Learn about the 4 feminine archetypes and how to embrace your emotions for a happier you!
Have you ever had that feeling that when somebody mentions a full moon or a new moon, you’re supposed to know what that means as if those elements contained some kind of secret universal mystery?
A long, long time ago, humans used to work with the celestial bodies much more than we do nowadays.
Today, even though we are not used to knowing their meanings anymore, the moon, the stars and the sun still influence our lives on a subtle level.
Take the moon, for example, and this is a perfect example since we have a full moon starting this Thursday.
Did you know that the female menstrual cycle is linked to the moon cycle?
Divide the monthly feminine cycle into four periods of about one week each, you will notice a variation of moods and energies corresponding to each period.
There is nothing secret or mysterious about this. It is hormonal and, from there, we can define four archetypes that are linked to these phases.
British author and spiritual leader, Miranda Gray, defines these archetypes as follows: the Maiden, the Mother, the Enchantress and the Crone or Wise Woman.
- The Mother comes to life most strongly during our ovulatory phase and at around the time when the Moon reaches fullness in her cycle.
The energy of the Mother is a loving, nurturing energy. A mother loves to help others, loves to cook, loves to make a beautiful home and resolve conflicts between all.
- After the ovulating phase, you have the energy of the Enchantress.
This phase corresponds to what we commonly know as PMS/T (pre-menstrual syndrome/tension).
The Enchantress has fluctuating moods. In the same day, she can feel like she wants to change everything about her life, or change nothing at all, yet she feels unstable and overwhelmed by her emotions.
The key to understanding, and allowing the Enchantress archetype to emerge through you, is to first develop a deep, caring relationship with yourself. To value how you feel and to learn to be your own support.
- After the Enchantress phase, comes the Wise Woman (or Crone) archetype.
During this phase we feel very connected to our inner self.
This is our menstruation phase and our energy is very calm, quiet and we want to withdraw from the outside world.
This phase is very good for meditation, journaling or any other slow-paced activity in which we can be spiritually connected to our inner self.
- Last but not least, our cycle begins again with the Maiden phase.
The Maiden has the fresh, enthusiastic energy of a young girl.
This is the perfect phase to start new projects, to continue ongoing projects with a renewed energy and to make those phone calls that we have been postponing so far.
What happens after menopause?
Peri-menopause or menopause can be the most powerful time of all for women. In this phase, women are considered to be fully accomplished and balanced. They still experience the four archetypes according to the moon cycles (first quarter corresponds to the Maiden and so forth), although less intensely than cyclical women.
What about men?
Men should not be left out!
Men’s archetypes are linked to the phases of the sun and, because it happens over the course of one year, the masculine energy is considered to be more stable, less “moody” than the feminine energy.
Their phases are linked to the four seasons as we know them: summer, fall, winter and spring for renewal.
What to do with these archetypes?
It is important for both men and women to understand and accept the feminine cycles. A negative judgment has been put over these moods by many centuries of misunderstanding of these energies.
The mechanisms that underlie the feminine cycle are totally foreign to most women and they are even more foreign to men!
The first step is to observe and welcome how you feel on different days.
Then, next time you hear about a full moon or a new moon, make the correlation with your own feminine cycle and the energy in which you are.
Embrace yourself, smile at the sky and thank the universe for being here with all the complexities that make you so unique and lovable!
I am Virginie Ligot, Yoga teacher in Rumson, NJ, and coach in emotional balance for highly sensitive women who want to be truly themselves and happy in life. Follow me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/yogaemotions/ Website: www.virginieligot.com
Links:
To read more about the four feminine archetypes: http://www.themoonschool.org/four-female-archetypes
International Womb Blessing: http://www.wombblessing.com/
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