Now Where Did I Put My Goddess-Themed Thong?

Have you noticed lately that everywhere you look there are goddess-themed products, books, events and even underwear?  As I sit here in my goddess-themed thong (try getting that image out of your head!) busily writing, I can’t help but think that this emphasis on modern women as goddesses is a little misguided.

The Divine Feminine – that essence in every woman of wisdom, light and empowerment – is the counter-balance so needed in our world to the Divine Masculine.   I know that using the archetypes of the goddesses is an accessible path to the Divine Feminine but I’m not sure the goddesses are the best examples for us modern-day women as we struggle with issues of overwhelming ‘to-do’ lists, care-taking others and carving out time for the dreams nearest and dearest to our hearts.

Let’s think for a moment about the goddesses and whether or not we would really want to step into those lofty stilettos.  Would you really like to embrace Pele, the volcano goddess of Hawaii renown for her passion, power and (I’m guessing here) her ability to spew molten lava on anyone who did her wrong?

Maybe you see yourself more in the mold of Athena, goddess of war – clearly an empowered goddess who knew how to take care of herself.   Did you know that she was also the goddess of that most contentious battleground, domestic crafts?  And that she sprang forth from the forehead of Zeus, the big kahuna of the Greek gods?  So, here we have woman as an idea of the male.  Hmmm – something feels vaguely familiar about that!

Maybe you should emulate Diana, the huntress.  She was confident, clever, and not only could kill the bacon but bring it home and fry it up in a pan.  She also was endowed, at her own request, with perpetual virginity and demanded the same of her followers under pain of death.    She proved that old saying that misery really does love company!

Perhaps it’s not these aspects of the goddesses that you are drawn to.  After all, together as women we have climbed corporate ladders, made big dents in the glass ceiling (if not yet having shattered it completely) and brought our collective earning power to bear with everything from real estate to clothes to car buying to business travel.    Surely, we should be treated with the vaulted status of those who have fought the gender wars.  Surely we have earned our places on the deity pedestals next to the big boys.

As Australian writer and humorist, Kathy Lette says, “Women want to be treated as equals not sequels.”  So before you align yourself too closely with the goddesses of old, realize that this trend is just a new phase of a long-standing tradition of unearned worship, formerly reserved for the male of the species.

The real issue isn’t in how others treat us but in how we treat ourselves.

The modern lure of the goddesses speaks to the part of each woman that secretly longs to be adored, pampered and loved unconditionally.  That is why most of our goddess products and celebrations are less about the true divine feminine and more about the luxury of scented soaps, sparkling bling and designer bags in which to carry all of the stuff we accumulate as goddesses with disposable income.

The modern lure of the goddess speaks to women who have learned the necessity of giving to themselves rather than waiting for someone else to come along and leave precious gifts at the altars of their hearts. And yet, real pleasure comes from the ability to truly and genuinely receive – whether from each other or from the universe.  And that brings me to my own particular devotion to a goddess who I feel deserves our true allegiance.

I’m sure you remember the story of Lady Godiva who may or may not have ridden naked through the streets of Coventry to protest her husband’s unfair taxing policies.  She was a real woman, even if the story is fiction, living in real times of long ago whose inspiration lives on in ways large and small.  It is her modern-day form as the icon for that most delectable of delicacies that I feel is most noteworthy.  Today’s Godiva in all her forms (dark, bittersweet, milk, white, caramel) was and is purely about pleasure, something I think we all need to embrace as true goddesses.  In each tiny immeasurably perfect bite of heavenly chocolate we find a wealth of wisdom about life and our place as women.

Just imagine – each little shape is unique, complete and whole.  Each holds a depth of flavor and complexity in its soft center.  Each is a sparkling gem which delights all the senses – touch, taste, aroma, sight and even hearing as the wrapping crackles in anticipation of the pleasures within.  Now imagine that you, in whatever shape you find yourself, are unique, complete and whole; that you hold a depth of flavor and complexity in your beautiful, wondrous heart; that you, too, are a sparkling gem which delights the senses of all with whom you come in contact.

Imagine that your very existence is a source of glorious joy to the universe and to everyone you meet.

The gods and goddesses of old spent most of their time plotting against one another, battling for supremacy and dispensing cruel and unjust punishments on the mere mortals who dared displease them.  In those great myths we embrace the wisdom of the human spirit with all its glories and flaws.  But it is as mere mortals that we possess the keys to lives of pleasure, love, purpose, expression and sensual delight.  And it is as women that we possess the sought-after treasure to truly transform ourselves and the world.

Pedestals are wobbly perches – easy to get up on but not so easy to gracefully descend.  So, off with the goddess-themed jammies!  And on to the chocolates!  Embrace the true call to action of the Divine Feminine – the call to receptivity – the call to holding the soul – the call to opening the heart in compassion and vulnerability.

It is not in ‘doing’ all the time that you unleash your feminine power.  It is in being able to receive and listen to the wisdom within.  It is in knowing your deepest needs and then in giving yourself permission to get those needs met.  It is in knowing that you, and only you, are responsible for your happiness and fulfillment in this life; and, more importantly, that you are not responsible for another adult’s happiness and fulfillment in life. Knowing those borders means that you can give yourself the time and priority to live your life on purpose and give your gifts and talents to the world.

So here are a few lessons to take from Goddess Godiva:

• Become juicy and delectable, even with cheerios launched by sticky fingers crunched in your hair and dust bunnies under the bed!
• Become impossible to resist!
• Ride naked through the journeys of your heart; vulnerable but committed to your convictions.
• Become that most delicious of beings – a real woman who knows herself for who she is.

Share that irreplaceable gift with others . . . and just watch what comes your way!