“The Queen” is a woman in the prime of her power, a woman who has moved beyond the sphere of her home and children to the bigger world. She can be anywhere from her 20’s to her 60’s, but chronologically she is in her 40’s, a woman whose children are growing older and no longer need so much of her time/attention. She is free to bring her gifts to a larger world, is not yet a “crone.”
©Mara Berendt Friedman–newmoonvisions.com
According to “The Women’s Wheel of Life” these three archetypes are associated with this phase:
The Amazon: Any woman who chooses to be independent for the sheer pleasure and satisfaction of being able to follow her own rhythms, instincts and creative impulses embodies the Amazon archetype. Chronologically, this is the woman whose children are growing older and the pressures of mothering, teaching and nurturing lessen. She is free to be more self directed. She becomes newly confrontational, increasingly self confident and decreasingly concerned about what others may think.
The Matriarch comes in when childbearing urges begin to wane, when careers are well established and a sense of mastery comes upon us. Not yet in menopause, still beset with worldly responsibilities but longing for something more, the Matriarch rekindles the passions and dreams of youth, and may pick broken threads of spiritual pursuits with new intensity and direction. She is the clan mother, ruler of her domain.
The Priestess. Chronologically, women in the Priestess stage tend to be pre-menopausal, experiencing hormonal instability resulting in surges of emotion, insight, illumination. As her moon grows dark, the Priestess surrenders material concerns to spiritual explorations. She learns that she must shed her skin in order to truly wield power–a process that can be disorienting and not a little painful. She seeks support from other women.
Events to honor this phase of life:
We can help you design your own personal “Rite of Passage into Queen-hood” ceremony. Contact us if interested.
Note: The pictures on this page are Mara Friedman’s. Click here to see her full gallery and learn how you can purchase her paintings, prints or notecards.