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| ''The Real Medusa'' by Santhel Thwaites |
Evidence points to Medusa being a high priestess of Africa—a fact reinforced in her story when we are told she “was the only one of the three sisters who was mortal.”1 From this, I know she is more than just a mythological figure; she actually lived and breathed and walked the earth as I do. For me this reinforces that Medusa is not just a character in an ancient myth—that she has a real substance and an essential truth about her. This truth applies equally to the level of demonisation and devastation she experienced, and the healing, wisdom and transformation she represents—and that I feel her inviting me to reclaim.
Being a high priestess meant that Medusa was a keeper of knowledge, trained in the sacred arts of religious rites, adornment, massage, the practices of healing and divination, and the secret mysteries of sexual union. The role of priestess included initiating men into the deep and secret mysteries of the heart; “awakening them to their spiritual potential;” and channelling their spiritual fire inward and upward along the sacred path of enlightenment.2 A man who came to her temple would have approached her as the embodiment of the goddess hoping or knowing that through her he might experience the goddess. She “would be his priestess, not a prostitute—a holy woman, not a fallen woman.”3 Thus, I sense Medusa pointing me toward a vastly different understanding of sexuality, my body, and of the spiritual potential of sexual union as a source of spiritual awakening.4
I now know that the priestess of the ancient world cultivated kundalini energy to facilitate spiritual awakening. This sits in stark contrast to the conditioning I received that endeavoured to etch deep into my psyche a belief that the path to realisation, fulfilment, and enlightenment was all about denying the body and something a woman could never ever aspire to. Hence, I sense Medusa urging me to truly comprehend that my female body is a receptacle and transmitter of divine energy.5 I hear her urging me to question the messages I have been fed about my body, urging me to reclaim the mystical affiliation with the archetypal feminine and the sacredness of my body. This sacred invitation is to know myself fully as woman and therefore as goddess—the embodiment of the divine feminine principle.6
An excerpt from Re-visioning Medusa: from Monster to Divine Wisdom
Maureen Owen (www.lotusspace.com.au) 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. Lotus Space, 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, p 153.
2 Jean Shinoda Bolen, 2004, pp 129-134 & Sharon Rose, 2002, p 139.
3 Jean Shinoda Bolen, 2004, pp 129-134 & Sharon Rose, 2002, p 139.
4 Sera Beak, 2013, p 86.
5 Sharon Rose, 2002, p 212.
6 Jean Shinoda Bolen, 2004, pp 68-69.
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