Is the Triple Goddess a Patriarchal Trap?

There is a popular feminist perspective that claims the ancient reverence of the Triple Goddess, the Maiden, Mother, and Crone, actually traps feminine identity and spirituality into reproductive servitude. By defining these aspects of the Goddess around human fertility markers, this perspective claims we limit her power.

I see this quite differently. As a Womb Centered Healing practitioner, I must clarify regularly that the womb is a powerful organ and energetic center that is certainly not limited to its reproductive functions. The reproductive capacities of the womb certainly give us a clear biological map of how life regenerates but these are not where these capacities end.

The cyclical map of the menstrual cycle connects us with the cyclical nature of all of life and of creativity which actually liberates us from the linear, constant production orientation of modern society. It teaches us how to continually replenish ourselves so as not to become depleted and burnt out which is the natural result of the systems that have evolved in the absence of this wisdom.

The circle of the menstrual cycle mirrors the circle of the seasons and the circle of our lives. The Triple Goddess personifies the various phases of these cycles and helps us to identify where we are at at any given moment. The Maiden teaches us about the new growth of spring, the Mother about nurturing growth and creativity, the Crone about how in slowing down, our wisdom develops.

Granted, I often add a fourth archetype to this trilogy, the Enchantress, who embodies the potent sensitivity on the way to wisdom from the peak of our creative phase, as this is one of the most maligned aspects of this map. She teaches us the value of sorting through what we have created and letting go of anything that does not nurture our wisdom. She is the keeper of discomfort and dissatisfaction and often gets a bad rap because of it.

So my experience of the Triple Goddess actually reclaims the liberatory power of the womb instead of relegating it to reproducing humans in service to the patriarchy. In fact, I feel that womb consciousness and reclaiming the wisdom of these cyclical Goddesses is actually an important key to restoring balance and harmony for humanity. Instead of seeing our biology as some limitation we must free ourselves from, which is one of the core beliefs of patriarchal philosophy, we must return to seeing our biology as a map to divine embodiment.

This is central to the Bio-Mystical Womb approach to wellness. Sign up below to learn more.

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Sama Morningstar is the founder of the Womb Centered Healing Temple and facilitates the Bio-Mystical Womb Apprenticeship program. You can learn more about this program and other Temple offerings by signing up for the newsletter below: