Embracing The Maiden By Kathy Bowden Embracing The Goddess There is a woman who is vengeful, merciless, manipulative, ruthless, cold, stern, destructive, vindictive, self-neglecting, narrow thinking, uncompromising, secretive, distant, jealous, devious, devouring, fierce, wild, passive and fears change. This woman is you and every other woman around you. She is your mother; she is your doctor, your teacher, your plumber, and your lawyer. She is your partner, female and male. She is the man you sit next to on the bus, the man you pass on the street, the man you might share your bed with if you choose. This same woman is also independent. She is adventurous, self-reliant, nurturing, passionate, free-spirited, protective of others, creative, powerful, generous, persistent, intuitive, mentoring, supportive, devoted, insightful, resourceful, reliable, free, tolerant, compassionate, fearless, balanced and has integrity. We search for her somewhere beyond the advertising we are bombarded with, the diet pills on sale, fashion and how we told we should be. We search in songs, the female "icons" on the TV and movie screen, writers, singers, musicians, poets, artists, those with expression, colleagues and friends. But we need to go back to ourselves, the person we are that has become stranded trying to swim in the shallows, the froth of attractiveness, thinness and "perfection" as defined by those other than ourselves; so that we can reclaim ourselves and move forward on our journey. Remember the Goddess… She is the earth we live on, the water we drink, the plants that grow, the animals that breathe, and animals whose breath is over. And they know it is so. She has many names, archetypes we have heard of; she is Artemis, Athena, Persephone or Kore, Blodeuwedd, Inanna, Kuan-Yin, Paivatar, Inanna, Isis, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hera, Gaia, Kalima, the Cailleach, Hecate and Cerridwen. She is triple goddess: maiden, mother and crone. She is with you now as you read this, and is always with you. She is inside you now. She is you. Archetypes We may not imagine that "myth" from the past would have relevance for us. We live in a different world, our physical environment is radically different, we have a different culture in different time. We all have our own personal life experiences brought about by individual circumstances. We all experience our menstrual cycle in different ways, our experience of sexual relationships are different. How we encounter pregnancy is different, birth and menopause are different. All personal, yet the thread that connects us is stronger than our differences. All women go through collective experiences. These are the collective unconscious as well as the personal unconscious. The mythology of the Maiden – Mother – Crone Goddess is the outward expression of these archetypes of the young woman, the physically mature woman and the wise, older woman. The unique psychological and physical experiences that are characteristic of each stage are represented in the archetypes and mirror the archetypes within ourselves. "A small detail of behaviour… may assume greater significance and reveal the key to a puzzle we were trying to solve for a long time when we see through a myth. The fluidity of the mythology of the Goddess makes it possible for every woman to recognise her own experiences and characteristics within its context, tracing the pathway to our own true self" (1) The Maiden Whatever age we are, we will recognize her. We will relate to aspects of Her in those around us, and in ourselves. We may learn from the lessons of The Maiden to understand some areas of our positive and negative behaviour patterns, evaluate them and choose to accept them or change them. Please visit these three Goddesses that have aspects of the Maiden Artemis – further in depth Kuan Yin – further in depth Persephone – further in depth There are other Maiden Archetypes, seek the Maiden in Inanna, The Muses, Paivatar, Saules Meita, Blodeuwedd, and Athena. Between them, they share positive characteristics with which we may identify at whatever age we are. They have a clear focus of thought and live their lives as they choose. These are unencumbered by patriarchal values or traditional expectations of behaviour. They acknowledge and use their talents to help themselves and thus support others by understanding the importance of individuality and personal values. By embracing those aspects of Her within others, and ourselves particularly in the modern age we live in, we may find spiritual and emotional fulfilment, healing and inner resources. We will not punish the Maiden within ourselves who feels different, abused, and not "good enough" by society’s "standards", lost and unloved. Rather we will understand with relief and a sense of coming home to ourselves that we have a right to be as individual as we are in body and mind and deed, that we are free to travel wherever our paths may lead, that we can and will heal, that our inner resources are there waiting for us inside us and we cherish our own Maiden and hold her in hearts. (1) The Song Of Eve. Manuela Dunn Mascetti. Aurum Press 1994 ISBN 1-85410-293-1 p.27

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