Maria’s Story – Goddess Within

Maria was a successful businesswoman; she was the first woman in her family to go to University and later to go into business. Her mother, her grandmother and her aunts were very happy and encouraging of her life choices, she was doing and living what some of them had wanted to do themselves but due to circumstance and societal expectations had been unable to.

Through work she met her future husband, they married, and life seemed to be perfect. The next obvious step in Maria’s life was to have children, which both she and her husband wanted to do as soon as possible. A year later their first son was born, the plan was for Maria to take maternity leave from work and return after a few months, which she did do.

I first met Maria a few years later; Maria told me that she was worried that she was depressed, she wasn’t happy at work which resulted in her work not being up to its usual high standard. On top of that she had gained weight which just seemed to add to her depressed view of herself and her life. Maria was not happy at all.

We explored seven of the Goddesses from Greek Mythology, and Maria’s most dominant Goddess was Demeter. Demeter carries the qualities of home and children; one of her least connected Goddesses was Athena who loves the city and business.

From this seemingly innocent exploration of the Goddesses, tears poured down Maria’s face as we talked about the gifts and qualities of these two Goddesses. She told me her strongest wish and desire always since a child had been to be, in her words, “a simple housewife who loves to stay home and take care of her children and stand beside and support her husband”. But because her mother, her grandmother and her aunts had not had such good experiences as housewives they didn’t want Maria to do the same and encouraged her out into the world of business.

They encouraged Maria to return to work after the birth of her son and advised her on getting her son into a crèche and kindergarten as soon possible so she could return to work. When she told them her and her husband were planning on having more children, they discouraged her but encouraged her when she was offered a promotion at work that involved studying for another degree in business.

Through further exploration Maria understood that the women on her mother’s side of the family were most definitely frustrated Athena’s. They were projecting their unmet needs onto her, albeit from a place of wanting the best for her, but it was through their eyes and not Maria’s.

Through further exercises of storytelling and expressive arts Maria started embracing and welcoming her Demeter qualities into her life. She talked to her husband about her longing to be a mother again and to stay at home for the foreseeable future.

Over the coming weeks her mood lifted and within a few more weeks she had lost the extra kilos. She negotiated with her boss a way to gradually reduce her hours and within a couple of months she became pregnant again. Whilst initially she met with resistance and accusations of throwing her life away from her mother, grandmother, and aunts, they too soon saw how much she blossomed.

I heard from Maria a few years later and how she had gone from strength to strength in her life. She was now the mother of three happily thriving sons. Using her business skills and experience she had set up a group for young mothers enabling them to meet and support each other. She told me she was the happiest she had ever been, she felt totally at home with who she was and what she was doing. Demeter had come home

When you embrace and step into who you truly are you have no other choice but to shine in the world. When we shine the whole world shines and smiles just that little bit more brightly.

Which Goddess is waiting for you to answer the call?

Maybe you are a coach helping people find their way in life, knowing and working with the seven Greek Goddess archetypes helps you to help them.

In this exclusive 4-module cohort I will introduce you to each of the Goddesses, I will share their stories and translate their patterns of behaviour into modern day living for you, sometimes using the medium of film to help deepen your connection. Together we will explore the healing energies of the seven Goddesses and learn how to use this for ourselves and others.