DARK GODDESS RISING

Session 4 we explored the third/solar plexus chakra (self power) and the archetype/goddess #Medea

SNIPPET VERSION
Medea is the ultimate witch / sorceress. She’s of divine origin yet in a mortal woman’s luscious body. She combines a terrifying amount of magic with a cunning intellect.

She’s head over heels in love with Jason, leader of the Argonauts (typical hero type) … because she’s been placed under a love-spell (hence betrayed). For the sake of ‘love’ she manipulates, betrays, murders, gets others to murder, and does whatever she needs to to get her way. And she succeeds!

In the end she kills her ‘beloved’, and then her own children (don’t worry, she has good reasons  ). It’s a tragic story of epic #betrayal and consequent #revenge upon revenge.

You may recognise this dramatic archetype from ‘Every Movie Ever with a Femme Fatale’ and ‘Every Decent Soap Opera’. It’s been said that female actors playing the ‘Medea archetype’ have earned more awards than any other role. We are all fascinated and terrified by Medea …

But how to go beyond betrayal and sweet sweet (yet oh so sour) revenge in our own lives? How to develop and live by integrity so as to gift true power to ourselves and others?

WANT MORE? YOU GOT IT, BABY

CLEARING OLD SHIT
The ‘root clear’ process was around:
*Betrayal – the wound
*Revenge – the shadow
*Integrity – the challenge
*Power – the gift

Once we get into the revenge cycle it goes on forever. Once one person declares themself ‘the rightful victim’ then acts of revenge against the ‘enemy’ can be easily justified. If the other person retaliates (and they probably will, framing themselves as ‘the true victim’) things will probably escalate.

While it makes for spicy tv, it’s ultimately terrible in real life. When I’ve betrayed others and/or gotten revenge it’s always hurt me profoundly in some way, as much as it’s hurt them. I see the same in others who attack me – they are suffering deeply.

The pathway out of betrayal / revenge is to embrace #integrity, the very quality that was missing in order for the initial betrayal to have taken place. We must find the way (and it takes grace to get there) to embody inside ourselves, what is missing outside in the situation, and in the other person.

When we act from integrity (which means taking full responsibility to live according to Love and Truth, leaving victim fantasies and justifications behind), we come into true power. We finally have the ability to act from clarity in the situation, and to help create a world that is not merely cycles of revenge, repeating until the series gets cancelled!

LOOKING WITHIN
Important (challenging) questions to ask ourselves include:

*Where have ‘black magic spells’ been cast against me?
*Where have I betrayed others?
*Where have I been betrayed and need to heal?

I invite you to try journalling about these (which our group did, and which is part of the Dark Goddess Spiral process). Take about 15-30 minutes and reflect on your darkest shadows.

MY JOURNALLING: BETRAYAL
*I have commonly been ‘betrayed’ from Mum onward, often being attracted to ‘Medea’ types and sometimes dating them. While this has been exciting, it’s also been very painful.

*I’ve betrayed others by not seeing and allowing their true selves, especially in their full heart and emotional expressions (the tantra world might call this their ‘Shakti’). Instead I’ve sought to shut this down, shame it, control it, or change it.

*I’ve betrayed myself by shutting down this full heart and emotional expression in myself (and allowing others to do this). I did it because I was terrified of the dark version of Medea I saw my Mum acting out, when I was a child. I mistakenly thought this was all there was to Shakti. I didn’t realise it was a wounded and unintegrated form.

*I’ve betrayed myself by seeking out ‘immature Shakti’ in others (ie the Medea archetype being lived out in its dark shadow powers) rather than ‘mature Shakti’ which has integrated these powers … I’ve done this because I haven’t matured Shakti within myself.

*Here I am at this workshop to mature me more!   I feel tenderly proud toward myself. I see that all any of us can do is admit to our blindspots once we see them, and act to heal them. There’s no point in beating myself or others up for unconsciousness.

*As I mature in my Shakti my experiences will change both inside me, and eventually be reflected in my outside world. This encourages me as I travel on this growth journey! It feels exciting to recover lost parts of me. It won’t always be as hard as it is now.

*By looking deeper to see the true ultimate goodness in others who play ‘dark Medea’, and deeper to see it in myself, I see that ultimately we are all Love and trying to be loved … Medea’s dark powers lose influence against me. I’m then no longer able to be manipulated by others or myself.

*By holding to integrity whatever dark Medea throws at me (outside in others, or inside within myself) I know myself as always safe, loved, and gain true power. This doesn’t mean I necessarily stay in harm’s way. I act with self-love as well as other-love.

*I won’t sacrifice myself or my sovereignty, but will stay in my centre of power, making my choices responsibly and refusing to enter victim mentality.

*I won’t respond to ‘false power in others’ who are trying to exert power over me somehow by trying to subvert my power (a ‘dark feminine’ tactic) or to decimate it (a ‘dark masculine’ tactic).

*Rather I will hold my centre (putting my energetic awareness into my physical centre) and honour and support others in being in their centres (which may help them choose to come out of their false power which is where people hide when they’re feeling scared and powerless deep down).

*I make the lovingly responsible choice to be with any pain that comes up in me in response to betrayal and revenge by others toward me (or by myself toward myself, or toward others … which I make restitution for). I feel it, process it, and integrate it. Thus it becomes my power. Once it is integrated I will no longer react with revenge impulses.

*Integration is a gift that I give to everyone, starting with myself. It ends the cycle of betrayal and revenge.

HOW BOUT YOU?
Are you perhaps interested in ending this cycle in yourself? I invite you to consider going beyond Medea soapie drama into integrity and power. If you do, I have empathy for you and me in all that such a journey-into-power entails. ROAR!

And joy for where it leads us and our world.

Until session 5.

[Image sourced at https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/782500503986041826/]