who had done so. Her emotional conviction was so intense that she
ignored evidence that the world still existed.
The archetype also still lives in its positive aspect. For example,
the Great Goddess as life sustainer is the image held by a person
who is convinced that his or her life itself depends on maintaining
a bond with a particular woman. The woman is “mistaken for” the
Great Goddess. This is a fairly common delusion. When the loss of
this relationship is so devastating that it leads someone to commit
suicide, then life literally did depend on it.
Paralleling the power held by the Great Goddess when she was
worshipped, the archetypal Great Goddess has the most powerful
effect of any archetype; she is capable of evoking irrational fears and
distorting reality. The Greek goddesses were less powerful than the
Great Goddess, and more specialized. Each had her own realm and
power that was limited to that realm. In women’s psyches also, the
Greek goddesses are less powerful forces than the Great Goddess;
their power to be emotionally overwhelming and distort reality is
less.
Of the seven Greek goddesses who represent major, common ar-
chetypal patterns in women, Aphrodite, Demeter, and Hera have
the most power to dictate behavior. These three are more closely
related to the Great Goddess than are the other four. Aphrodite is a
lesser version of the Great Goddess in her function as the Goddess
of Fertility. Demeter is a lesser version of the Great Goddess in her
function as the Great Mother. Hera is a lesser version of the Great
Goddess as Queen of Heaven. However, while each one is “lesser”
than the Great Goddess, they represent instinctual forces in the
psyche that can be compelling when they “demand their due”—as
we will see in later chapters.
Women who are acted on by any of these three goddesses must
learn to resist, because to blindly do the bidding of Aphrodite, De-
meter, or Hera can adversely affect a woman’s life. These arche-
types—like their counterpart goddesses of ancient Greece—do not
look out for the best interests of mortal women, or for their relation-
ships with others. Archetypes exist outside of time, unconcerned
with the realities of a woman’s life or her needs.
Goddesses in Everywoman