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Maiden, Mother, Crone

In his book The White , Robert Graves categorizes the Di- vine Feminine into three aspects: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. These three aspects, now known as The Triple Goddess, classify Her many faces, aligning Her phases and power with the stages of a woman's life. These three aspects can be defined further, into shadow and light characterizations. The Light Maiden is the first aspect of the Triple Goddess. In human terms, her age is birth to early twenties. She is the little girl blossoming into womanhood, the image of beauty and love. She is the discovery of femininity. The embodiment of youth, learning, playfulness, and new beginnings, the Maiden is the personification of spring. The Dark Maiden is the shadow side of the Light Maiden. She is the seductress, the energy of passion and lust, the dark, mysterious side of youth. She is the Manipulator, taking Her new knowledge of

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life and love and using it to Her advantage. At times, She is the Be- trayer, the Oracle, or the Psychopomp-----embracing the darkness of existence and speaking Her truth, regardless of the consequences. The Mother aspect of the Goddess is at the peak of power and life. She is in control of Her circumstances and Her sexuality, and is usually mated. She is the harvest, the representation of abundance and prosperity, and our true Earth Mother. She is the midwife and protector of children, whether or not they are Hers. The Mother is strength, resilience. and the knowledge of womanhood. The Dark Mother is the personification of anger, transforma- tion, wars on the physical plane. and battles within spiritual mind- fields. She is the blackness of the new moon: the active, pulsing aggression that moves cycles forward and erases fear from our con- sciousness. She is the harbinger of death and change, justice and vengeance, forcing us to sacrifice that which no longer serves. The Light Crone is the Wise Woman. She of the Kept Blood (menopause). She is the guide. the counselor. and the infinite teacher. She brings us to death in all its terrible fury, then holds and nurtures us as we are reborn. She is the darkness of winter. and teaches the power of intuition and how to see what is unseen. The Dark Crone is the , the Keeper ofTilne and the Infinite. She is the All and the Nothing, the chaotic order of the universe and all that it embraces.

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LIGHT MAIDENS Carna

Abundantia Ch'angO Chasca Aglaia ChuangMu Aje Al-Uzza ChupKamui Corn Woman Anath Creddylad Angerona Anna Perenna Diana Aphrodite Dike Dziewanna Arachne Dzydzilelya Ardwinna Artemis EosITe Erzulie Ashnan Estsanatlehi Astghik Atargatis Euphrosyne Athene Flora Aurora Ausrine Freya Gbadu Bast Green Tara Baubo Beiwe Gullveig Benten Hathor Haumea The Bereginy Hestia Hi'iaka Branwen Idunn Ilmatar Britomartis Inanna Bunzi Inkosazana Calliope Iris

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Ista Devata Sif Sigyn Lama Sita The Mar'rallang Sjofn MatsuMaya Sulis Mbaba Mwana Waresa Sura Mielikki Tefnut Minerva Thalia Minona Tsovinar Nehallenia Tyche Ngame Ushas Nike Uttu Ningal Uzume Ninlil Vellamo Onatha Venus Oshun Pajau Yan Vesta Parvati Pax Wakahirume Persephone Xochiquetzal Pinga Yaoji Pomona YayaZakurai Proserpina Zaria Psyche The lorya Purandhi Radha DARK MAIDENS Sarasvati Aine Sedna A1-Uzza Selene Anath SgegMoMa

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Apate Nemesis Aphrodite Nephthys Arachne Ngame Artemis Ningal Astarte Ninlil Astraea Onatha Athene Oshun Bendis Persephone Blodeuwedd Proserpina Chicomecoatl Rati Circe Shamhat Coyolxauhqui Sif Dzydzilelya Snake Woman Eir Tap Tun Erzulie TIazolteoti Freya Tuonetar Freya The Valkyries Gunnlod Vammatar Inanna Venus Indrani Vila Ishtar Yuki anne Ixtab Kipu-Tytto LIGHT MOTHERS Lilith Agemem Loin Aha Njoku MamiWata AidaWedo The Mar'rallang Marama Aje Marica TheAkkan Musso Koroni

