Stop Shoulding All Over Yourself
A few months before I thought I was dying of metastatic cancer, I would have laughed in your face if you told me a tarot reading would change the course of my life. An academic physician shouldn’t get tarot readings. But Rule #1 of Cronedom: Stop Shoulding All Over Yourself.
Come with me as I geek out about aging, medicine, spirituality, and my personal journey through it all. We will explore the tension between science and feeling, between data and intuition, and between who we are supposed to be and who we are becoming. This is the Crone’s Journey. All are welcome.
Who am I? I’m someone who spent decades focused on achievement, reason, and (to my own detriment) rejecting everything that didn’t fit into this narrow worldview. Professionally that looked like a 20+ year career as an academic geriatrician, a physician dedicated to the care of older adults. Personally it looked like living for everyone but myself until my body finally said enough.
As a physician, scientist, educator, and frequent peer reviewer, I used to eschew the woo as magical thinking and pseudoscience. But my inner child had watched the X-Files and harbored a secret, I Want to Believe. So, in my darkest hour, I didn’t pursue religion as the traditional route to spirituality. You’ll find I don’t particularly care for tradition. Instead I fully immersed myself in the woo. As I dig deeper, I realize we shouldn’t throw the woo-baby out with the bathwater. (I realize that is shoulding. Guess what? Rule #2 of Cronedom: There Are No Rules.)
No matter your age, you belong here if you’re curious, refuse to choose between science and woo, and/or identify with the liberation of cronedom.
Welcome to my crone zone. Let’s explore our crone powers together.
Why Subscribe?
What do you get when you subscribe? Aging wisdom from someone who studied it, teaches it, and has dedicated her life to caring for older adults. Woo from someone who decided to stop shoulding all over herself and within a year read over 30 books, listened to multiple audiobooks and podcasts, taught herself tarot, bought an embarrassing number of candles, and took a year-long course with a medical astrologer.
If my letters are your course in becoming a crone, my tarot readings and journal prompts will be your accompanying “Cronehood 101” lab on your journey of crone-discovery. You’ll also get ongoing attempts at humor from a recovering overachiever who lived for everyone but herself and is now dedicated to the crone-lifestyle. I already know you’ll get an A.
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A Note on Cronehood
The crone is not defined by age, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or any other identity. Cronehood is a mindset — a willingness to shed what no longer serves, to claim your own wisdom, and to live unapologetically. If that resonates, you belong here.
I write from my own perspective as a white, straight, cisgender woman (she/her/hers). I am actively working to make this space inclusive and representative of the full spectrum of crone experience. Crones show up from multiple backgrounds, a full range of ages, as they/them, he/his, and every variation in between. If I get something wrong, please tell me. This crone is always learning.
Skeptics and believers are equally welcome here. Cronehood and its practices are not religious — they are compatible with any faith tradition, no faith tradition, and everything in between.
A Note on Evidence
Medical content on Crone Powers strives to be evidence-based and sourced from peer-reviewed literature. Woo, spiritual practices, and alternative modalities operate in a different domain, and they often do not have traditional evidence to back them up. Science measures what science can measure. Some of the most important human experiences — woo or not — cannot be measured or fit into the scientific method. I will always be clear about which is which, and I will never use one to falsely validate the other.
Medical Disclaimer
The content on Crone Powers is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice. I am a doctor, but I AM NOT YOUR DOCTOR. Always consult your medical and mental health professionals before ADDING—NEVER SUBSTITUTING—spiritual modalities to your care. Remember, woo only works when you do the work.
The views and opinions expressed here are my own and do not represent those of my employer or any institution with which I am affiliated.
Contact
Questions, thoughts, or just want to say hello? Reach me at
