 Photo by Montse Alvarado, 2019
Writer's Blox Susan Pomfret |
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Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from our feature story on psychic medium and photographer Laurie Anne King, detailing her project and mission. Read her full story here.  The Resurrection of the Crone Project is a raw photographic portrait series based on the intimate journeys of older women as they connect to and celebrate their inner Crone. The intention of this project is two-fold, explains psychic medium and photographer Laurie Anne King. “To look beyond the modern day trappings of today’s ideals of unnaturally perfect and youthful beauty, and to reinstate the culture of female elders being perceived as not only beautiful as they age naturally but having deep substance, gifts of experience, self-acceptance, clear wisdom and therefore being a great and valuable asset in today’s society.” The term crone carries a negative connotation and has done so since the 14th century. “[In ancient times, the female] was revered as one all-encompassing mother goddess who controlled birth, death, and rebirth. As patriarchy began to arise after 7000 BC, this concept began to change as women themselves became increasingly under the dominion of men,” Anya Silverman writes. “The one mother goddess image was split into three aspects reflecting the stages of women’s lives – maiden, mother, and crone. The crone goddess represented the older woman aspect of a woman’s life.” This article, entitled The Ancient Crone, was published online at cronescounsel.org. Vocabulary.com explains the term as follows: “Since the late fourteenth century, the word crone has been a term of abuse describing old and bad-tempered women. It traces back to the Anglo-French word charoine, meaning dead flesh.” According to Wikipedia, “The crone is a stock character in folklore and fairy tale, an old woman. In some stories, she is disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often with magical or supernatural associations that can make her either helpful or obstructing. The Crone is also an archetypal figure, a Wise Woman.”  Laurie Anne’s mission through the Resurrection of the Crone project is to change societal perception of crone back to its original interpretation, that of a mature woman with aged beauty, wisdom and substance, a tremendous asset to society due to her depth of life experience. The project began with a small selection of images which were released for International Women’s Day in 2016. The works were featured on ABC Open, a blogging site to which Laurie Anne contributed, and its affiliates. Several women’s magazines including Harmony (India), Bokekh-Digital Rev (Hong Kong) and Yours, a subsidiary of Women’s Weekly (Britain) picked up the story, and details of the project were subsequently shared widely on social media by women’s consciousness groups. The eventual outcome was envisioned by Laurie Anne as a photo exhibition and/or a coffee table book, originally anticipated for completion by International Women’s Day 2017 or 2018. Despite an enthusiastic foundation and reception, the project ground to a halt when Laurie Anne’s husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2017. Darryl died in March 2018. Laurie Anne has since moved back from their home in Australia to her native Canada, settling in Campbellford in October. This psychic medium and photographer is eager to reactivate the work and share her message now that she’s settling in to her new home. The Resurrection of the Crone project imparts a message we need to see. www.laurieannekingphotography.com
Watch Laurie Anne's video on journey portraiture Read Laurie Anne's article in ABC Open on The Resurrection of the Crone Project Comments are closed.
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