Ellen Levinson

Medium

Painting - Watercolor

Description

White,red and black Ravens here represent the three stages of womanhood.
"In modern Wicca,... and many Pagan religions, the Maiden is seen as the virginal young woman, or girl, who has not yet awakened. She is all about enchantment and new beginnings, youthful ideas and enthusiasm. She is associated with the waxing phase of the lunar cycle, as the moon grows from dark to full.

The Mother is the next phase in a woman's life. She is fertility and fecundity, abundance and growth, the gaining of knowledge. She is fulfillment -- sexual, social, and emotional -- and she is represented by the full moon. Springtime and early summer are her domain; as the earth becomes green and fertile, so does the Mother.

Finally, the Crone aspect is the final stage. She is the hag and the wise woman, the darkness of night, and eventually death. She is the waning moon, the chill of winter, the dying of the earth.

In some forms of feminist spirituality, the Maiden/Mother/Crone is used as an example of society's treatment of women. While the Maiden is revered and the Mother is honored, the Crone is pushed aside and reviled. Many women are trying to turn that around and reclaim the title of Crone, much like the gay community has reclaimed "queer." Instead of allowing themselves to be "old ladies" at Cronehood, these women are taking back the notion that with age comes wisdom. They are vibrant, sexual, life-embracing women who are proud to be labeled as Crone. Instead of hiding in the shadows, they celebrate the later years of life. "http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/wiccanpaganhistory/a/MaidenMotherCrone.htm


"Raven - Corvus Corax- is the largest member of the crow family. Ravens were once extremely common but are now found mostly in mountainous areas and on moors. They prefer to nest in secluded areas like rock crevices, however they will also nest in trees. They have one brood per year between February and March consisting of 4 to 6 eggs. The adult raven is completely black with a shaggy throat and a heavy or thick beak.They are extremely intelligent birds and can sometimes learn to speak.
Wolves and ravens have a special relationship. Raven signals wolf about possible food,wolf brings down the prey and raven gets to feast on the remains.Ravens also catch some small prey and eat seeds. Because raven eats carrion and also because of it's black color, it is frequently associated with death and considered a bad omen. But Raven is so much more than that.
Raven has many faces in Native American lore - among them,creator,protector and even savior.Raven was the bringer of fire and light - ensuring that the old ones,the ancestors would not die.For their hunger he brought salmon and is said to have brought water to ward off drought. Raven is the teacher and bringer of great magic. He is trickster-playing jokes and laughing at mankind's expense.He is thief - stealing from man and spirits.Sometimes Raven's tricks backfire and he becomes his own target - and in this there is humor too! Raven is also associated with shapeshifting. Native holy men or medicine men would call upon Raven to have visions clarified. Raven is also useful in long distance healing. The Keeper of Secrets,Raven is thought to help us bring to light our secret or hidden thoughts and expose them so that we can deal with them.
As the bird of prophecy,Raven is the teacher and protector of clairvoyants and seers, a messenger of the gods and an informant and guide.
In Celtic lore the Raven is associated with Morriga,the Celtic goddess who was an incredible prophetess.
In Welsh lore, Raven is a symbol of wisdom,and the keeper of knowledge after Bran, the Blessed - whose name means Raven.
In Norse legend the god Odin was accompanied by two ravens.Hugin symbolized the power of thought and of actively searching for information. The second, Mugin was thought of as the mind and its intuitive ability.Odin sent the ravens out each day to survey his lands and at days end they would return and report all that they had seen to him.Odin was also called the Raven god and had many daughters who were able to transform or shapeshift into ravens. They were called the Valkyries.
In the Greek and Roman legends raven is associated with both Athena and Apollo - both deities associated with the sun and the light of wisdom. In some of their legends ravens were said to be all white, but because they couldn't keep their mouths shut and stop telling secrets. Apollo turned their feathers black after one secret too many was blabbed! In another version, the owl is said to have replaced raven at Athena's side for the same reason.
Raven's color change is also in biblical lore.Noah sent raven to see if the flood waters were receding. When raven failed to return,God sent forth a dove to do raven's job and raven's feathers were turned to black.

Mother, Maiden and Crone - the three aspects of self."

www.whats-your-sign.com/raven-symbolism.html
www.symbolic-meanings.com
www.shadowraven.org/lore.html

� 2011 Ellen Lynn Levinson (Ellyn)
All images are protected by U.S. and International copyright laws.
All rights reserved by the artist Ellen Lynn Levinson (Ellyn).
Images may not be reproduced or used in any way without written permission from the artist.

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July 12th, 2013

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