Goddesses In Everywoman, by Jean Shinoda Bolen: From Aphrodite to Hestia
Ancient Greek goddesses resided in the realms of the heavens above Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. Goddesses had special powers, and they ruled every aspect of human life. When reading Goddesses In Everywoman, by Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D. I was a little bit resistant to the thought of being able to analyze and see how I relate to a mythological goddess. However, upon reading about the individual goddesses I was enlightened and brought into a different understanding. I also took a test prior to reading that gave me insight into which archetype fit my personality, I have to agree with the results. I was shocked at how these goddess archetypes fully described me; who I was and who I am now. When I read the chapter of Artemis, I felt like I was reading a story about my daughter, it was honestly shocking.
Aphrodite
In society, women face the unrelenting pressure to conform to arbitrary cookie-cutter, unreasonable beauty standards. Aphrodite came into the world and was famous for being the goddess of love and beauty, pleasure and procreation. She was also a very powerful, immortal deity capable of stirring up romance and she could make anyone fall in love with her. Aphrodite usually acted based on her natural instinct, choosing to pursue love and pleasure rather than following morality or other interests. However, she was vain, bad-tempered, unfaithful, and extremely prone to jealousy.
As a child, the little Aphrodite may have been an innocent little flirt. She enjoys being the center of attention, and she's usually not a shy child. Aphrodite girls are in a hurry to grow up, dress up, and wear makeup. They have crushes on boys, and some young Aphrodites are precariously aware of their sexuality. They enjoy the sense of power and attraction they have when older men respond to their teasing flirtatiousness. Sometimes this goddess type runs true to form, with blond hair, and is recognizable by her attractiveness. Other times it is not her looks that draw the men, but those who come close find her engaging and charming with personal charisma, warm magnetism, or electricity.
Growing up as a young girl and into early adulthood, Aphrodite carried me through. As a child I was usually the star of the show, always standing in the spotlight, with high social abilities and more than enough friends. I loved playing dress-up with my mother's clothes, makeup, and jewelry. As young as twelve I was doing makeup better than many adult women and by thirteen I was developed and passing as an eighteen-year-old. I had a charming attitude and maturity for my age. I had a magnetic sense that pulled people into me and had many friendships with people older than me. By my late teens, I was in love with my body, how my personality seemed to attract so many and my flirtatiousness was a turn-on. I began to have casual encounters with those that could fulfill my desires. I was not looking for relationships, I could care less for that. I had a strong sexual drive but did not fall in love easily. I have always been a confident woman with a lust for life and a lively, charismatic, optimistic, tender, enthusiastic, creative, and alert personality.
In my early adult years, I grew tired of the aphrodite personality and I began to long for “real” relationships. I reflected on the consequences of relationships before I acted, and began to respond somewhat less impulsive and began to behave more responsibly. I found myself yearning for companionship, closeness, and compatibility. I had been friendly acquaintances with my husband for three years prior to starting a strong lasting relationship with him. In the beginning, all I wanted was the familiarity and intimacy of our long-lasting friendship. As the relationship grew I found I wanted to set down roots with him, I wanted to establish a house, a place to call our own, and years later I found I wanted a child. I wanted to put my life on hold and look after the family and tend to the house and the children.
As I read the book Goddesses In Everywoman, by Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D. I realize this is when I was changing from having an inner Aphrodite goddess into a Hestia goddess.
