Wicca 101
The Triple Goddess Explained
by Deanna Anderson
The number three itself has great significance in Wicca and Paganism in that it is a powerful number. There is the "Rule of Three" in which it states that what you do to a person comes back three-fold, which generally is a code for practicing Pagans to not do harm to others. Certain spells involving Witch Bottles and Charm Bags also require an uneven number of objects to be placed inside such as 3, 5, 7 or 9 objects. It is no wonder that the Goddess is represented in 3 phases. The moon itself has many phases and is a powerful element in Paganism and Wicca. The Goddess is represented by the moon whereas the God (the male entity in Wicca) is represented by the sun.
The Triple Goddess is represented by 3 moons, the waxing crescent moon, the full moon and the waning crescent. This symbol is often found in tattoos, jewelry, T-shirts, artwork, other adornments or decorations and even store logos. In emails on or message groups it is symbolized by a closing parentheses, a capital letter oh, and an opening parentheses like this )O(.
The Waxing Moon is a symbol of the maiden. This is the first aspect of womankind. A woman is a maiden up until the time that she marries and/or bears children. In some instances, this could even be considered the phase up until the girl reaches a child-bearing age, or when she starts her menses. However, with girls starting at an average age of 11-13, I am loath to consider a child a woman or a mother at this age. A woman is powerful in this stage since they have the power of innocence, youth and vitality. She is full of adventure, life, fresh ideas and innovation. This phase is also a time of new beginnings. The Waxing Moon is used because this is when the moon is coming to fruition. It is but a sliver, a part of a whole. This is very much like a young woman who has not yet matured or gone through puberty. They are still child and not yet woman, although still female. They are part of a whole.
The Full Moon is a symbol of the mother. Often this phase starts when a woman marries or bears children. For some this might start when a girl actually starts her menses. However, it is usually a more accepted practice that this occurs upon marriage or childbirth since those are significant phases and changes in a woman's life. A woman in this stage is powerful because she has a bounding to another person either through marital ties or blood ties (childbirth). There is strength in unity, support, and knowledge when a woman is in this phase. This phase also represents sexuality, fertility and stability. The Full Moon is used because this represents the fulfillment of being a woman. A woman in this phase has married, had children, and has matured and they are wiser than in their youth.
The Waning Moon is a symbol of the crone. Despite the stereotype of an "old crone" being a haggard, scraggly and grumpy old woman, the crone is simply the final phase of the woman. This phase usually starts when a woman has reached the point where she is beyond her child-bearing years, or when she reached or finished her menopause. This is not a stead-fast rule but is adaptable. A woman might perform a rite into the phase of the Crone, or might simply consider her self a crone, upon the point that she no longer can have children due to other circumstances such as a tubal ligation or hysterectomy. A woman might also decide she is a crone at the first onset of gray hairs, or when her youngest finally leaves home. However, menopause is more commonly used as the changing point since it is a change of life in the physical body. For many women it is a sad time and leaves them feeling that they are no longer a woman. But in Wicca practice this is not so, it is a time to celebrate. Imagine reaching the final leg of a race, you feel elated, excited, and accomplished. A woman is powerful in this time because she has reached full maturity and is filled with wisdom that she can share with mothers and maidens. She has "done her duty" to mankind in that she provided a home, provided a mate for another, or raised her children. There is a sense of accomplishment here and self-gratified, self-fulfilling feelings. This phase also signifies death, repose and endings. This phase is represented by the Waning Moon because a woman in this phase is "on her way out." She is has accomplished what is expected for women to do in life (in the baser more intrinsic needs). She is also a part of a whole much like the maiden and the Waxing Moon because she is no longer of child-bearing years.
In Wicca or other such Pagan paths there are no set doctrines, only guides and codes, for practitioners to follow. So, there are no set rites or rituals that a woman has to do in order to evolve into these phases. Some think it occurs naturally and that a woman does not have to do anything at all. Others might use a rite or ritual in order to celebrate this new phase in their life. A ritual might include a cleansing of some sort, which usually involves a bath or shower for a literal cleansing, and then an aura or spiritual cleansing. The method used for a spiritual cleansing will depend on the woman and her path as will the item she uses. Some practitioners may do their rite on their birthday or they might coordinate it with the phase of the moon that corresponds with the phase of womankind that they are experiencing. A ritual may also occur on the feast of celebratory day that befits the Goddess represented by the phase.
Common belief holds that the Triple Goddess can be represented by three Goddess (traditionally these Goddesses are of Greek or Celtic origin). The common belief is that the Goddesses are: Persephone (maiden), Demeter (mother), and Hecate (Crone). Each Goddess is a representation of the strengths that each phase of womankind holds. Athena is often used in place of Persephone and Brigit or Brighid in place of Hecate. It is also said that the Goddess Gaia (Mother Earth or Mother Nature) is one being who beholds the embodiment of all three phases of the Triple Goddess but this is often argued amongst Pagans and Wiccans.
The Three Crescent Emblem is often another symbol signifying the Triple Goddess. It is 3 crescent moons all overlapping each other in such a way that it makes six points of the three moons sticking out in 3 directions. This is often thought to be an emblem of Diana de Poitiers and is used especially among the Dianic Wiccan path. The symbol known as "The Lady" or "The Goddess" is of a woman of a shapely figure with her arms outstretched over her head. There are no distinguishing features on her and she comes in many different styles. Thought to be a representation of the Goddess Isis of Egypt, she often seen with either a spiral on her stomach region, holding the three moon symbols, or is in the center of the full moon.
The Triple Spiral, or triskele, is also a symbol often associated with the Triple Goddess. It is three spirals on the form of a triangle with one spiral on top and two below. The three spirals are all connected with one line; there is no break or separation in them. Thought to be Celtic in origin it is used amongst many Neo-Pagans or New Agers. Wicca is not alone in its beliefs of a Trinity. Christian Mythology has a trinity in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost (or Spirit) that represents either God or Jesus Christ. It is also prominent in Hinduism in the images of Sarasvati, Laksmi, and Kali and their manifestation as one entity named MahaDevi. There are also Triple Goddesses throughout cultures and religions in Asia and Africa. In pre-islamic Arabie there was a Goddess traid called "the three daughters of Allah." These three daughters were represented by Al-Lat (the Goddess), Uzza (power, and the youngest), and Manat (fate, or the crone). Collectively they were known as the "three cranes." In yet more Greek Mythology there is also something known as "the three fates" or the "three sister." These are said to be women, young, middle age and old, that hold the strings of fate. They represent birth, life and death and are often depicted at a loom of sorts in which there is a string for every person in their care.