tion in her life. The image of mother and child—most often repres-
ented in Western art as the Madonna and child—corresponds to an
inner picture that deeply moves her.
The mother archetype motivates women to nurture others, to be
generous and giving, and to find satisfaction as caretakers and pro-
viders. Thus the nurturing aspect of the Demeter archetype can be
expressed through the helping professions—teaching, nursing,
counseling, in any job in which helping others is part of the role—and
in any relationship in which she can be a nurturing person. The ar-
chetype is not restricted to being a mother.
MATERNAL INSTINCT
On the biological level, Demeter represents maternal instinct—the
desire to become pregnant and have a baby—which some women
have yearned to do as long as they can remember.
The Demeter archetype is a compelling force toward getting
pregnant. A woman may be quite conscious of how strong the in-
stinct is and may be able to decide when she will fulfill this deep
desire. But if unconsciously motivated by Demeter, she may find
herself “accidentally” pregnant.
What happens after she discovers an unplanned pregnancy indic-
ates how strong this archetype is in a particular woman. When an
abortion is clearly the most sensible or responsible course of action,
a non-Demeter woman can arrange to have the abortion and can
feel relieved afterward. And from that point on she will take great
care never to accidently get pregnant again. In contrast, when De-
meter is a strong influence abortion may be in the woman’s best in-
terest, but she may find herself unable to have one. Abortion goes
against a deep inner imperative in her to have a child. As a con-
sequence, she may have the baby rather than the abortion, thus al-
tering the entire course of her life.
If she does decide to have an abortion, she will feel conflict and
turmoil during and after the choice-making process and the proced-
ure. She will feel grief rather than relief, or a mixture of such feelings.
Finally, one would think that having gone through so much unhap-
piness, this type of woman would make sure it would not happen
again. But often the opposite is
Goddesses in Everywoman