figures and mythic themes that reside deep in the collective uncon-
scious emerged into consciousness. Groups of women created rituals
in honor of goddesses, celebrated the seasons, met in circles and
placed their sacred objects on an altar cloth in the center. A grassroots
women’s spirituality movement quietly began as women became
more aware of goddesses as archetypes, as archaeological history,
as suppressed theology, and as a connection with Mother Earth.
Goddesses in Everywoman also became a muse for creative work. I
heard about poetry, sculpture, dance, music, painting, writing, and
plays inspired by the book. None of this was anticipated, but since
creative juices are stirred by feelings, dreams, and images deep
within the psyche, it made sense that when an artist or musician or
storyteller is inspired and has expressive skills, art is created. I began
to see the emergence of goddess energy. A most dramatic example
was in Tiananmen Square, China, where students erected a huge
figure, the “Goddess of Liberty,” before their demonstration was
violently suppressed. In the West, the emergence of goddesses into
expressive arts was personal rather than political. And yet, since
patriarchy and the three major religions are based upon male author-
ity and monotheism, any creative expression based upon goddesses
is, in a sense, a quiet political act.
Goddesses in Everywoman led to writing Gods in Everyman, published
five years later, in which I used the ancient Greek gods as the mas-
culine archetypes. Goddesses in Older Women: Archetypes in Women
over Fifty—How to Be a Juicy Crone had to wait until I was old enough
to write it. The personal journey that I told of in Crossing to Avalon:
A Woman’s Midlife Pilgrimage also began with Goddesses in Everywo-
man. My own professional identity continues to be as a Jungian
analyst, but the success of this book changed the course of my life.
This book will be an “ovarial” experience for you if identification
with a goddess archetype reveals something about yourself that you
hadn’t previously acknowledged. You may realize that what truly
matters to you is different from what you have done to please others.
You may forgive yourself for not being who your family expected
you to be. You may realize that you need to stand up for a goddess
in yourself that you are neglecting. You may identify with a shadow
part of a goddess and be in-
xviGoddesses in Everywoman