Greek Goddess Aphrodite

Areas of Influence: The Greek Goddess Aphrodite was the Goddess of love and beauty.

She is especially associated with the islands of Cyprus, Cythera and Kos.

A Greek Water Goddess, she was said to have been created from the foam of the sea.

This Goddess did not originate from Greece she was worshipped in the Eastern Mediterranean as an early mother Goddess figure.


Birth and Genealogy: Like many Greek Goddesses there are contradicting myths about her birth. My personal favourite is the one that describes the Greek Goddess Aphrodite as rising as an adult from sea foam. This was as a result of her father, Cronus, cutting off Uranus's testicals and throwing them into the sea.

She married Hephaestus but had many lovers including the Ares, the god of war and Adonis.

Strengths: The ability to make men fall in love with her.

Weaknesses: She was Vain, bad tempered, jealous and unfaithful.

Aphrodite's Symbolism

She is also shown riding on a mussel shell with pearls falling at her feet.

Sacred Animals: Dolphins.

Sacred Birds: Doves.

Sacred Plants: Wood anemones, apples, myrrh, quince, roses and lime trees.

Roman Equivalent: Venus

Aphrodite's Archetypes

Represents passion and selfless devotion to another person. It also extends to the things that make our hearts sing, like music art or nature.

The shadow aspect is obsessive passion that completely takes over our lives and negatively impacts on health and well-being.

Aphrodite is a perfect example of the Lover as the Greek myths are littered with tales of her affairs and her vendettas against her rivals.

In one myth she is so enraged when she discovers her lover, Ares with Eos that she curses the Goddess with the relentless desire for other men.


The Prostitute:

This Archetype represents the choice to give away part of your self, spirit or integrity for financial gain. This definition can also include the selling of talents and ideas.

The shadow aspect of the Prostitute is linked to the use of sex and seduction as a means of gaining control over a person.

This Goddess's cult ritualized prostitution and despite her beauty and the ability to make anyone fall in love with her, she still suffered from jealousy and low self worth.

Please follow this link to the Archetypes page to discover which other Goddess Archetypes resonate with you.

How To Work With These Archetypes

You may be drawn to this Goddess if you are looking to attract a new lover or re-ignite the fire in an existing relationship. This Goddess can also be a useful tool to discover what you a passionate about in life if you are looking to change your job or lifestyle.

On the shadow side you need to ask whether the amount of energy and time you are putting into relationships, or over zealous enthusiasm for projects is excessive. If this continues for too long you are likely to suffer from stress and physical ill health.

The Prostitute:

According to Caroline Myss we all have this Archetype. This is because we give our power away to others when we fearful. We also constantly modify our behaviour so we will appeal to other people.

This Archetype reminds us to regain the power over ourselves by finding ways to improve our self esteem and discovering the beauty within.

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