Going to Hel: Aging and the Crone Archetype

Because aging and mortality issues have been so much on my mind, I’ve thought for quite a while about putting on an evening event for women exploring the theme.  I've finally collected a story, some poems and my thoughts enough to give it a shot.  The email should go out within the next few days (but info is below).

Here is a rough draft of a new poem.  It, too, is called Going to Hel.

There is a choice now

(Perhaps there is always a choice).

This culture nonchalantly tosses

its old ones cloaks or masks of invisibility.

What it doesn’t know

is that these are Hel’s tokens,

allowing elders access to her dark realm.

What do the young know

of Her fiery cauldron of rebirth?

Some think to banish

their elders to oblivion,

to lonely houses of isolation

or the sour halls of old age homes,

warehousing the seemingly weak

and irrelevant.

Out of sight, out of mind.

But if we old ones 

do not despair,

we can disappear down

into the shamanic school

of the underworld goddess.

Hey, let’s go trickster all the way!

Let’s refuse to choose oblivion.

We can use the disguise

to our own advantage.

Most of them will never find out

that their curse has become our gift.

At least, not until the mantle

falls on them.

And we know how fast that happens.

Going to Hel:

Aging and the Crone Archetype

Hel by Susan Seddon Boulet

An evening of story, poetry, conversation

and ritual for women entering, in,

or interested in the elder phase of life

Saturday, February 27th, 7:30 P.M.,

685 ½ Fairmount Avenue, Oakland

Pre-registration required mayaspector@hotmail.com

$20 donation in advance

(by check or Paypal to barry@madnessatthegates.com)

$25 at the door