The traditional phases of womanhood—maiden, mother, crone—have shaped how we understand aging for generations. But they don’t always reflect the complexity of real life.

Today, many women in midlife are not fading or retreating. They’re gaining clarity, confidence, and a deeper sense of self. This chapter isn’t an ending—it’s a shift.

We believe it’s time to expand the story.

The Young Woman

This phase begins at the onset of adolescence, usually beginning at the time of menstruation. Think back to this time, especially early on. Our hormones and moods were up and down like a roller coaster. Our bodies were growing and changing shape. Everything was foreign and sometimes frightening. If it’s hard to remember these times, talk to any young teenage girl, and you will soon be reminded of the wild ride of adolescence. This is the journey. It’s not easy, but at the end, a beautiful young woman emerges who has her whole life ahead of her.

The Mother

Anyone who has ever given birth tells you that the journey of carrying a child into the actual birth is real. There are ever changing hormones and moods, there is pain, there are emotional ups and downs. The rewards are beyond words - bringing a beautiful new life into the word. If you haven’t given birth to a baby, you have certainly birthed other things. It could be a career, a business, your own healing, a comfortable home, a relationship that brings you joy… we are all mothers. Think about the people or things you have birthed. Haven’t they all been worth the journey?

The Sage (Reimagined)

At The Way, we embrace a more nuanced and empowering vision of this phase: the Sage.

The Sage is not defined by age, but by awareness. She is grounded, discerning, and clear. She knows how to listen to her body, trust her instincts, and move through life with presence and purpose.

This archetype reflects what many women experience in midlife—not an ending, but a deepening. A shift into greater clarity, vitality, and self-knowing. She is sensual, wise, and fully alive.

The Sage invites us to see this chapter not as a fading, but as a return to our own truth—often for the first time.

The Crone

Traditionally, the Crone represents the final phase of a woman’s life cycle—often associated with post-menopause, deep wisdom, and spiritual insight. She is the keeper of intuition, the elder, the guide.

But while this archetype holds profound value, the word Crone itself can feel outdated, even harsh—too often tangled with stereotypes of invisibility or decline. For many women, it doesn’t resonate with the truth of who they are becoming.

A Final Thought

The beautiful thing about these phases is that once we pass through one, we never leave it behind. The maiden and mother will always be within us. At different times in our life, in different scenarios, we can choose which phase we want to lean into and bring to the forefront of any situation.