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Black
Medusa by Cristina
Biaggi
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I
CAN STILL REMEMBER the first time I heard the story of Medusa. I knew
instinctively, that to come with such warnings, Medusa must be
incredibly powerful. Instantly intrigued, I started to dig deeper.
Over time, as I have come to understand more of the symbolism that
sits within this story, a very different understanding has emerged.
My sense now is that this is not a story of a monster, it is instead
a story of ancient and divine wisdom calling me to reclaim all of who
I am as a woman.
The
story of Medusa is fundamentally the story of the domination of the
patriarchal invaders of mainland Greece over the early goddess
culture of North Africa.1
It is the story of the victory of the masculine principle governed by
power and control over the feminine principle, one that saw the
sacredness in the everyday, and valued peace, fertility, justice with
compassion, equality and transformation.2
Some scholars believe the story reflects actual events during the
reign of King Perseus around 1290 BCE.3
When
I hear this story, I hear Medusa’s invitation urging me to look
deeper than the patriarchal version of who she was. At the heart of
this invitation, I believe Medusa is calling me into a deeper
relationship with myself and the divine. She is urging me to reclaim
the intelligence, strength and creativity rooted in the feminine
tradition.
This
essay is an exploration of this invitation and the key symbolism
within Medusa’s story that points to this and the elements of the
feminine lineage she is urging me to reclaim.
I
begin with an examination of her most obvious symbol, the serpents,
and then proceed to what I know of the roles she held and what they
symbolised. As such, I explore the meaning of what it meant to hold
the roles of High Priestess;
Goddess; Queen; and Crone.4
I
have chosen symbolism to guide me on this journey because I know from
the earliest times, symbolism has been used to inform human
understanding of the cosmos and our place in it. Along with telling
us what something represents, symbols also hint at what is missing,
what is invisible and what is needed to achieve completion or
wholeness.5
As such, coming to understand the symbolic meaning behind these
aspects of Medusa has provided me with vital insights into what has
been lost, and what can be reclaimed.
An excerpt from ''The Invitation'' in Re-visioning Medusa: from Monster to Divine Wisdom.
Maureen Owen is an internationally accredited coach and facilitator. She holds a Master’s degree in Organisational Development and Training. For the last 20 years, she has worked as a consultant, change agent and senior manager in the areas of human resources and organisational development. Maureen lives in Brisbane Australia with her husband Nick and their enigmatic cat Stefan.
Concerned with the number of people (particularly the number of women) she encountered in her corporate work who were drained of energy and exhausted from the endless striving, Maureen grappled with ways she could provide a service that would address these challenges. And from these early musings Lotus Space was conceived to focus on the whole person and to support women to live unapologetic lives of passion where their individual uniqueness can shine through.
Concerned with the number of people (particularly the number of women) she encountered in her corporate work who were drained of energy and exhausted from the endless striving, Maureen grappled with ways she could provide a service that would address these challenges. And from these early musings Lotus Space was conceived to focus on the whole person and to support women to live unapologetic lives of passion where their individual uniqueness can shine through.
LotusSpace, using the Chakra System as the guiding framework, supports women to embark on a journey of self-discovery to renew, rediscover and reawaken powerful aspects of themselves. Maureen knows from her own experience, the power of working with the chakras and their capacity to return us to balance and provide us with an expanded and enriched experience of being alive. She believes that the chakras provide a profound formula for wholeness and the blueprint for the evolution of the soul that enables us to look at life with fresh eyes; to see beyond our conditioning that limits what is possible for us; whilst learning how to deepen the connection and relationship we have with ourselves.
Notes:
1
Demetra George, 1992, p156.
3
Demetra George, 1992, p161.
4
Demetra George, 1992, p 155.
5
Mark O’Connell & Raje Airey,
2011, pp 6–8.
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