Goddesses to Inspire and Empower you on your Journey

Hera-

Zeus’s sister and wife. queen of the Gods.

 

If you are a Soul type Hera-

you have always wanted to be a wife and partner and give a great deal of yourself to the relationship. You use all of your power to make your husband successful. You cannot tolerate any threat to your primary relationship. You will cut out other people if they cause any threat.

Hera comes as a visiting teacher- to any of us, when we get into long-term serious, monogamous relationships- especially marriage. We find we may become more protective, jealous and monogamous, when she enters the scene.

 

Wound: Being Betrayed and having her power usurped and never being ok with that. Hera is a less popular goddess. She bears the brunt of some of the anger both men and women harbor toward women.

Most people back away from her fiery, reactive nature. Yet her gifts are as profound as her temperament.

Gifts 

Her anger is transformative and can

change situations in life, from unbearable to acceptable.

Her persistence is also formidable, allowing her to make

adjustments in life permanent, by noticing and guarding her boundaries.

Hera is a hot goddess. Where she goes, a nuclear energy that

transforms your life follows. Figuring out how to operate within this

heat, is one of her teachings. Hera is decisive, strong and tenacious.

Women, who dismiss goddesses, as being too soft and frilly, find

strength in Hera’s demeanor.

The queen of heavens is resourceful. If she is your teacher, you too will learn to make do with little, although this is not your preference.

Transformation: Anger and resentment to forgiveness. For self and other.

The combination to the lock that keeps Hera types who have

been betrayed trapped has to do with forgiveness. She must understand forgiveness does not mean she approves of what was done, but that she can release it. Forgiveness is the key that unlocks her trap.

The torch that leads Hera out of the inner hell she may find

herself in, is lit with compassion for self and others. Acceptance of

her situation, her choices, herself and others helps her let go. It is

impossible to hang on to the old and move on. Letting go allows

moving forward. It is that hard and that simple.

Baths:

Hera uses healing bath waters to regenerate and cleanse her

psyche and emotions. The baths give her time to be alone, assess the

situation and come back to her core.

Aphrodite-

Goddess of love. Zeus’s siter or aunt, depending on the legend.

Aphrodite Soul Essence-

Girls who are born with an Aphrodite soul essence are generally

treated as distinctive from their childhood. They are social and

charming. They know how to make others feel special.

They laugh easily and even as children are attractive. They are irresistible and stir up desire.

 

Aphrodite as a visiting teacher-

Aphrodite, as an archetypal overlay, touches many unsuspecting

girls in their early teens. With her arrival, their world can be turned

upside-down. Wherever she goes, change follows. Girls evolve quickly, from young individuals to peer-pressured, sensitive teens.

All of a sudden, they dress up, experiment with makeup and

notice boys. They may go from being interactive with family to a

peer-based vantage point. Decisions may be based on “What are my

friends, doing, thinking and wanting”?

Aphrodite Wounds:

The largest Aphrodite wound has to do with feeling disposable.

Although, she is given much attention and is highly admired, these

qualities are fairly changeable and temporal. People shift their focus

and when this happens it can leave Aphrodite feeling hurt and in a

weak position. It is the same vulnerability felt by courtesans through

the centuries. While they are beautiful and young their opportunities

are wide open, but, that can shift on a whim, and leave Aphrodite in

a precarious emotional and financial position.

Another Aphrodite wound is being self-absorbed. She can be a

diva, who assumes the world revolves around her.

 

Aphrodite’s Gifts:

Beauty, warmth and loveliness. Aptitude as a performer, singer, actress, model, dancer, or designer. She may create jewelry, paintings or clothing. Aphrodite is also gifted in set design, home decorating or photography. She brings glamour wherever she goes. Emotionally developed, Aphrodite women, float in a bubble of golden energy. They exude confidence.

 

Turning it around: Through a relationship with different type males, where she learns about herself. Hephasteus male: claiming artistic side, through the wounded male.

Ares- Aggressive male who wants to control her and even brings physical or emotional harm, but she learns honesty in relating.

Hermes- talented, fickle male who likes her, but will not commit.

Finally learns to find the power within and by committing and keeping a focus on own projects and talents.

 Artemis:

The child of Zeus and Leto a nature goddess. Goddess of the Wild.

Artemis Soul Type-

Artemis reacts quickly. Like her, do you respond without thinking and sometimes make destructive decisions? When you lash out with indignation and temper, are the results of your actions sometimes harsh and irreversible? It seems contradictory, initially, but you Artemis soul types, like peace, quiet and being solitary. When your plans are disrupted, you can become testy. You are trying to protect your peace and space. Artemis Soul types lack lenience at times, but may display infinite patience when dealing with the truly needy. You are generally physical and athletic, often more of a doer

than a thinker. You may be fairly competitive, especially with your physical talents. You may be reluctant to form close associations. Artemis as a Visiting Teacher:

Artemis often visits young girls, before menarche. They are

immersed in their own pure essence, still part of the great wild mother,

not yet affected by culture and media. After that period, Artemis can still visit. Unlike some goddesses, who stay for a long time, she tends to come in short flashes. She is often there when we glimpse pure truth, sometimes after a harsh message or life-changing events. She brings arrows of fiery truth, when

our lover leaves us, we are fired from a job, or we are deeply betrayed.

She is the “true voice” we leave behind, again and again as we follow other people’s journey. When we come back to ourselves, she is there. She orients us to the genuine center of our own nature, regardless of our soul type.

