Mnemosyne: Remembering and recovering the self through identification with The Great Mother and her daughters, Athena, Artemis and Hestia.

by Cynthia Laudadio

Carl Jung believed humans never forget their experiences, though they might not remain in human consciousness. This dissertation reflects on the importance of remembering our mythic origins as they represent the purity and wholeness individuals once possessed before being fragmented by life experiences. This sense of completeness is embodied in The Great Mother who, according to Greek mythology, created the universe by singlehandedly bringing forth life from her womb. After her male offspring usurped her power by literally splitting her in two, her descendants came to represent her fragmented powers of creation and destruction. Three of these deities, the virgin goddesses Athena, Artemis, and Hestia, also symbolize the Great Mother's purity as they seek companionship without allowing others' desires or demands to deter them from their true intentions which ultimately benefit humankind. This dissertation argues that embracing their pure creative energy, in particular the Great Mother's power of regenerative destruction, can facilitate a woman's search for wholeness.;Supporting the assertion that integrating the virgin goddesses can reestablish the fullness inherent in the Great Mother, this dissertation employs Jung's assertion that humans are born psychologically and spiritually complete but become fragmented by life's challenges. A discussion of Jung's basic archetypes: the anima and the animus; the shadow; the persona; and the self, delineates the attributes inherent in the virgin goddesses who descended from the Great Mother. Analysis of myths which suggest the benefits of a balanced identification with Athena, Artemis, and Hestia pairs with caution regarding over-identification with any one aspect of the goddesses.;The study concludes with the presentation of a family comprised of three generations of women who reveal evidence of balancing their lives in harmony with the archetypal attributes of Athena, Artemis, and Hestia. Their success in managing life's challenges, without sacrificing their spiritual wholeness, illustrates the power of integrating the virgin goddesses as a distillation of the Great Mother.

219 pages, NOOKstudy eTextbook