pressions may interact to create the result.
Just as Aphrodite the lover may proceed serially through many
affairs of the heart, Aphrodite as a creative force may involve a wo-
man in one intense creative effort after another. When one project
ends, another possibility arises that fascinates her.
Sometimes both the creative and the romantic aspects of Aphrodite
are present in the same woman. She then engages in intense relation-
ships, moving from one to another as well as being engrossed in her
creative work. Such a woman follows whatever and whoever fascin-
ates her, and may lead an unconventional life, as did the dancer Is-
adora Duncan and the writer George Sand.
CULTIVATING APHRODITE
Aphrodite is the archetype most involved in sensual or sensory
experience. Therefore, cultivating a keenness of perception and a
here-and-now focus invites Aphrodite. Lovers are naturally attuned
to each other’s taste, fragrance, and beauty; music and tactile stimu-
lation enhance their pleasure. Sex therapists teach “sensate focusing”
or “pleasuring,” methods that encourage a couple to be engrossed
in the moment, to not become concerned about a goal, to learn how
to enjoy pleasurable sensations.
Guilt and judgmental attitudes erect obstacles to enjoying either
lovemaking or art making. Such obstacles arise when people feel a
prohibition against pleasure, play, and other “nonproductive”
activities, as well as against sex. Many people judge the pursuit of
love and beauty as frivolous at best, and sinful at worst. For example,
the Artemis and Athena archetypes focus on achieving goals, predis-
posing such women to devalue Aphrodite’s enjoyment of the mo-
ment. And Aphrodite often threatens the priorities of the Hera and
Demeter archetypes—monogamy or the maternal role—so the latter
often have judgmental attitudes toward Aphrodite. And, finally, the
introversion of the Persephone and Hestia archetypes make such
women less responsive to “outer” attractions.
When women see the value of Aphrodite and seek to develop this
aspect in themselves, they take a major mental step toward activating
the archetype. Then they need to pro-
Goddesses in Everywoman