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The Importance of the Goddess in a Woman's life
The seven Greek Goddesses personified strong feminine qualities, the
archetypes of which reside in all women. Understanding these archetypes
and becoming aware of which goddess or goddesses are ruling our individual
psyches, can open new depths of understanding for women.
Psychologist, C.G. Jung believed that women are influenced by these
inner forces (archetypes), which are part of our collective unconscious.
Tapping into this knowledge can raise a woman's awareness. It can help us
find new personal meaning in our lives, or even empower us to alter our
life course and start a new path toward enriching our souls!
The following is a brief description of the Goddess archetypes. Find
the Goddesses that most closely resemble who you are, or who you aspire to
be. Go within to invoke the power of your Goddesses and the women you've
always wanted to be!
 | Athena: the Goddess of wisdom and also the goddess of
crafts. She is a pragmatic thinker who can keep her head in an emotional
situation. The Athena archetype is present in business women, college,
professors, and other professions that rely on a woman's strategy to get
ahead. Athena women seek the company of men as equals.
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| Artemis: the Goddess of the hunt and goddess of the moon:
she was the archer with perfect aim. Artemis is a back-to-nature woman;
a sister; she belongs to no man. Artemis strongly represents achievement
and competence, independence from men and male opinions, a passionate
concern for powerless women and children, and for women experiencing
childbirth.
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| Hestia: Goddess of the hearth and Temple; Wise-women;
Hestia is insightful, looking inward to intuitively sense what is going
on. Hestia does not need to leave the home to find herself; she makes
the home, a home. The Hestia archetype provides a woman with a sense of
wholeness.
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| Hera: Goddess of Marriage; her name means "Great Lady".
Hera is committed to the role of wife, which brings both joy and sorrow
into her life. Hera is The Commitment-Maker and infidelity in her
marriage can cause Hera to be overtaken with jealous rage. Women who
experience a pressing desire to get married are experiencing this
archetype in their psyche.
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| Demeter: Goddess of Grain, Nurturer, and Mother. Demeter
was worshiped as the "Mother Goddess" and the mother of the maiden,
Persephone. Demeter represents the maternal instinct; the archetype
gives women the compelling desire to become pregnant. A Demeter woman
needs to nurture and care for children, and finds great joy in preparing
food for her family and her guests.
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| Persephone: The queen of the Underworld and Maiden
Goddess; worshiped as the "Kore" (young girl). The Goddess Persephone
represents the duality of the child-woman. A woman who has difficulty
committing to a relationship or work, or an educational goal is being
influenced by Persephone. She never quite figures out what she wants to
be when she grows up, but she also has the remarkable ability to be
eternally youthful!
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| Aphrodite: Goddess of Love and Beauty. Aphrodite governs
a woman's enjoyment of love and beauty and of sensuality and sexuality.
Aphrodite's influence is felt in a woman's need to procreate, as well as
her need to be artistically creative. Aphrodite demands intensity, in
total absorption in who she is with or what she is doing. |
The study of Goddess archetypes can enrich a woman's life by gaining a
new perspective on what it means to be a woman, to learn to value her
gender and appreciate the Goddess within herself!
About the Pendant pictured at top
The “Seven Goddess Pendant” symbolizes the seven greek Goddesses in the
petals of a flower. At the center is a seven-pointed star, symbolizing
the sparkling light of the Earth Goddess, Gaia; who gave birth to us
all! From the star bursts forth the seven petals, each signifying one
goddess. The petals interlace, representing the overlapping of Goddesses
within us, with their strengths and weaknessess apparent at different
phases of our lives.
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