Many women, when we first discovered the world of myths of the goddesses of diverse cultures, we feel in it a great wealth, with the potential to expand our vision about who we are and how we move in the world.

But why are archetypes and myths important for women? What really is it? To better understand any concept and what it means to us, it is always helpful to return to the origin, that is, to the etymology of any word, since the original meaning gives us many clues.

The word «archetype» comes from the Greek Arché which means «source» or «principle» and Typoswhich means «model» or «patron.» It refers to the deepest and basic patterns that mold our personality and behavior in the world, Powerful internal patterns that live in human imagination since the beginning of time.

Archetypes are intimately united to myths, through which they are expressed in a universally understood symbolic language. Mythos In Greek it means «story» or «story.» Myths are stories that transmit the beliefs of a culture and speak of universal truths about human being and their journey through life. They unite the unconscious world with the conscious world, the human with the sacred, in metaphorical terms, to help us make sense of human experience.

Mirrors of our vital cycles

The stories and characters of the goddesses make us mirror of the different facets or aspects of the woman we live in relation to our vital cycles, from the girl to the old woman, and in relation to the changing phases that we live through our menstrual cycle.

The connection with four female basic archetypes, clearly arises from prehistory to the current moment, and at the same time, they connect us with the four phases of the moon, with the four stations of the year (in the places of the world where they exist), with the four elements and the four directions. There are different names to describe these archetypes: from a , we call them the maiden, the mother, the shaman and the old woman.

When we connect with these four archetypes-or powerful internal patterns-within us, and all the wisdom that each one contains, we open a huge window to meet and recognize ourselves better. They help us to understand unknown facets of our person, to bring to our consciousness of ours that we can be repressing and thus have a more complete perception of what it means to be a woman today.

In addition, the more we integrate the attributes and qualities of each of the archetypes within us, the more we will be offered to consciously convene or call these aspects when we need them, at different times of our life.

Definitely, Connect with these four female archetypes has the potential to connect and unite with the great cycle of creation: birth, growth, maturation, death, and rebirth, giving more and more meaning and purpose to our life.

Text: (adapted from the introduction to the online course «The four moons in me»)

Image: Unknown artist