have been closed to women until just recently. If she were “born too
soon” for the women’s movement, she may have been defeated by
obstacles and lack of support, and her Artemis spirit may have been
broken.
RELATIONSHIP TO WOMEN: SISTERLY
Artemis women have a sense of affiliation with other women.
Like the goddess herself, who surrounded herself with nymph-
companions, Artemis women usually consider their friendships with
other women very important. This pattern goes back to elementary
school. They have “best friends” with whom they have shared
whatever has been significant in their lives, and their friendships
eventually may span decades.
In the work world, Artemis women easily ally themselves with
“old girl networks.” Support groups, networks with other women,
and mentor relationships with younger women in their fields are
natural expressions of the sister archetype.
Even Artemis women who are individualists and who avoid
groups almost always support women’s rights. This stance may re-
flect an affinity with their mothers through which they developed
an awareness and sympathy for women’s lot in the world. Or the
stance may be related to the unlived-out, frustrated aspirations of
their mothers. Many Artemis women in the 1970s were doing and
being what their own mothers may have wanted to do or be, but
could not. When their mothers were young adults, the post—World
War II baby boom years did not allow Artemis much expression.
Often a supportive mother can be found somewhere in the back-
ground of an Artemis woman, applauding her feminist daughter.
By nature, most Artemis women have feminist leanings—the
causes espoused by feminists strike a responsive chord. The Artemis
woman usually feels that she is an equal of men; she has competed
with them and has often felt that the stereotyped role she was sup-
posed to play was unnatural. Hiding her abilities—“Don’t let the
man know how smart you are” or “Let the man win (the argument
or the tennis game)”—goes against her grain.
Artemis: Goddess of the Hunt and Moon, Competitor and Sister