Discovering the Five Feminine Archetypes
You have access to an ancient collective wisdom that exists in the human psyche. Archetypes are doorways into this collective wisdom. And because this wisdom exists largely in the non-conscious, the best way to access it is through the lens of the body - the parts of self that are connected to the emotional current, the mythic body, the primal. When you delve into the nuances of an archetype in your own body, you awaken dimensions and aspects of your Self that have been dormant. They become more accessible and alive.
In my current group embodiment mentorship, Wild Mystic Feminine, we are exploring five feminine archetypes. They are: the Wild Woman, the Dark Goddess, The Empress, The Sorceress and the High Priestess.
I chose these specific archetypes not only because of what they awaken in the body of women, but also because they are such rich portals into the feminine mysteries. They frame the mythic journey of The Feminine - from the awakening, through the descent, and towards the magnetic embodiment of radiance.
This journey and these archetypes have been such a big factor in my own embodiment journey, which is why I am so excited to share them with you!
The Wild Woman
The Wild Woman represents The Awakening. She is the starting point where we break out of a life that is too small for us, and are initiated into our own inner wisdom. She is all about the conscious sacred rebellion: shedding the skin of what is no longer right for you, expressing yourself fully and coming closer to what’s True.
This feminine archetype is about rediscovering the wilds of your own heart and soul, the things which may have been off limits to you previously because we’ve been taught to maintain an external orientation, looking outside self for what’s right and approved and safe.
In the Wild Woman we are able to explore what it is to be the sovereign path worker of our own lives. We can play with the energies of what needs to be expressed whether that is your desires, your creative impulses, your boundaries, your love, or whatever song your soul wants to sing.
It’s not about *going wild* in the forest or turning away from modern life. It’s about discovering your own untamed essence.
The Wild Woman also understands how to live in tune with the cycles and rhythms of her own body and life, while also being attuned to the cycles of Mother Nature and the cosmos.
The Dark Goddess
The Dark Goddess is one feminine archetype that is near and dear to me. The mythopoetic journey of the feminine is not complete without the descent. Myths and stories about the feminine the world over are characterized by a journey to the underworld - sometimes involuntary - or otherwise being ripped into another dimension where nothing quite makes sense. Persephone, Psyche, Innana, even Alice in Wonderland make their descent into the unknown / underworld.
The “light feminine” is very easy to be with. She’s widely accepted and approved because it’s acceptable and approved to embody fullness, summer, overflowing, nurturing, giving, lightness, and abundance.
But we do not have the same fluency or approval when it comes to the darker side of feminine cycle. And the feminine represents the entire cycle - not just the light aspects. The feminine is spring and summer and ascension, but she is also death and winter, the void, liminality, and rebirth. Our own bodies show us this as we bleed every month in the dark half of our cycle, while ovulation is the ascent back into lightness.
The Dark Goddess represents the darker aspects of the feminine, as well as the journey to the underworld in a mythic sense, allowing us to explore the darker sacred feminine forces - like destruction, chaos, and the unknown.
Grace and fluency with the descent & underworld is medicine needed in the collective right now too. The world has been in a phase of descent during the past couple years as a global pandemic hastens the crumbling of outdated institutions and systems. There is a sense of liminal chaos affecting everybody right now. We are not taught about any of this - but working with the Dark Goddess can give us more grace with these powerful feminine forces.
The High Priestess
After the descent and retrieving the jewels of the underworld, we arrive at the High Priestess. She is all about orienting towards what is sacred to us, and experiencing an embodied and *felt* sense of being able to touch the great mystery. Through the High Priestess we can explore what it is like to hold the polarity of being fully human and being fully divine.
My embodiment journey has been about walking my soul all the way home into my body: inhabiting my heart, body & soul more fully. This is something we can really play with when exploring the High Priestess, with her access to hidden knowledge, the unseen & mysteries beyond the veil. There are certain things that cannot be taught, you simply have to have a direct experience of them to know. This hidden knowledge is within us all, and accessing it requires a greater sensitivity to our bodies.
We can also look to the High Priestess to learn to create ritual and sacred space in the everyday, and how we can offer this as a gift to our friends, family and community through what we are holding in our bodies. Truly, we can access the Temple of the sacred in our own bodies, in a relationship, or even in a moment.
The Sorceress
The Sorceress is a really powerful archetype, all about reclaiming your feminine magic which is SO important on any embodiment journey. And this feminine magic is deeply rooted in the body, and in magnetism. With the Sorceress you have the opportunity to play with some really fun and magnetic energies.
The Sorceress also provides the incredible opportunity to remember yourself as a powerful co-creator with the universe: to claim the power of your body and your awakened heart in order to weave reality, and create your experience of life. This is how you can command universal forces with the way you move through the world - so you’re no longer at the mercy of how other people think you need to act, behave, and ultimately live.
She is a really powerful and sovereign archetype - and as you journey through the five feminine archetypes and journeying to the underworld and back up again: now, with the Sorceress, you are living firmly in a place of empowerment.
The Empress
The Empress represents the culmination of the mythic feminine embodiment journey. She no longer has to strive to get or do anything, she simply IS pleasure, abundance, and radiance. Accessing these energies is already always available to you, and with the Empress we come deeper in to the experience of arriving fully back home.
Now is the time to redefine and become the embodiment of pleasure and Eros, to dance with these feminine forces, and really start to feel alignment in our bodies. We get to enjoy and flow with whatever life throws our way, orienting to a place of fulfilment, satisfaction and enjoyment.
Which of the five feminine archetypes resonate with you most? If you missed out on Wild Mystic Feminine, get on my email list to be the first to find out about my next offering. And there are so many other ways to work with me on your feminine embodiment journey. Book a Soul Alchemy Session or let’s talk about deeper 1:1 mentorship!
