Lianne Escher, MSW

Women love to reinvent themselves every few years. You have a burning desire to step up and be the heroine of your own life – to consider possibilities, to be your own authority, free to make choices.

“In each of us is another whom we do not know.” — Carl Jung

Your question probably becomes something like ‘how can I set sail through the narrows of transition and move on to the next phase of my journey?’ Then, ‘But what if…?’

Creative forces pop up to mobilize your energies when needed to usher in another life phase. Lying deep within your psyche is this divine sorority of goddesses – Persephone, Demeter, Aphrodite, Hera, Athena, Artemis and Hestia – inner templates ready to explore life on the conscious level. Their wisdom is as relevant now as it was in ancient times.

Faced with a challenge? Become unstuck through the innovative tools I’ve developed as a psychotherapist. Each goddess will empower you through her unique insights, strengths and limitations:

• Shuck self-destructive patterns
• Face challenges without panicking
• Make bold life-changing decisions in the midst of crisis
• Pass through chaos into another aspect of personal power
• Go for Wholeness -no need to be perfect.
• Fall awake in an upside down world into a deeply satisfying life.

Persephone – A Lightning Rod for Disaster. She finds her strength within the victim’s story and moves out of the Underworld. Because her direction has been unsure, it may not be till mid-life for this vulnerable goddess to wake up from her bad dream. Then she accepts responsibility for herself and nails a solid purpose in which to ground her skills.

Demeter – The Nurturer who becomes pregnant with her own possibilities. Once she hits burnout, she finds her leverage and steps down from sacrificing all her energies to other peoples passions.

Aphrodite – The Lusty Lover Girl, too sexy to sleep alone. She creates a magnetic attraction in order to worship a man’s raw, phallic energy. Fickle in love, her dazzling power to seduce can cause great pain, when all she wants to do is open all our senses by bringing the Divine down into this earthly realm.

Hera – The Homefront Heroine swims in the tidal currents of marriage. Seeking to be completed by her powerful husband she becomes too dependent on him. Grasping too tight a leash on the marriage sets up her betrayal. Eventually, she finds authenticity.

Athena – Career Woman and change agent in the market place. She knows how to set goals, strategize and negotiate to make progress. Once she’s betrayed by The Boys Club, she digs deep to find her feminine ground. Then she becomes a more effective, compassionate and flexible leader.

Artemis – Wonder Woman. She’s our kick-ass sister. Resilient, prickly, adventurous, independent and sexually fluid, she wastes no time with emotional pirates. Learns to cool her jets and make apologies when she judges too harshly. After all, others have their own truths.

Hestia – The Intuitive Visionary who keeps the Sacred Flame burning for everyone in the community. She sets the pace for global spiritual evolution. People seek her wisdom because she knows how to stay grounded in the midst of chaos and disorder.

My journey through life has been chockablock with challenges: Raised by glamorous misbegotten parents; Hop-scotching from one notable prep school to another; Playing with danger race car driving, and staying sane through a 22-year marriage to a charming sociopath. But I survived and flourished.

How? At each juncture, a goddess came to my rescue. I thank: Artemis for strength; Aphrodite for sex appeal; Persephone for balance; Demeter for knowing how to mother; Hera for holding tight to some traditional values; Athena for the guts and business savvy to succeed in my profession, and Hestia for teaching me how to stay centered while living my vision.

Read my forthcoming blogs on these stimulating Goddesses. As a psychotherapist, I’ve developed some tools to move deeper into life’s journey. I want to hear how you resonate with my ideas. My book, A Mythic Sisterhood, will be on the market soon. Until then, comments, please. Questions? Thunderbolts? You’re probably looking at your own life and asking: “What risks do I have to take to find out what else is possible?”