LATER YEARS
For the Hera woman who went from being Hera the Maiden to
Hera the Perfected One, becoming Hera the Widow is the hardest
period of her life. Millions of women who outlive their husbands
are in this position. On becoming widowed, Hera women not only
lose their husbands, they also lose the role of wife, which provided
their sense of meaning and identity. They feel insignificant.
At her husband’s death, a Hera woman who has not developed
other aspects of her herself may go from mourning into a chronic
depression, adrift and lonely. This reaction is the consequence of
her previous limited attitude and action. A Hera woman is usually
not especially close to her children, having always put her husband
first. She does not have good friends, having geared her social life
to doing everything as a member of a couple. And, as noted earlier,
she may find herself dropped from her social circle, just as she herself
tended to drop other single women.
The quality of a widowed Hera’s life now depends on the presence
of other goddesses and on how well she was financially provided
for. Some Hera women never recover from the loss of their husbands.
Fortunate Hera women enter old age with their husbands, celeb-
rating their golden wedding anniversary together. They are among
the blessed of women; they have been able to fulfill the particular
archetype that gives their lives meaning.
PSYCHOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES
Hera is an undeniable influence in many women’s lives. Some
other goddesses may be less fulfilling when positively manifested
in life, but all are also less destructive than Hera in their negative
aspects. Thus, it is especially important for a Hera woman to under-
stand the difficulties of handling the archetype because Hera can be
a compelling force.
IDENTIFYING WITH HERA
For a woman to live “as Hera” is the same as identifying with the
role of wife. Whether that role will provide meaning
Goddesses in Everywoman