Who are the goddesses archetypes? How can we reclaim them? How can be the heroine of our own story?

1. Goddesses in everywoman
Archetypes in women’s lives

2. CJ Jung introduced the concept
of archetypes into psychology

3. Archetypes are deep enduring patterns
of thought and behavior
• They lay down in human psyche and remain
powerful over long periods of time.
• Archetypes form the basis for all unlearned,
instinctive patterns of behavior that humankind-
-regardless of culture--shares in common.
• Archetypes are found in dreams, literature, art
and myth and communicate to us through many
symbols.

4. Psychoanalysis has had a
reductive vision of women
• For at least 2,000 years of European history until
the late 19th century, the term "hysteria" referred
to a medical condition thought to be particular
to women and caused by disturbances of
the uterus.
• In Freud’s view, not having a penis made women
maimed and inferior: they suffered from
masculinity complex or anxieties about castration.
• For Jung, receptivity, passivity, nurturing and
subjectivity characterized the feminine personality.

5. Jean Shinoda Bolen, a Jungian psychiatrist, has written
several books on the archetypal psychology of women
and men in the development of spirituality.

6. Her objective is to transform women in
better protagonists or heroines in their
own life stories
• Recognizing inner patterns
• Being conscious about the influence of both external
stereotypes and internal archetypes
• Especially since society expects women to conform to
some roles, reinforcing some goddess patterns and
repressing others
• And because midlife is a time of transition with a
changing of goddess
• The awareness of these forces actually provides
power

7. Old Europe used to be a
matrifocal society
• 5.000 years ago, before the rise of male
religions, Old Europe was a matrifocal,
sedentary, peaceful, art-loving, earth and sea
bound culture that worshipped the Great
Goddess.
• Named Astarte, Ishtar, Inanna, Nut, Isis,
Ashtoreth, Au Set, Hathor, Nina, Nammu,
Ningal…
• Unstratified, egalitarian society.

9. But Indo European invasions imposed
their patriarchal culture
• Between 4500 BC and 2400 BC
• Invaders were patrifocal, mobile, warlike,
ideologically sky-oriented and indifferent to art.
• Perceived themselves as superior.
• Rape appeared in myths for the first time.
• Great Mother became fragmented in many lesser
goddesses, faded into the background.
• Suppression of women’s rites: suppression of
women rights?

10. Greek mythology is thus a patriarchal
mythology that exalts Zeus and heroes
• Greek goddesses lived in a world ruled by
men and adopted different strategies:
– Either separated from men, joining them as one
of them or withdrawing inward.
• What can we learn from them?

12. Stereotypes of women are positive or
negative images of goddess archetypes
• Patriarchal societies consider only
acceptable roles as maiden (Persephone),
wife (Hera) or mother (Demeter)
• While Aphrodite is considered the whore
or the temptress.
• Some cultures repress independence,
intelligence or sexuality of Artemis, Athena
or Aphrodite (cf China’s binding foot
tradition).

13. The goddesses’ archetypes fall
into three categories
1. Virgin goddesses:
Artemis, Athena, Hestia
2. Vulnerable goddesses:
Hera, Demeter, Persephone
3. Alchemical Goddess:
Aphrodite

14. The Virgin Goddesses represent independence
and self-sufficient qualities in women
• Not moved by love, sexuality or infatuation.
• Never married, overpowered, raped or humiliated.
Remain intact.
• Openly feminist. Less likely to be victims.
• With a focused consciousness: absorbed in what
they are doing
• Facing challenge to be true to themselves and
adapt to a man’s world: Artemis withdraws in
wilderness, Hestia withdraws inside home or
herself, Athena identifies to them.
• Risk of lonely life without significant other.

15. Artemis: the Big Sister
• Protector of women
• Rugged individualist: separation
from men and their influence
• Goddess of childbirth: as soon
as she was born, helped her
mother in the labour of her twin
brother Apollo
• Comes quickly to mother’s aid
(only goddess known for this).
• Goal focus and perseverance.

16. Artemis: the archetype of the
women’s movement
• Qualities: Achievement and competence, independence from
men and male opinions, concern for victimized, powerless
women and the young.
• Desire to prevent harm to women and children, and to punish
those who do such harm.
• Feels strong about her causes: do not accept inequity as
given, even in her families: the sister already demands
equality. She’s the activist.

18. Artemis: Importance of paternal
approval
• Problems arise when parents criticize the Artemis daughter
for not being the girl they expect her to be.
• Opposition and disapproval may harm her self esteem and
self confidence especially if her admired father criticizes her
for not being ladylike.
• The daughter maintains a defiant pose outwardly but inwardly
is wounded. She appears to be strong, uninfluenced by what
he thought until she can be on her own.
• Result: doubts about herself, inner conflict, when she
succeeds, she still feels inadequate.
• Incorporates father’s critical attitude in her psyche.
• Especially happens in families that place a high value on
sons.
• Less compatible or complementary relationships recapitulate
father-daughter conflicts.

