The oldest religious tradition on earth may well be Goddess worship, which some archaeologists trace back further than 30,000 years. It was certainly natural to worship the archetype of woman as the Source of all life, especially in the age before male warriors replaced her with their combative sky gods. The connection of fertility with exaggerated sexual attributes found in ancient statues of the Goddess survives in modern worship of screen Goddesses such as Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. The Goddess can be inspiring to women, embodying wisdom, guidance, physical grace, athletic prowess, and sensuality.
This aspect is awakened by our relation to the Goddesses of various spiritual traditions, including Kali, Durga, and Uma in India, Tara in Tibet, Quanyin in China, and the many manifestations of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in Western belief such as Our Lady of Guadalupe or the Black Madonna of Czestochowa. Some of the most familiar Goddesses from the Roman/Greek pantheon include: Venus/Aphrodite (love and fertility), Diana/Artemis (nature and hunting), Minerva/Athena (strength, clear thinking), Ceres/Demeter (motherhood), Juno/Hera (queenship and partnership), Proserpina/Persephone (mysticism and mediumship), and Sophia (wisdom). However, there are many more Goddesses from other cultures and civilizations.
Every woman has a connection to Goddess energy somewhere within herself but many women are uncomfortable with Goddess energy, keeping her in the closet. They have fantasy Goddesses—they would like to be more like a Goddess but they will get there as soon as they lose weight, as soon as they do this or that; but in the meantime, they do not Goddess. Identifying with a Goddess figure as a major archetype in your chart requires that you review lifelong associations with the image and personality associated with it. Aphrodite and Venus are very much involved in sensuality and sexuality, and in the distribution and right use of those energies. They were not prostitutes as they are sometimes pictured to be in the Christian world. They were very much Goddesses that embodied the beauty of sexuality, but we are uncomfortable with that, so we do not know what to do with them. The energy of Venus (Aphrodite) is prevalent in women who form their self-image strongly around their sexuality. The Goddess Diana is operating in many divorced women who are raising a family as the Goddess of the Hunt—they have to be the strong huntress. Athena is the able-bodied warrior woman as well as the classic “powerful woman behind the throne.” Today we see this power re-emerging in popular form in neo-mythic characters such as Xena the Warrior Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer—attractive women who are also strong and capable. The shadow side of the Goddess emerges from the exploration of the feminine power, including the exploitation or overindulgence of movie stars and fashion models.
Film Reference: Mira Sorvino in Mighty Aphrodite
This aspect is awakened by our relation to the Goddesses of various spiritual traditions, including Kali, Durga, and Uma in India, Tara in Tibet, Quanyin in China, and the many manifestations of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in Western belief such as Our Lady of Guadalupe or the Black Madonna of Czestochowa. Some of the most familiar Goddesses from the Roman/Greek pantheon include: Venus/Aphrodite (love and fertility), Diana/Artemis (nature and hunting), Minerva/Athena (strength, clear thinking), Ceres/Demeter (motherhood), Juno/Hera (queenship and partnership), Proserpina/Persephone (mysticism and mediumship), and Sophia (wisdom). However, there are many more Goddesses from other cultures and civilizations.
Every woman has a connection to Goddess energy somewhere within herself but many women are uncomfortable with Goddess energy, keeping her in the closet. They have fantasy Goddesses—they would like to be more like a Goddess but they will get there as soon as they lose weight, as soon as they do this or that; but in the meantime, they do not Goddess. Identifying with a Goddess figure as a major archetype in your chart requires that you review lifelong associations with the image and personality associated with it. Aphrodite and Venus are very much involved in sensuality and sexuality, and in the distribution and right use of those energies. They were not prostitutes as they are sometimes pictured to be in the Christian world. They were very much Goddesses that embodied the beauty of sexuality, but we are uncomfortable with that, so we do not know what to do with them. The energy of Venus (Aphrodite) is prevalent in women who form their self-image strongly around their sexuality. The Goddess Diana is operating in many divorced women who are raising a family as the Goddess of the Hunt—they have to be the strong huntress. Athena is the able-bodied warrior woman as well as the classic “powerful woman behind the throne.” Today we see this power re-emerging in popular form in neo-mythic characters such as Xena the Warrior Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer—attractive women who are also strong and capable. The shadow side of the Goddess emerges from the exploration of the feminine power, including the exploitation or overindulgence of movie stars and fashion models.
Film Reference: Mira Sorvino in Mighty Aphrodite