The Mother Archetype
There are four main female archetypes that we cycle through during our lives:
Maiden, Mother, Wild Woman & Wise Woman.
Sometimes Wild Woman is missed off this list, and the Maiden, Mother and Crone (also known as the Triple Goddess) are said to represent the three main stages of a woman’s life.
Each archetype corresponds to a different season, a different phase of the moon, and a different phase of our menstrual cycle.
These are all connected. Women have a deep connection to the moon, which mirrors their own internal cycle.
As well as cycling through these architypes every month along with our own cycle (or the moon cycle if we are no longer menstruating), we can cycle through all four archetypes in one day, or the seasons of the year.
It all depends on who you are, what’s going on in your life, and where you’re focusing your energy and attention.
But if we abandon or fear one or more of these archetypes; or fail to recognise when they emerge (or when they don’t), we are left feeling frustrated, incomplete, and imbalanced. We feel disconnected from our bodies, and ourselves; and this can lead to deterioration in our physical and mental health.
In this blog, I'll focus on the Mother architype. We ALL have the Mother archetype within us even if we're not actually mothers ourself and if you're trying to conceive, pregnant or having fertility issues then tapping into this archetype is a great thing to do, opening you up to the mother energy already within you.
The Mother Archetype
The Mother archetype is linked to the Full Moon & Ovulatory Phase (Summer). She is also very much linked to the Heart Chakra which is all about love, kindness and compassion.
She embodies love, nurturing (of the self and others), and our connection with the earth and nature.
Our society has reduced her to no more than birthing and raising children, but she is so much more than this; this is just one of her aspects.
The Mother learns to nurture, but not control. She supports and gives when needed for care and growth, and takes a step back to allow separation and freedom. This is what creation is really about; co-creating something with the divine, that is one day able to sustain itself without your presence.
She is also deeply connected to the earth, and all of life. Plants, animals, and the elements. She believes that when we nurture and care for ourselves, and replenish our well, we in turn fill Mother Earth’s cup, too. We help nourish, honour, and heal her with our energy. So she is devoted to taking care of all beings, knowing that we are all connected.
Many women fall into the habit of devoting all their Mother archetype energy outward; to their children, families, and communities; while largely ignoring themselves, and their own needs. But we cannot give from an empty cup. This is why prioritising yourself and self-care is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.
As with all the archetypes, there is a shadow side which we can fall into which is the dominant controlling Mother and this often comes from a wounded inner child where trauma or disconnected parenting has been experienced. If we can recognise when we're in this shadow side then we can come back to our heart centre and do some of the things listed below to
How to bring the Mother archetype into being
- Make time for yourself and your desires to fill up your own bucket
- Be in nature often
- Be in community
- Track your menstrual and the moon cycles (so you can feel more in tune with Mother Earth)
- Weave tradition/ceremony into your life (celebrate the new and full moon, the wheel of the year, or give thanks before you eat a meal)
- Wear clothes that feel cosy and comfortable
- Care and advocate for those who most need it
- Tend to plants or flowers
- Be creative and create something just for sheer enjoyment
- Nurture your dreams and ideas and allows them to grow and come into being
- Connect to your Heart Chakra. This can even be as simple as putting your hands over your heart centre and asking your heart for guidance.
I've created a mediation to tap into the Heart Chakra and to send out loving kindness to all mothers and children and of course to yourself, before radiating that love and kindness out to all beings.
I like to do a version of this in my Pregnancy Yoga classes which will also be in the Heart Chakra week of my Mindful Chakra Birth course I'm currently creating!
Enjoy the meditation below and tapping into your Heart Chakra and the Mother archetype.