Hand painted resin mould statue.
In many modern Pagan traditions, the triple goddess in the form of Maiden/Mother/Crone is honored. She is seen as the feminine counterpart to the Horned God, the female who provides polarity to the male essence. In some traditions, such as many Dianic Wiccan groups, the triple goddess is the only deity worshiped.
In modern Wicca, however, and many Pagan religions, the Maiden is seen as the virginal young woman, or girl, who has not yet awakened. She is all about enchantment and new beginnings, youthful ideas and enthusiasm. She is associated with the waxing phase of the lunar cycle, as the moon grows from dark to full.
The Mother is the next phase in a woman's life. She is fertility and fecundity, abundance and growth, the gaining of knowledge. She is fulfillment—sexual, social, and emotional—and she is represented by the full moon. Springtime and early summer are her domain; as the earth becomes green and fertile, so does the Mother. A woman does not have to have biological children to embrace the role of Mother.
Finally, the Crone aspect is the final stage. She is the hag and the wise woman, the darkness of night, and eventually death. She is the waning moon, the chill of winter, the dying of the earth.
