Witchvox Article

Author: Strahbary
Posted: April 23rd. 2006
Times Viewed: 3,842

We all have a little bit of the Goddess in us. It's what gives us that little spark in our eyes. It's what relates our attitudes to others and to ourselves. Recently, I have come to believe that as I change and move through the life stages, so too does my image of the Goddess. I find that I have a callilng to a different Goddess, even though the ones that I was close with still remain dear to me.

Through my childhood, I always felt drawn to the Goddess Diana. She was my namesake. I relished the stories of her that my mother told me; they were my preferred bedtime story on many nights. When I started practicing Wicca, I became drawn to the Morrigan. Shortly after I got married, though, I shifted again. My new Goddess of choice is currently Hera.

These three very different Goddesses have one thing in common: an untamed wildness that no one can touch. Throughout the ages, some men, afraid of women’s true capabilities, have chosen to restrain her in corsets and moral rules, or to cloak her from head to toe and restrict what she can or cannot do. We can see this fear in the fact that only recently has there been real research done on the feminine reproductive system. The other day I sat down and watched the movie Kinsey, which focuses on the American scientist who did groundbreaking research on human sexuality in the 1940’s and 50’s. Prior to his time, there were many myths on what was wrong or right in regards to sex. For example, it was believed that if oral sex were performed on a woman, it would cause her to have problems with conceiving a child. When Dr Kinsey had published his first book on male sexuality, he was seen as a hero. The media and the public loved him. However, when his book on feminine sexuality hit the stands, he became a perverted freak in the eyes of the public.

As women we are powerful creatures. We hold the power in our heads and hands to do extraordinary things. We just have to be sure to unlock the Goddess within from her golden cage. Then we too can be wild and free.

We don't all look like Barbie. We don't have her figure, her perfect hair, or all of those really cool toys (I think it is so unfair that she gets a Corvette and I don't. And pink, no less!) However we each carry the beauty of a Goddess. How many times have you looked at yourself in the mirror and listed off several characteristics that you thought were wrong or ugly? The next time you take a look in the mirror, try listing off all of the things that are good. It's a lot harder to do, isn't it? I know when I look in the mirror, I see eyebrows that look like Groucho Marx's love child, but I also make sure to notice beautiful brown eyes that have flecks of green and gold in them. Take pride in your attributes. They are unique. Nobody has the exact same eyes, lips, nose and ears as you. So what if they don't look like they should be on the cover of the latest beauty magazine? What do such magazines know about true beauty anyway!

When you are getting ready, relish that time. Don't think of your beauty routine as work. In fact, from now on don't even call it a routine. What is a routine but a mindless job that you do every day? It's something you could do in your sleep. From now on it will forever be known as our “daily beauty ritual.” When we perform rituals, we use tools such as an athame, a cauldron, candles, and so on. When we perform our beauty rituals, we use tools such as makeup, combs, toothbrush etc. The magic of transforming ourselves even slightly should be enjoyed, not considered to be a pain. Also, set aside some time every week to be pampered in some way. This does not have to be some extravagant overpriced salon visit if you're short of cash. How about a luxurious bubble bath instead? Light some candles, play some music, throw in your favorite bath salts and have lots and lots of bubbles. To make it even more luxurious, I have a glass of wine or champagne with my bath to make me feel even more like a princess. The point is to do something that feels like a splurge, even if it means painting your nails and watching reruns of your favorite show. Whatever makes you feel pampered - go ahead and do it. Selfish me time is good!

We should also take time to do the things that we are good at and enjoy. When you do them, think about how good you are at them. I am not a great athlete at all. I hated physical education because I was always picked last. I am the most uncoordinated person that I know. However, I make a mean spaghetti sauce and I find my coordination when I pick up the guitar. Giving yourself this little ego boost every now and again is a wonderful thing. I am of the mindset that if I don't do something, no one else will. The only reason why I do the dishes is because I know my husband won't get around to it, and if he does, I won't like the way they are done. Why should my ego be any different? If I want to feel a certain way, why should I sit and wait for someone else to make me feel the way that I want? Chances are that they won't get it exactly right and it probably won't last as long.

Find a Goddess for yourself that you can look up to. Once you find one, study up on her, read everything you can find about her. Then when life situations have you stumped or down, look to their stories to give you clarity. That's what these stories are there for. My favorite story of Diana is one where she is bathing in a pool and a hunter by chance happens to come across her. Instead of running away, as he should have done, he stopped and stared. When Diana noticed this, she didn't scream and let herself feel violated. She got mad: she turned him into a stag and ordered his own dogs to tear him apart. Now I know we can't go turning men into stags at our whim. The point is that she didn't take it lying down. She got mad and gave him his justice.

A less violent example of a Goddess in action is the story of how Hera influenced the outcome of the Trojan War. Hera was married to Zeus (and was therefore Queen of Olympus.) Zeus had mandated that the Gods were not to get involved in the war. Hera, wanting Greece to win, decided to get her husband out of the way, so she conned Aphrodite into letting her borrow the magic girdle which held her powers, so she could “end a quarrel between the Titans.” She then enlisted the help of Hypnos, the God of sleep, with a little “you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.” Hera and Hypnos then find Zeus. She seduced Zeus; afterwards, Zeus took a nap (as many men do afterwards) and Hypnos put him into a deep sleep. This left Hera and the other Gods free to interfere with the Trojan War all they chose.

Hera was known for both her beauty and her guile. She was able to manipulate the environment around her to get what she wanted. Woe to the woman who moved in on her territory and to any illegitimate child that Zeus had outside of their marriage after she had come along.

What better role models to have? We have wild untamed women to look up to and use as our guides. So we should stop comparing ourselves to other mortal women who are confined to the cages that society has given them. Whenever we look at them, we are going to find something that they have better than us and end up putting ourselves down in the process (which, by the way, is the complete opposite of what we want to do.) There is always going to be a girl skinnier than us, someone who has the hair or the fashion that we want. If we continuously look at these other people for a standard, we will fall very short. The bar is going to continuously be set higher and higher. Don't look to other women as the standard: look within your self, and if that doesn't work look to the Goddesses.

We can be wild and free, throwing off the restraints that have been put on us by a society that has feared us for centuries. Take pride in being a woman. The exercises that I gave earlier are things that I do in my life to keep my own inner Goddess free from her cage. Once I started putting these things into practice, I noticed a difference in myself and so did others. Only when we can unlock the Goddess within then can we truly be wild spirits.

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Strahbary

Location: Orange County, California

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