The Mother Archetype
The Full Moon phase of the lunar cycle is associated with the Mother archetypes. Here we offer some reflection on the Mother and an invitation to a simple ritual to perform at home.
The full moon is pregnant with possibility, engorged, full and round as a mother’s womb. The season is summer, summer solstice, a celebration of light and creative expression, and equally so, moving back towards darkness and winter.
The mother archetype; the life bringer; the nurturer; the caregiver. The mother archetype lives within each one of us. Many of us are familiar with this archetype as we have stepped into motherhood ourselves, caring for our own children or through memories of our own mothering. We may have also enacted this archetype as we assist in caring for another’s child.
Many of us are not mothers, so it is important to recognize that the mother archetype is also enacted anytime we conceive and “birth” a creative project or vision. The mother archetype can be understood as the ability to “birth” into being an idea or child, tending and “mothering” this creation. She is the Creatrix.
The sacred blood mystery of the mother archetype is childbirth, whether a physical child or a creative child. The essential teaching or lesson in this blood mystery is in surrendering control. When we woman commit ourselves to a new creative passion, we must also be willing to navigate uncharted territories, surrendering control and letting go of outcomes. Only when weI allow ourselves to release, unclench our bodies and mind from fear and the illusion of control can we wholly offer our creative wisdom and love to this world. This is the mother archetype.
To be pregnant with possibility, to be at the juxtaposition of bringing life and the yet unmanifest into this world while simultaneously experiencing imminent fear of loss.
This womanly creation can be understood as a descent into the unknown, surrendering all that we thought possible, to birth a new being into this world. As we nurture a child or a creative project, we must also learn to balance this with nurturance for ourselves.
As we turn our attention to this full moon, we invite you to get curious with the mother archetype that lives within you.
In what ways have you stepped in or out of your own mother archetype?
How did you witness your mother, or her mother engage with this part of herself?
Is your mother archetype over or underdeveloped?
What are the gifts of this the Mother archetype?
What are the shadow aspects of the Mother?
A Full Moon Ritual Invitation
As the moon rises in the East, turn your attention to the mother that lives within you, the great mother, Mother Earth.
Create a container, a circle of stones (outside if warm enough) or a quiet place in your home. If you are indoors you may want to bring in a dish of earth to honor the ultimate mother. Bring a candle (or fire if outdoors), pen, paper, any musical instruments you may desire, and supplies to paint or draw with.
Light a candle and take a few minutes to connect to your body. Stretching, moving as you feel called to.
As you orient yourself to the container you have created for yourself, call upon the assistance of Great Mystery, Mother Earth, or a higher power of your own understanding. You may want to do this through prayer, through song or spoken invocation.
Notice what thoughts, feelings, images, stories, memories arise as you ask yourself the question, “Where does the mother live within me?”
We invite you to honor the mother that lives within you in any way you feel called. Song, dance, painting, grieving, writing etc.
Take time to reflect on your process.
To close, give thanks to whichever spirits you invoked at the beginning, extinguish the candle and return the dish of earth with a blessing.