Triple Goddess Archetypes: The Maiden
The Triple Goddess reflects three archetypes: the maiden, the mother, and the crone. The Triple Goddess reflects all integral aspects of life: birth, growth/life, and death/transformation. These correspond with the overarching stages of a woman's life: entering young womanhood (Maiden), birthing babies and/or creations and becoming a mother (Mother), and settling into your wisdom and entering menopause (Crone). The next three blog posts will dedicated to exploring each of these three archetypes in depth, beginning with Maiden.
The Maiden is the energy of pleasure, passion, play and joy. She is curiosity and exploration, romping through a field of sunflowers and lavender, sneaking kisses and bursting out in roaring laughter. The Maiden is fresh starts, new beginnings, and the start of an initiation.
The focus of the Maiden is self-awareness, understanding, and exploration. When we are in the Maiden phase of our lives, our energies are put towards developing our strengths, learning new things, and exploring our interests. The Maiden archetype is associated with the waxing moon, as she is the building, active, exploitative energy that eventually leads to the peak of fertility (the full moon/mother archetype). She is ruled by the element of air and corresponds to the season Spring
Although we do progress on a macro scale from Maiden, to Mother, to Crone throughout our lifetime, we may go through smaller Triple Goddess Cycles as well. For example, perhaps you are about to embark on a creative project. You may embody the Maiden when dreaming up the idea and exploring the possibilities, the Mother when you are doing the actual work of creation, and the Crone when you sit back and reflect upon the journey and pass along the wisdom you learned to others. You can also call upon any of the three archetypes whenever you desire, to bring their unique gifts and energies into your life.
The Greek Goddess of spring, Persephone, is an archetypal Maiden Goddess. She rules over spring alongside her mother Demeter (an archetypal Mother goddess!), and is known for her beauty and vitality. Diana, the Roman Goddess of the hunt, is another archetypal Maiden Goddess. She spends her time roaming the woods with her silver bow, exploring and watching over the animals. She embodies independence, self-determination, intention, and action.
Both herbs and crystals can be beautiful ways to connect with the Maiden archetype. The herbs associated with the Maiden are: lavender, mint, lily, dandelion, yarrow, calendula, thyme, daisy, pink rosebuds, raspberry leaf, vitex, lemon verbena, hibiscus, linden flower, as well as any other flowering herb. Try brewing any of these herbs as a tea (see the recipe below) or wearing them as perfume in the form of a hydrosol or essential oil.
Maiden Goddess tea blend: Mix equal parts dried raspberry leaf, pink rose buds, rosehips, hibiscus, and lavender to make the tea blend. Steep 1-2 tbsp of the blend in hot water for 5 minutes, and allow the sweet flowering scent to connect you with the energy of the Maiden.
The crystals associated with the maiden are rose quartz, blue kyanite, emerald, green tourmaline, citrine, carnelian, rhodochrosite, silver, and clear quartz. Try carrying these around with you, placing them on your altar, or wearing them as jewelry to connect with Maiden energy.
We honor the Maiden archetype whenever we celebrate new beginnings, independence, play for the sake of play. A few other ways to connect with Maiden energy are: create a playful or pleasurable morning ritual (the morning is ruled by the Maiden); inject play and pleasure into your day (think fresh flowers, sweet perfumes, afternoon treats, and spontaneous dance parties); get curious and explore your interests through books, podcasts, and documentaries; and finally, go on a small solo adventure to reconnect with your independence and sense of adventure.
The Maiden is where we all start. Though she may be innocent and by some measures naive, it is exactly that that leads her to the places she needs to go in order to become the mother. The Maiden is hopeful and trusting. Many want to rush out of the Maiden phase, but it's important. It is where we build and explore and develop. It is the start of a very beautiful, very sacred journey.