Sacred Spiral of Being Woman

It may seem we live a linear life from birth to death, with experience between, yet our lives as women encompass myriad differing cycles, physical, psychological & spiritual. As woman, it’s natural that we flow, and as we do, we are always moving through the spiral of being Woman with her diverse faces & qualities, whatever our apparent age. All phases are contained within each other, whether emanating from physical or cosmic rhythms. The Moon with her flow from New to Full to Dark and in our bodies through the many phases of menstruation, fertility & menopause is our primary physical link with this wisdom, yet there are many Sacred Feminine archetypes holding space for each phase.

The phases of our Moon cycle are distinct & physical, yet through a lifetime they interweave on psycho-spiritual levels, spiralling us towards maturity in diverse ways. We may be in the physical phase of Crone yet growing our Maiden energy, especially if she was conditioned into early responsibility. Or we may be in Mother phase whilst also in perimenopause.  Each phase of the Sacred Spiral contains elements of the others, for Feminine energy is not clear-cut. In a single day we may flow between the curiosity of our inner Maiden, selflessness of Mother, strong boundaries of Queen & stillness of Crone. Maturity is not a final destination; it is an evolving wisdom.

Here’s a taste of the archetypes.. there are many more, for I only include those that are planetary bodies. The mythology of these archetypes is deeply nourishing to us as women as it reveals the deeper truth of our lives through her-story. Their stories are ours. They support our deepening understanding of who we truly are & what we are here for.

Maiden: The Moon, Artemis, Psyche, Vesta, Persephone, Sedna, Athena
Mother: The Moon, Hera/Juno, Ceres/Demeter, Sedna
Queen:  The Moon, Persephone, Venus, Inanna, Hera/Juno, Ceres/Demeter, Athena
Crone:   The Moon, Hekate

As we flow with these phases and archetypes in our inner world and lives as women, our Sacred Spiral of being Woman both deepens and expands. In this, Maiden reflects our innate purity & innocence, Mother holds the fullness of our love, Queen the potential of autonomy and Crone is our sanctuary. With the activators of major transition between each phase being Eris (in particular), Ereshkigal, Black Moon Lilith, Medusa & other Dark Feminine archetypes. They are the disrupters that may appear at any time within our evolutionary flow, their purpose being like nature’s storms. They move us into our next evolutionary potential.

As I enter my seventies, what I experienced as Crone is revealing herself anew, in deeper more expansive ways. This profoundly embodied exploration, through the challenge of experience, yet also my own birth chart and those of clients, is revealing to me many of the missing links in our understanding of ‘who we are’ and the sacredness of our evolutionary spiral as Woman. It is bringing forth a truly embodied rich enjoyment & honouring of being Woman in all her phases. Do you desire this too? And isn’t that what our world so desperately needs?

Your Inner Maiden

Maiden is a distinct phase of life experience as a child and young woman yet is alive in you throughout your life. She is the opening blossom of your becoming Woman.

Evolutionary theme: Emergence
Transition: Menarche, blossoming sexuality, becoming Woman.
Shadow: Shame

Maiden qualities reveal the journey from innocence into maturity. In her pure form, they express as being in the moment, curiosity & playfulness, the desire to explore & learn, the natural gift of attracting & magnetising the experience needed for growing self-awareness & self-expression thus learning response-ability for herself & within relationships.

You as Mother

Mother expresses the ripening & growing fullness of Woman through loving service, whether as a physical mother of children, within her creative life or both.

Evolutionary theme: Flourishing
Transition: Conception, gestation, pregnancy & birthing.
Shadow: Exhaustion

The Mother phase brings the actualisation of fertility through creative power, loving service, sacred space-holding for others or creative projects. In its pure expression this phase expresses Woman with full arms, holding response-ability to cultivate & care for life within her sphere, expressing through selflessness, devotion & care.

You as Queen

Queen is the phase that calls you into full individuality & authentic self-expression, the power that allows your uniqueness to express itself.

Evolutionary theme: Sovereignty
Transition: Perimenopause & Menopause
Shadow: Lack of self-trust

Queen qualities express through authentic self-love, aligning with soul purpose, standing alone yet with a capacity for guardianship & leadership. The Queen phase calls us to embrace our natural flow & a deeper cycling through dark/light experience, especially during menopause. Her quest is to embrace new rhythms of experience, deepening the integration of inner & external worlds, our capacity to both self-nourish, regenerate, & align in soul purpose.

Your Inner Crone

Crone is a liminal space-holder. In her pure form, she sits in the empty space of presence yet expressing timeless wisdom. She carries a refined sense of self, aligned with divine essence as her true identity.

Evolutionary theme: Seeding
Transition: Menopause & Post-menopause
Shadow: Fear of death, physical and/or psychological

The Crone phase calls us to make peace with our self & our life experience in all its shades. In that, the discovery of true freedom can flow wise & wild, fierce yet with an aligned deep, still presence. She is the letting go into a ‘hands-off’ approach – no need to fix or resolve – yet with the innate knowing of right timing & conscious action that comes from being deeply connected to the beyond worlds.