good and bad. Thus she has difficulty understanding why people
become outraged over unethical or immoral behavior, especially
when it doesn’t affect them personally. She also doesn’t understand
why anyone would bother to argue about “the principle of the thing,”
or about the means used to reach a desired end.
Thus if she were a student in the 1970s, when her classmates were
taking to the streets in protest against the Vietnam War or the
Cambodian invasion, or were outraged by the Watergate revelations,
she was probably not involved. Others may have considered her
morally indifferent, when she—true to her Athena form—neither
was moved by the contagion of others’ feelings, nor was upset on
her own. Instead, she was in the classroom or laboratory, pursuing
her own career goals.
WAYS TO GROW
Growing beyond the confining limitations of one goddess through
the cultivation of others is one possibility that all of the goddess
types share. But an Athena woman has several specific directions
she can consider following, as well.
TURNING INWARD
The Athena woman who is out in the world can get caught up in
the power games of business, law, or politics, and can find that she
is always working, “talking shop,” or bringing work home from her
office. She may feel after a while that her mind never rests—“the
wheels are always turning.” When she realizes how all-consuming
her work is and feels a need for more balance, Athena as Goddess
of Crafts provides a psychological way to get her mind off business.
Most dear to Athena of all the crafts was weaving. An Athena
businesswoman told me when she took up weaving, “It’s the most
calming activity I can think of—I get into the rhythm of the loom,
my mind is absorbed and empty at the same time, my hands are
busy, and at the end I have a beautiful wall hanging.”
Another Athena woman may find that sewing frees her from her
professional concerns. She finds making her own clothes is both
practical and creative. It pleases her to use the
Goddesses in Everywoman