20. Artemis: support of the mother
• I was the parent
• Sadness for not having been able to change their
mother’s lives: efforts to rescue were unsuccessful.
• Determined not to resemble their vulnerable mothers,
Artemis daughters tend to suppress dependency
feelings. Avoid expressing vulnerability and vow to be
independent.
• Rejects what she considers feminine, softness,
receptivity, stirrings towards marriage and
motherhood.
• Plagued by inadequacy feelings in her feminine
identification.

22. Artemis the explorer
• Enjoys leaving home for college. Loves backpacking trips in
the wilderness, Vision quests, ski.
• Her interests have no commercial value. Non traditional.
• Friendship with other women is very important.
• May have a supportive mother applauding the feminist
daughter.
• Feels an equal to men, considers the stereotyped role as
unnatural.
• Hiding her abilities goes against her grain. Feels ridiculous to
play the role of the little woman.
• Tendency to explore and try new adventures, even sexually.
Avoids relationships where she feels controlled or dominated.
• Marriage is far from her mind, unless if it has an egalitarian
quality.

24. Artemis is likely to have a on the
move lifestyle
• Attracted to helping professions or
creative men
• Kind of mother that fosters independence,
female bear, teaches young to fend for
themselves and yet can be ferocious in
their defense.
• Missing close and emotional intimacy but
has enduring men and women friendships
and enjoy other’s people children.

25. Difficulties
• Contempt for vulnerability: merciless, judge actions of
others in black and white: need to become more
understanding, people are more complex, forgive
them and herself to become more merciful. Needs to
develop compassion and empathy.
• Destructive rage. Likely to be angry at men in general
for failing to treat with respect someone she values.
• Can only be stopped if Artemis confronts her own
destructiveness directly before it consumes her or
devastates her relationships.
• Humility is key: she is a flawed human woman too,
not an avenging goddess.
• Must achieve conscious awareness.

26. Complexity
• On the one hand, rescues women and
feminine values from patriarchy.
• On the other hand, with her intense focus
on goals, can devalue receptivity, related
to others qualities.
• To grow beyond Artemis, a woman must
develop her conscious, receptive,
relationship-oriented potential.

27. Athena: the father’s daughter
• Only one parent: Zeus
• Athena tends to side with the patriarchy.
• Logical women ruled by their heads rather than
their hearts.
• Diplomacy, academia, army, corporate world,
tech world
• Emphasize tradition and legitimacy of male power
• Support the status quo
• Politically conservative,resists change
• Armored by intellectual defenses,plan ahead

28. Athena women gravitate toward
powerful men
• Lacks close women friends and empathy
• Often angry at woman who complains
• Out of touch with her body
• Impervious to sexual jealousy
• Lives for her work, intimidates others
• Values rational thinking
• Was never a child: born an adult
• Needs to play, laugh, cry and be hugged

29. Hestia protects the sacred fire
• Spiritually felts presence
• At the center of the house
• Stays inside the house or the temple
• Inward focused, inner centeredness
• Meditates, seeks quiet tranquility,
solitude
• Keeping house is a meaningful
activity to her, equivalent to
meditation
• Thrives in religious communities,
Contemplative
• Inner sanctuary

30. Hestia embodies warmth and
peaceful order
• Many women find Hestia through unchosen solitude:loss, grief, loneliness
• Introverted woman who enjoys solitude
• Old soul
• No social drama, no gossipor political discussions
• Does not value power. Patient. Lacks negativity
• Good wife image but has an inner autonomy
• Needs to ventureout and acquire assertiveness

31. The Vulnerable Goddesses embody the
traditional roles of wife, mother and daughter
• Their well-being depends on having a significant
relationship.
• They have all been raped, abducted, humiliated or
dominated at one point.
• And they responded differently: Hera with rage
and jealousy, Demeter and Persephone with
depression.
• They express the needs in women for affiliation
• They have diffuse awareness, Gestalt
• Unseen warm light
• Susceptible to victimization

32. Hera embodies the wife
• Feminine form of hero
• Powerful goddess of marriage
• Feels incomplete without a partner
• Not being married stirs up feelings of
resentment or rejection.
• Noah’s ark mentality: people are supposed
to come in pairs
• Sticks to marriage for better and for worse
• When jealous, displaces blame on the other
woman, not her partner
• Reacts to humiliation by taking action

33. Hera takes pleasure in making her
husband the center of her life
• Considers her wedding day the most
significant of her life
• Finds divorce inconceivable
• Attracted to successful men with
emotionally immature little boy
elements who seek variety rather than
depth
• Not much maternal instinct: husband’s
needs superior to children’s
• Inimical to Aphrodite’s women

