She is the ancient goddess who was worshipped at outdoor stone shrines. In Celtic communities women ritually circled and poured liquid on the stones so it would run down into the earth to hollowed-out underground places, old places of the Hag.
~ Carolyn Berry, Lady-Unique

The Hag of winter, the Crone, or Wise One is known to the Celts as Mala Laith or Caillech Bheur, Daughter of the Moon; she who moves mountains and sacred stones. The Cailleach is a forest crone who can be seen running with wild deer, pigs, birds or a pale gray mare. She is a shape-shifter who continually renews herself as the Maiden. The Crone is the third aspect of the goddess as the Wise Old One who knows the secrets of the universe. The Crone or Hag symbolizes that part of us that possesses deep knowledge, understanding and seasoning. She appears as the dark moon and lives in the unconscious, where dreams begin.

The Crone is a teacher who passes on prudence and foresight. She may appear as a spiritual guide, a kindly protector, or our grandmother. She has learned the value of creative solitude, of aloneness ("all-one"). Wisdom is the realization of our all-one-ness, hence creative solitude. She helps us seek our inner light: she carries the light of understanding with her wand. The Crone is the lamplighter of the dream world, and shows us the path through the labyrinth of that world. If we have lived our lives well, old age can be a time when we feel much more alive, as we reap the benefits of the years. As there is a great power in being older, the Crone can be a positive role model. All the crones in the tarot represent a death of some kind. As we grow old we seek positive death images; to be able to look death in the eyes and be unafraid. And in that looking, to begin to see it as a transformation of energy (albeit a radical one) into another form.

The Crone is also the Cutter; she closes, dissolves and ends things, just as our Crone time of life is about endings, closures and dissolution. The Crone of Blades, Ix Chel, is our "Cutter " and is found in the Blades Arcana.

The old learn from the young, and the Wise old One loves and respects the wisdom of the children. Younger women need to validate and revere the Crone's power, wisdom and experience. Crones stay in touch with their own inner child by remaining open to the new consciousness carried by the young. Youth, maturity and old age are an inter-related process; each stage can be seen as desirable and beautiful. Post-menopause is the final stage of life and women frequently experience it as a time of power and fruition.
If this card comes up for you in a reading you would benefit from listening and heeding inner signals coming from your personal Crone. Perhaps prudence is needed, or you might need to be alone (all-one).

The Crone's responsibility is to avoid ending up"stuck" in her ways or becoming grim or bitter. If this card appears to you in a tilted or reversed position, examine these attributes.