I bought myself this ring recently to celebrate a not-quite milestone birthday.

I was looking for something significant, something more than a pretty bauble, those they are nice too. This ring caught my eye, with its stylized female forms. When I read the description, I knew it was meant to be mine. The seller described the three figures as daughter, mother and grandmother. The three stages of womanhood.

But I look at it slightly differently. I see it as the three aspects of womanhood. (Or any “hood” really, but we’ll stick with womanhood since the figures are obviously more feminine.) I also prefer the older terms of maiden, mother and crone, with mother meaning more than producing or caring for children. Let me explain.

Maiden isn’t just sexual innocence. It’s that stage of life where we start to see the world as bigger than ourselves and we want to experience it all. It’s exciting and scary. Nothing beats the “first time,” whether it’s a kiss or traveling alone. That sense of wonder, the racing of your heart. New experiences can happen at any age, and should! This figure reminds me to see the world through less jaded eyes whenever I can.

I happen to be a mother, having given birth. But there are, of course, mothers who adopt or foster. There are mothers who haven’t raised children at all, but do something all mothers do: nurture. Mothers take care of things, see to the every day chores as well as prepare us for big events. Experienced in a bit of life, mothers use what they’ve learned to not only make their own path, but to help others find theirs.

The crone, like the mother, uses life experience to help others. Crones aren’t done with living, but the wisdom they’ve gained is critical for upcoming generations. They should be heeded, revered. The advice from a crone, from someone who’s “been there, done that” should carry weight.

We don’t necessarily move into each one, leaving the others behind. A person can embody all three aspects at any chronological age. There are wise young people. There are older folks who take on life with the excitement of a child. We are all of these aspects, in some way or another, no matter what our birth date may be.