The Crone

Hi there.  I’m Susannah Hay, the aforementioned crone.

The word “crone” long ago meant wise woman. It was a term of respect for a female elder who had completed her journey along the paths of youth and adulthood into old age and was now considered a wise woman, a healer or teacher, a respected voice in the accumulated wisdom of a tribe.

Nowadays, in its obsession with eternal youth, our society has seen fit to disempower that earthy crone wisdom that is our birthright.

However, I choose to acknowledge and celebrate the evolutions with which life has challenged me. I’m proud to call myself a crone, seeing these years as a time of knowledge and self-awareness, and—dare I say it—wisdom, that can only be obtained from a life lived as consciously as possible through to its end.

I’ve been writing and editing for over forty years now.  You name it, and it’s likely been grist for my mill.  I could edit in my sleep – and sometimes do.

I started blogging in 2010 with Susannah Knits, a knitting blog (what else?).  Before long my blog decided it wanted to branch out into Susannah Says (where it had a lot to say), and then the darned thing morphed yet again into Susannah’s Journey.  It has changed direction once again, billowing out into Susannah Hay:  Views from the Crone’s Nest, which sits before you now – and which I think may be its final iteration!

But you never know….

My first book, a 68,000-word memoir entitled “Finding My Own Way Home,” is written and off for editing and its final polishing.  Meanwhile, I’m busy trying to learn enough about publishing and marketing to actually launch this frail barque of mine into the huge and turbulent sea of self-published books. So much to learn – it’s a wee bit overwhelming some days, but it’s certainly not dull.

In addition to my “official” working life, I’ve had three small businesses of my own.

In my heart of hearts, I’m a wannabe artist – a miniaturist by nature.  We Virgos love anything meticulous and fussy.  If I could paint on the head of a pin, I’d probably never come up for air.

Susannah Hay Fine Art Photography:  In the early days of photography, the darkroom was often where the real art of B&W photography took place; and that was my realm, a conscious choice in the face of the burgeoning Photoshop world.  I wanted the hands-on experience, and I got it.

I also enjoyed a tempestuous affair with jewellery design and started up Susannah Designs Hand-crafted Artisan Jewellery.  Sadly, the affair was brief:  I loved beavering away creating chain maille and semi-precious jewellery, but the pricing, inventory, income tax and marketing end of things turned out to be drudgery from start to finish.  I packed up my toys and left the field.

I started Windsong Holistic Therapies as a means to share my interest and training in assisting a client’s body in its healing process.  The work was a tremendous joy and challenge. Soon I was seeing regular clients and facilitating teaching workshops in my spacious home office, giving talks at holistic health fairs, and teaching at our local college.

Eventually, I packed up my shingle and settled down to “the rest of the story” – essentially more of the same, but with considerably more reading and writing time factored in.

So there you have it.  It’s been a fine and interesting life; I’ve learned much, and I’m am looking forward with no small delight to learning more.

Cheers,
Susannah