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Akewa BonaDea Akhushtal Brigantia Akwaba Brigid Brogla Alemona Caipora Al-Lat Candelifera Amaterasu Omikami Carmenta Anahit Ceres Andraste Chalchiuhtlicue Anuket ChicomecoatJ Arianrhod Chomo-Lung-Ma Arinna Chun T'i Armathr Cocomama Arnamentia Copia Artio Corn Woman AryongJong Coventina Asase Yaa Dana Asherah Aspelenie Demeter Astarte Devi Atira Dewi Nawang Sasih Atthar Diana Auchimalgen Don Axomama Druantia Aziri Dugnai Ba Ngu' EkaAbassi Bachue Enekpe Epona BOOaYuanjin Erce Blue Tara Eriu

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Nantosuelta Shakti Nekhehet Shasti Nerthus Shekinah Ngame Siduri Sahitu Ninkasi Snake Woman Ninsun S6l Ninti Sophia NuKua Tahiti Nuneh Tashmetum Nut Tawaret Oha Teteoinnan Odudua Thalassa Oenothea Themis Ops Uni Pachamama Vac Pani Var Papatuanuku Vasudhara Pasiphae Wadjet Pereplut White Buffalo Calf Woman Po Ino Nogar White Tara Pukkeenegak XiHou Renenet Yama No Kami Rhea Yellow Tara Rhiannon Yemaya Sangiyan Sari YumChenmo Saranyu Zaramama Saule The Sengdroma Seshat Maiden,Mother,Crone

DARK MOTHERS Mahuika Andraste Malinalxochitl Apakura AsaseYaa Morrigu Mulhalmoni Auchimalgen Neith Baduhenna Ngame Banka-Mundi Pasiphae Bellona Pele Bia Ran Biliku Rhiannon Black Tara Samovila Blue Tara Scathach Ceres Tabiti Chalchiuhtlicue Tawaret Chantico Teteomnan Chicomecoatl Tiamat Chihucoatl Tlalteuctli Coatlicue Yondung Halmoni Cybele Durga LIGHT CRONES Hera Acpaxapo Hine Aja Holda TheAkkan HsiWangMu Akonadi Itzpapalotl Ala luno Ananke Lamia Anapel Lupa Anna Perenna

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Antevorta Nanshe Arianrhod Ngame Badb Ninhursag Baubo The Norns Biliku NuKua Rrigid Oya Bugady Musun Pele Cerridwen Saga Corn Woman Satine Eill Sekhmet Ereshkigal Shitala Ereshkigal Skadi Estsanatlehi Spider Woman Evaki Tozi Hestia Ved'Ma Kali Ma Vesta The Zorya Kunapipi Zywie Madre Vieja DARK CRONES

Manat Manea Mara The Erinyes Marzanna Hecate Medusa He! Meng-Po Niang Niang lzanami Metis KaliMa Krtya Morrigu Nirriti Nana Buluku Maiden,Mother,Crone

Rangda The Erinyes; Tisiphone, A1eeto, Red Tara and Megaera Sekhmet F6dla, Eriu, and Banba Hebe, Hera, and Hecate The Matronae

THREEFOLD GROUPS The Noms; Urd, Verthandi, and Skuld Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia Oshun, Oba, and Oya A1-Uzza,A1-Lat, and Manat Parvati, Durga, and Kali Ma Badb, Macha, and Morrigu Persephone, Demeter, and Hecate Banba, F6dla and Eriu Tlawlteotl, Teteoinnan, and Tozi Blodeuwedd, Arianrhod, and The Zorya: Zorya Utrennyaya, Cerridwen Zorya Vechemyaya, and The Carnenae; Antevorta, Car- Zorya Polunochnaya menta, and Postvorta Com Woman; Com Maiden, Com Mother, and Yellow Woman

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