His theoretical position discouraged women’s strivings to achieve.
He wrote, “By taking up a masculine profession, studying and
working like a man, woman is doing something not wholly in accord
with, if not directly injurious to, her feminine nature.”^7
GODDESS PATTERNS
When goddesses are seen as patterns of normal feminine behavior,
a woman who is naturally more like wise Athena or competitive
Artemis than like wifely Hera or motherly Demeter is appreciated
as being her feminine self when she is active, objective in her assess-
ments, and achievement-oriented. She is being true to form, like the
particular goddess she most resembles. She is not suffering from a
masculinity complex, as Freud would diagnose, and is not animus-
identified and masculine in her attitude, as Jung would suggest.
When a woman has Athena and Artemis as goddess patterns,
“feminine” attributes such as dependency, receptivity, and nurturing
may not be facets of her personality. These are the qualities she will
need to develop in order to be a person who can form enduring re-
lationships, become vulnerable, give and receive love and comfort,
and support growth in others.
Contemplative Hestia’s inward focus keeps her at an emotional
distance from others. Detached though she is, her quiet warmth is
nurturing and supportive. What needs developing that is similar
for Artemis and Athena is the capacity for personal intimacy.
These growth tasks differ from the developmental needs of women
who resemble Hera, Demeter, Persephone, or Aphrodite. These four
goddess patterns predispose women to be in relationships; the per-
sonalities of such women fit Jung’s description of women. Such
women need to learn how to stay focused, objective, and assert-
ive—qualities that are not innately strong in such patterns. These
women need to develop the animus or activate the Artemis and
Athena archetypes in their lives.
When Hestia is the dominant archetype in a woman, she
Goddesses in Everywoman