When she returns to us, we may be surprised to see, that what

we valued while she was present in our lives, remained undeveloped, without her influence. Those values, such as the quest for our freedom, remain dormant until her return.

She is the goddess guardian of natural spaces. One finds kaliende by attuning to the sounds of nature. When looking for this sense of sacred, deep listening is the key. Her voice is the wind, at times whispering, other times howling. She speaks through the bubbling of the creek and river.

 

Artemis Wounds:

Artemis finds academia foreign. Artemis girls, long for recess and gym class, where they can run free. They enjoy academic learning, less than the thrill of physical activity. Artemis daughters are kinesthetic and prefer hands on learning that they can apply directly to their lives.

Words can challenge Artemis types. They find language and nuances tricky. They have a secret fear that words may be used against them. Keeping true to oneself is a very tricky journey. Culture, society, family and friends all have “reasons” for rewarding conformity. We “pay a price” to be liked, accepted and included. The cost involves giving up a little of our truth and knowing. Others will always tempt us, or lure us, with another vision, a better journey. Artemis sees through these desires and resists seduction. That is how she keeps her inner truth.

Possibly the largest Artemis wound is a reaction to not being

respected. People seem to underestimate Artemis’ power. This primary wound was etched before her birth, when Hera refused to allow her mother Leto to give birth to her and Apollo in any reasonable place. Hera disrespected and disregarded her mother and this wound also

deeply affected her daughter, Artemis. Artemis women are protective of their tribe.

Artemis’s Gifts:

Artemis blesses her soul essence daughters with physical strength

and endurance. She is not necessarily born into a large physique, but

is confident and adventurous, regardless of her body type. She is also innocent, even in her indignant state, she trusts that others should and will do, the ‘right thing’. She is helpful and responsive to women and children in need. She is also a good guide for men dedicated to stewarding the earth in a loving way.

She is a caretaker of animals and will treat different species

respectfully. Artemis women have ability to connect with animals.

They are wonderful animal trainers, vets and ecologists. Cows,

horses, dogs and cats will respond to them. No animal is unworthy of

Artemis’ attention. You will identify some of her daughters, as they

save earthworms from being stepped on, after a rain.

Botanists who preserve plants, forests and natural spaces will

also have a strong Artemis influence.

 

Hekate-The Wizened Crone

Hekate As a Visiting Teacher:

Hekate appears mainly as a visiting teacher. She shows up

at times of major transitions when we are ready to make choices,

changes, or start on a new path. She may visit at times in our lives when we are marginalized from society for having a certain opinion or affiliation. Shame may have been brought upon us for having a disease, disability or being ostracized, abandoned or committing the unpardonable sin of becoming old and unattractive.

She is like a celestial anthropologist who understands the

different ways to get by in diverse cultures. She is steeped in self-trust.

Soul Essence-

It is less common to have Hekate as a Soul Essence guide, but

this is often the case for people who work with the dying, possibly in a

hospice situation. People who are natural psychics will also be heavily

influenced by Hekate or Persephone, as are dream guides. These

individuals will spend this lifetime receiving training into matters of

great mystery, such as the collective unconscious. They will often

find themselves on the fringes of society. They will be put through

tests that teach them to value their personal insights and knowledge,

above social values.

Hekate Soul types will be taught to remain authentic and true, often through painful losses. Through these they learn how to thrive in many situations, learning to be an observer and helper. Hekate soul types may often be suspected of being a little “crazy” due to

their insights and ways of seeing. They do not fit into society and

are marginalized in some way. They may be viewed as unattractive,

old, overweight, disabled, or have unpopular viewpoints. Society,

somehow finds them creepy. They must learn to accept the validity

of their own methods, but at the same time not force their views or

visions on others.

Hekate’s Gifts-

Hekate is a healer and truth teller. She is a seer and phenomenal

observer of patterns and human nature. She is a wild and potent force, who will not be bullied or shamed into submission. She helps when others are vulnerable. She is also a non-conformist and eccentric, who has great freedom. Over time she becomes fearless and powerful and choices can steer us toward balance, and away from a reliance on drugs and unnecessary medical intervention.

Turning it Around:

You have the power in your thoughts and words to show you respect toward the croning and ageing process. Change your perceptions and descriptions of ageing from unattractive to worthwhile. Rewording how we speak about ageing and how we embrace our accumulating years, can re-direct us, from a path of self-loathing to self-love. Careful self- monitoring can filter out the negative societal critics inside us.

In the outer world, promote this change by cheerleading the journey

toward the next great adventure, wrinkles and all.

Be like Hekate: She unflinchingly follows her own path.

It is this self- knowing and ability to act upon what she knows

that allows her to visit any physical or psychic domain with assurance.

When she gives lessons, she advises: as humans, we

do not know what lies ahead, but must trust ourselves to do our best

on our journey. Each path will have challenges and joys. We can

heighten our learning and decrease our suffering if we stay present and use our own personal wisdom, as we walk on.

 

I hope the journey of the 8 goddesses has given you some insight into how this power of archetypal wisdom may be understood and harnessed into your life to access deeper knowing and clearer choices.

 

Journalling-

Choose one of the goddesses from above and talk about how she has influenced you, or how you might use her lessons. Which of these goddesses resonates for you most, if any?

Or go to the goddess workbook and focus on the goddess you are most interested in. Answer questions in the book and be ready to share your responses in the Sacred Circle.

Sacred Circle-

Share our goddess stories.

 

The wise woman program attempts to do the same, from many angles and many courses- helping you find yourself, see yourself clearly and live your life with authenticity and confidence.