The Endless Weave of Maiden, Mother, Crone
The Way of the Willow
Recently I have been tuning into so called parasitic plants. First Eyebright and then Chaga and Mistletoe - as I am using them them to treat Pippa’s, my dog’s, tumour. Then, as Divine providence does, this photo that I took of Mistletoe growing in Willow appeared when I was searching for something else, and it has me reflecting on the Mother and Sacrifice.
Mistletoe is considered a semi-parasitic plant, what I am learning is that the behaviour botanists name as parasitic doesn’t address the beneficial aspects of these relationships. Both Chaga and Mistletoe develop symbiotic relationships with their host tree, though one is a plant and the other mycelium that eventually fruits into a spore producing fungi. What they do have in common is that they carry the energetic signature of the host tree.
So this Mistletoe will carry the energy of Willow which will then be seeded into other trees by birds, the most commonly known one in the UK is the Mistle Thrush. So it is an airborne process - Mistletoe never touches the ground, which is why it is considered so sacred. While it is green it is producing it’s own chlorophyll so not fully parasitic - it is only when it become golden that it is considered to be fully parasitic as all it’s needs are being met by the tree and no longer needs to use chlorophyll to produce it’s own nourishment.
Mistletoe represents the Elder or the Crone - the dismantling of the Mother while absorbing her essence. The Crone may seem to be a different being entirely, but she is an evolution of the Mother.
So the Mothers sacrifice isn’t just for her off-spring … it is for who she is becoming. We often consider our children to be our greatest teachers. They may mirror to us all that we are and don’t wish to be - and if we are wise enough, humble enough - we accept the mirror offered and alchemise all that is undesired, and more - to start the journey of becoming Elder. The transition from Green into Gold is a perfect symbolism for this ripening fruit of wisdom and the evolution of Mother into Crone - for though the Elder is always present she needs to be seen and then embodied - and the child, the Maiden, is the key.
So this Being who never touches the ground - like the Maiden on her Flight of Freedom - is rooted through the Mother tree, the essence of her assimilated to move on in co-creation.
The Mother then is the root, the nurturer and the Crone is the fruit …
The mirror of the Maiden enables a purification - and a balancing. In herbal Medicine, Mistletoe is used for purifying toxins, balancing the nervous system, supporting the immune system - and bringing circulation to ‘cut off’ parts - so for our work here it supports the Mother moving into the greater wholeness and embodiment of the Crone.
And then the essence of the Mother carried in the seed of the Crone through the air by a winged one … a Maiden voyage. And this is reflected in what we know now - that the Grandmother during her pregnancy with a female child will for a while be carrying the seed of her Granddaughter …
What we discover in The Way of the Willow is the relationship between the Maiden, Mother and Crone is not a linear one at all. Deeper layers continue to be revealed …
The Mother is not sacrificing anything. She is the Portal - She is Surrendering the naive ways of the Maiden on the journey of becoming Crone - becoming Elder.
The Crone both evolves out of being a Mother having given birth to a Maiden who evolves into a Mother …It is never static - they are so entwined within us … The seed is produced by the Crone … and is nurtured by the Mother … on her evolution into Crone …
The cycles and the spirals of the journey are not separate, they are deeply interconnected -and like the Mistletoe and the Willow the relationship of sacrifice/Surrender of the host/Mother to the parasite/Crone is not so straightforward … it is necessary for the evolution and continuation of both.
with much Love,
from my Heart to yours,
Tania
🙏🏻🤍✨
A year long Apprenticeship Pathway course
2026 registration open in September, you can register you interest for future courses here
We gather to listen, as the decaying allows us, deeply to the memories within the bones of Mother Earth.
We explore the pulsing weave, the rich tapestry, of Maiden, Mother, Crone. Through the many layering threads of our personal weave, our ancestral weave and the great Cosmic one.
This is a time to heal our Elder Wounding, beyond that of the Divine Feminine and the Divine Mother.
Here you learn to recognise yourself as The Mother, as the portal, who in each moment births … becoming the Child and the Crone.
“This is a time to revisit your innocence and hold the responsibility of guardianship for that. What wisdom do you now hold to nurtures parts that have been neglected?”
“Eldership isn’t a rigid status - it is fluid - one that moves through all three aspects retrieving innocence and purity, reparenting self with the still, quiet reflection that spins the song thread down into the well of your being, retrieving the balm of wisdom.” Willow Warbler
Suitable for those living in the Northern Hemisphere, as the weather parallels our journey, and open to exploring the feminine aspects of themselves regardless of gender.
Fuller description and information: https://theschoolofearth.love/the-way-of-the-willow-healing-and-re-imagining-eldership