But nothing about the ceremony is prescribed. Many women write their own, though books of crone rituals are now available. And there is no preferred setting. The rituals can be done at home, in a church or outdoors. They can last 10 minutes or go on for days and include lavish feasting.
Women often wear purple, the color associated with old age and wisdom.
There is also no set time to hold a crone ceremony. Some women wait until after menopause or when they turn 56 - a significant point in the astrological world. In all cases, the rite of passage carries individual meaning. For Linda Sanda, the ceremony acknowledged the troubled waters she had crossed in her life. For these three women, preparation was intense.