34. Demeter: the maternal archetype
• The most nurturing goddess, altruistic, loyal, strong
convictions
• Her instinct is fulfilled through physical,
psychologicaland spiritual nourishment to others
(not only biological mother)
• Abortion goes against her views.
• Food provider: meals for love, goddess of grain
• Most generous goddess.She is solid and
dependable.
• Demeter’s daughter may look after her parents
• Nurturing or helping professions (Care)
• Employees expect her to look after them: angry
when she does not
• Strongly protects children against abuse

35. Demeter tends to attract
immature men
• Warm, affective, likes to cuddle but many have
a puritanical attitude towards sex.
• The abduction and rape of her daughter
Persephone by Hades has been sanctioned by
her own husbandZeus:Feels outrage and
betrayal.
• Some Demeter mothers always fear that
something bad may happened to their
children. Risk to be over controlling and
overprotective.
• Biological clock is running out and unmarried
women contemplate becoming single
mothers.
• Bountifulmaternal goddess with an unlimited
capacity to provide: risk of burnout, learn to
say no.
• If people in her life need her, an anxious
Demeter woman feels secure.

36. Demeter: the grieving goddess
• Emotional investment in providing for others
and emptiness after: life loses meaning. Make
others feel guilty.
• Susceptible to depression when empty nest.
• Loss of a significant relationship can turn a
woman into a grieving Demeter mother.
• When a Demeter woman loses a relationship in
which she has been the maternal figure, she not
only loses that relationship and misses the
person but also loses her mother role which
gave her a sense of power, importance and
meaning.
• She is angry that a source of meaning has been
taken away.

37. Demeter needs to become her
own good mother
• Learning how to express anger reduces depression.
• Learning to say no.
• Learning to let go and let grow.
• Developing other goddesses in herself.
• Needs to focus on herself the caretaking she is readily
feels for others.
• Copes with her loss by loving and caring for
someone else.
• After time, spring comes back with greater
wisdom and spiritual understanding learnt through
suffering.

38. Persephone: the Daughter
• Compliant in action and passive in attitude.
• Femme enfant, ideal woman in Japan
• Equates femininity with passive, dependent
behaviour
• Open and flexible
• Introverted, friend with a girl with stronger
personality
• Men choose them.
• Must learn to make commitments.
• Can be narcissist or manipulative.
• Can feel depressed, isolated, inadequate, self
critic

39. Aphrodite: The Alchemical
Goddess
• Magic power of transformation.
• Tremendous force for change.
• Never victimized
• Values emotional experience more
than independence from others or
permanent bonds
• Focused yet receptive consciousness
• Pygmalion effect: the power of
positive expectations on the
behaviour of others

40. Aphrodite enjoys the moment
• Extraverted woman with a lust for life and a fiery element in
her personality.
• Love of laughter. Free to chose her husband
• Whispers not use birth control
• Likes variety and intensity in work and life (Artist or teacher,
therapist, editor…)
• She can focus her total attention on the person she is
meeting: making him/her feel valued.
• As a mother, she can instill a sense of specialness that may
give child confidence and help develop abilities and talents.
• Mistrusted lady, not possessive or jealous herself
• Anxious her beauty is fading

41. Aphrodite women need to accept it is their
goddess driven nature to fall in love easily
• Falls in love very easily, each time convinced she has found
the perfect man
• Values love relationships, risks everything for it and wins
• Gravitates toward men not necessarily good for her: creative,
complex, moodly or emotional. Penchant for immature,
complex men.
• Midlife: unhappy with her choice of partners: Notices how
she has been attracted to unconventional / unsuitable men
• Need to look out for best interests, sort the seeds, see the
landscape from distant perspective, get some emotional
distance on relationships

42. Conclusion: a goddesses’
committee is in your head
• Orderly process: the ego as chair and all
goddesses have opportunity to be heard
• Careful of biased chair silencing some
goddesses!
• Learn to shift gears
• Learn to listen with a sensitive ear and
recognize who is speaking

43. There is a potential heroine in
every woman
• A leading lady in her own life story.
• An heroine on her own heroic journey.
• For that, you need to realize your choices matter.
• You become a choicemaker.
• You shape who you will become.
• Careful of the non heroic patterns who stays at
crossroads, avoids choices to not give up options:
choice of non action.
• Heroics tasks to risk intimacy or become vulnerable
emotionally or need someone else. For Artemis or
Athena, marriage and motherhood require courage.

44. Reclaiming the power of the
snake
• Symbolic reminders of power once held by female deity.
• Hostile judgments from inner figures are often destructive, critics
parroting messages of the family or the culture
• Double loss: loss of relationship and of the relationship as a source
of identity: either heroine grieves and go on or gives up, becomes
bitter and is overcome by depression /suicide.
• In every crisis, a woman is tempted to become the victim instead of
staying the heroine.
• Blaming others, criticizing herself, commit suicide.
• From victim to heroine: Need to call on a power greater than
herself: a heroine’s journey is an individuation quest
• Union, reunion and home are where her journey ends.
• With the union of the opposites, masculine and feminine, active and
receptive, autonomous and intimate, work and love.