Getting to know these archetypes and their action on your life is highly beneficial for a number of reasons. They offer:
- A better understanding of the differing and conflicting aspects of your personality.
For example, you may be torn between the desire to start a family and the desire to achieve in your career. Understanding and accepting that both of these parts of yourself are valid and useful can help you to balance the conflict.
Instead of repressing your nurturing side out of the fear that you will fall pregnant prematurely (or alternatively misusing or not using contraception and falling pregnant accidentally), you can recognise your Mother archetype and find ways of expressing that part of yourself through for example baby sitting nieces and nephews, or getting a pet, or growing a garden etc.
Alternatively, if the Virgin is getting short changed, start developing a strategy, networks and interests that allow you to break out of Mother mode. Find a cause or community whose ideals you support, join their meetings and start developing your professional skills.
- The knowledge of unconscious drives and compulsive behaviours.
When you start to learn about different roles for women and begin to think about and observe what these roles might mean in your own life, you become open to other options. Deeply held dreams, ambitions and wishes may come to the surface and you can use these to make your own life richer.
Alternatively, if you can recognise the behaviours and actions that cause you problems, you can begin to identify which archetype is behind the problem, and start tuning into Her to find a solution.
- Acceptance and nurturing of your feminine nature.
Sometimes we have a fixed idea of what it is to be a woman, and if we don’t think we fit that picture it lowers our self esteem and how we value ourselves. Recognising and accepting that a woman can be many different things allows you to free yourself from limiting stereotypes and find the areas in which you shine. You can then begin to love, nurture and accept yourself, no matter which face of femininity you choose to express.
- Healing of menstrual irregularities.
By accepting and expressing the different facets of who you are as a woman you start the process of living your cycles consciously.
You begin to recognise who you are and what you need at different times in your cycle and your life. This extends to the choices you make about caring for your body. Tuning into your menstrual cycle as a tool of knowledge and balance immediately begins the process of healing any menstrual irregularities. The menstrual cycle simply reflects everything else in your life, so as you balance the outer so will you balance the inner.
- Acceptance of your body.
By understanding your cyclic nature, experiencing the way your energy levels change throughout your cycles you can start to appreciate your body and give it the space it needs.
Knowing that there are certain times of the month when your body needs to rest to renew itself (and getting the benefit of reduced menstrual symptoms) means you can begin to accept your body and not fight it.
Any unpleasant menstrual symptoms will lessen as you learn to give your body what it needs when it needs it. Another benefit will be that you will be less critical of yourself when you can’t be Superwoman
- The opportunity to develop new skills and abilities.
By meditating upon or just allowing yourself to experience the different thoughts, feelings and desires that come up during the different phases of your menstrual cycle you will become aware of dreams, wishes and urges that you might normally ignore or dismiss. Maybe, you have always wanted to draw, or long to plant a vegetable garden or want to study. By listening to these desires and taking steps to implement them, you might discover abilities you didn’t know you had as well as adding more richness and variety to your life.
