Symbols: Triple Goddess

Full disclosure, I’m more than excited to write this article because this symbol is one that is close to my heart. While I appreciate other pagan symbols/talisman/amulets and the like, such as the pentacle, I have never been as connected to a symbol as much as I am the Triple Goddess, or “Triple Moon.”

The Triple Goddess represents the Mother, the Maiden, and the Crone and is often symbolized in the waxing, full, and waning lunar phases. She is the divine feminine counterpart to the Horned God. 

It’s worth noting that this view of the Triple Goddess is a contemporary vision brought forth by waves of feminists making their way into the literary world of the occult. And I’m absolutely (expletive) here for it. 

That said, versions of triple goddesses have historical roots as well in several different cultures throughout history. It is only this empowering viewpoint of all of the stages of feminine growth that is attributed to the Wiccan and/or Neopagan communities.  

Because we’re not shriveled up old hags because we’re aging, okay? And if I want to live in a cottage in the woods and lure my future (grand)children into said woods with candy, that’s my own prerogative, capisce? 

The moon itself is symbolic of feminine energy. 

The moon is the ruler of Cancer, who is fraught with intuition and is considered the nurturer, or mother, of the zodiac. One reason for the parallel between women and the moon is thought to be the cyclic nature of both. Twenty-eight days for some, even. 

All right. Now, let’s get into the semblance within the phases!

Maiden:

The maiden is representative of our youth. She is the wild, carefree, innocence of us before coming into age. This is our starting place before we have learned our valuable lessons. She is our unbridled energy. 

This is both a place of power and a place of evolution where we learn our lessons through our experiences and take them with us into the subsequent phases of our life. 

In the Triple Moon, the “Maiden” is represented by the Waxing Moon.

Mother:

With the new wave of feminism, and the evolving of time, ideals and values are changing. 

No longer is this phase exclusively considered restrictive only to “mothers.” And with this thought in mind, this phase can be referred to as “The Enchantress” by some who do not wish to identify themselves with the term “mothers.” 

During this phase of life, we are fertile, we are sexual, we are powerful entities ripe with possibilities. And how we choose to use them is entirely up to us. Complete autonomy. This is a time of abundance, creative endeavors, and really fleshing out who we are as human beings and what we’d like to bring to fruition. 

The “Mother” or “Enchantress” is represented by the Full Moon.

Crone:

Flash forward. 

You’re in the woods in the cottage we mentioned earlier. You are foraging the forest for your materials, gathering them while speaking with familiars, and dancing naked under the moonlight in your own mystical sanctuary whenever the mood strikes. 

Sounds great, right?

This is the period of the culmination of all other phases before it. You’ve learned lessons. You’ve experienced your youth. You’ve explored the depths of your sensuality at its peak. You’ve tested boundaries. You’ve expanded your consciousness. You’ve lived a life full of adventures specific to your own choosing, and your life is not over! 

You are now in the crone phase of this human experience. You have all the elements of the phases before, but with the passage of time, you have become wiser. This is a period of great wisdom, freedom, and independence existing in unison with the phases before it. 

The “Crone” is represented by the Waning Moon.

Other Interpretations:

Also, it would be blasphemous to mention the Triple Goddess without mentioning Hekate/Hecate. 

She is a goddess within Greek Mythology who is sometimes represented in three forms. The three forms are thought to be representative of the goddesses Demeter, Persephone, and Hekate, but while it is true that she was later represented in three forms, she does not have any traditional ties to this symbol. This is a relatively modern concept that appears to have stemmed from Robert Graves’ novel The White Goddess. (1948)

That said, Hekate herself is the goddess of the night, the moon, witchcraft, and necromancy and the Triple Goddess is often thought of as a tribute to her in the present day. But, we’ll be exploring Hekate in more detail in future blogs, so stay tuned.

Want to learn more about Hekate? You can read our Hekate blog here or shop our Hekate Deity Candle here.

So, do you have a favorite witchy symbol? Comment below and let us know!