As fortunate I am, I have been raised, taught and gifted with 4 wonderful women who all had a deep relevant influence on me through most of my life. As 4 different archetypes or 4 different Goddesses, they have revealed the beauty, power and grace of the mystery we call Woman, in unique forms and ways thus initiating and introducing me from a very early age to the love of the Goddess.

It is thanks to them that I respected and admired the innate power of women since I became self-conscious. This generous, receptive and accepting nature that they manifested was awe-inspiring.

And I am deeply grateful for all of you ❤ (and I am sure I am not the only one).

So here they are:

Hera

my mother is the Goddess of marriage, family and childbirth. In the Greek mythology Hera rules over Mount Olympus as queen of the gods with her husband, Zeus. A matronly figure, Hera served as both the patroness and protectress of married women, presiding over weddings and blessing marital unions. One of Hera’s defining characteristics is her jealous and vengeful nature against Zeus’ numerous lovers and illegitimate offspring, as well as the mortals who cross her.

My dear mother possesses in my experience these qualities and traits. She has been all her life a very powerful, dominant woman, with an innate urge to lead others and rule in situations where people are weak or don’t know how to act. She always immediately acts without procrastinating and has a firm grip. Her reason for existence could be described like this: protecting and nurturing the family circle that she has created. Hera’s symbolic animal is the peacock and wears usually the peacock blue color, which is by the way my mother’s favorite way of dressing as well 🙂

Hera’s well known vengeful nature against people who are threatening her family is also quite present in my mother’s case. When she feels that injustice occurred, she takes matters into her own hands and with hard actions gets revenge or balances the scales to bring back again justice. She has been a very (in the positive sense) protective and tough mother, I could describe her best as a lioness and I always felt safe next to her which is I guess matters the most. Even Zeus, her husband was afraid only of her and with good reason, because as Hera, my mother is also, if tempted, a force of nature.

Finally Hera’s expression and experience of love is directed mainly towards her children and kingdom she owns and nurtures. In my case that was me, she is not really romantic and lovers are of negligible importance to her, compared to her inner nature, which is to love, nurture and protect everything that hers, that came from her or that is hers to take care of. My mother has done a wonderful job in that, always giving and keeping a stable balance and well-being in our family and loving me beyond words.

And I would like to thank her, my Hera, my dear Goddess Mother for all that.

Selene

is my dear older sister. She is the Goddess of the Moon who drives her moon chariot across the heavens. She is the personification of the Moon itself with its changing periods in ancient Greek mythology.

Several lovers are attributed to her in various myths because as the Moon Goddess, she is also a symbol of the depths of the feminine essence. This is also true to my older sister, who was so naturally flowing always in the fields of lovers. The moon also influences our natural patterns, sleep, periods and she was one always the most attuned to the Moon, gaining her true energy from the night.

In addition the Moon influences especially our emotions and well my big sister was always the most emotional person I have ever known. This manifested sometimes as incredible generosity and empathy but other times also as excessive sentimentalism and heavy outbursts of negative emotions. All in all, she was the first to teach me things about art, creativity and decoration and due to her giving nature, she still always helps me no matter what I need. Thank you dear one :*

 

 

Aphrodite

is my dear beautiful, passionate and lavish aunt. She is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, beauty, pleasure, passion and procreation. She is identified with the planet Venus and her major symbols include myrtles, roses, doves, sparrows, and swans.

Starting from my childhood, my amazingly attractive and sensual aunt was the personification of the Goddess of Love and Romance, Aphrodite for me. With her mesmerizing beauty, lavish dresses, jewelry and style, she enchanted and seduced dozens of men’s hearts every month and fall in love so many times herself, focusing always mainly on the amorous side of life.

 

I was always amazed how living such an abundant lifestyle, gifting yourself and others constantly with lavish pleasures was such a natural thing for my beautiful aunt, but then I understood it and agree with it. Actually I believe her lifestyle of concentrating always on beauty, love and delight in the world is the key to fulfillment and inner satisfaction and I thank her lovingly for showing me and teaching me this ❤ .

 

And at last here comes my dear dear little sister, the wild and fiery

Artemis

Artemis is the is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, the Moon, and chastity. Her symbols included a bow and arrow, a quiver and hunting knives and the deer and the cypress were sacred to her. Being the Goddess of wilderness, she is always seen with an animal companion like a deer or dogs.

My little sister was always the most defiant, wild and adventurous girl from the whole family and she is the manifestation of the Artemis archetype in my eyes. She was always bravely roaming in the wilderness alone and loved having animal companions constantly in her presence. Artemis is a Goddess who is always ready to strike when a moment so requires and that is completely true to my sister, who could always defend herself so innately to my surprise.

In the mythology Artemis spent her girlhood seeking out the things that she would need to be a huntress, obtaining her bow and arrows from the isle of Lipara. Then she visited Pan, the god of the forest, who gave her seven female and six male dogs. She then captured six golden-horned deer to pull her chariot. My sister did the same thing with her hobbies and passions. From a very early age on, she recklessly gathered all the things and obtained all the skill she needed to know for her goals.

This is also a proof and symbol of Artemis’ most dominant characteristic: her Bravery.
This was the attribute I respected and loved most about my little sister, who taught me so much with her brave and clear set-up against anything that was not correct. She just stands by what is right and is ready to fight with words or deeds in power equal of hasty fiery arrows to make her point.

An important aspect of Artemis’ persona and worship was her virginity. Chastity was a key value in her life just as (interestingly) in my sisters’. In the mythology all of her companions remained virgins, and Artemis closely guarded her own chastity. Later she had lovers so Artemis’ virgin attitude does not mean lack of sexuality, but related to her power and independence, because she refuses in all circumstances to be inferior or subordinate to a man. Rather than a form of asexuality, it is an attribute that signals Artemis as her own master, with power equal to that of male gods.

In short, the Goddess of Hunt, Artemis, my dear little sister can never be tamed or dominated or contained. She is FREE! And I thank you oh so dearly for everything you gave me!

Victory Of The Light!