To The Mother in All of Us

This is a love note on a deep level to the mother that dwells within you, within all of us, whether you have children or not. Children do not make you a mother. You are already a mother in your own life. Wherever you plant a seed, a dream, a beloved idea and nurture it and help it grow with unconditional love and support you are a mother.

The Great Mother is the deity and archetype that has been worshiped for thousands upon thousands of years from the ancient civilizations of Atlantis to Egypt and India. Archaeologists discovered feminine figurine carvings that date back 35,000 to 40,000 years ago. In my own research on matriarchal societies, I found numerous accounts where it is believed these ancient civilizations were in fact matriarchal ones that had female leaders who took the balance of the sacred masculine and feminine very seriously. Under these civilizations and societies, the healing and creative arts thrived and there was great value placed upon protecting and working with the Earth. We have much to learn from our ancient ancestors and it is part of my own journey to uncover these lessons for us modern-day women.

While the patriarchal societies we have received our history lessons from today took Her deep underground, we all know the Great Mother. She dwells within us. She is the part of us that nurtures ourselves, that listens to our body and that trusts the voice of our intuition. She is the part of us that looks out for and protects others. She is the part of us that feels at home when we are walking in the woods, on the beach or enjoying the changing seasons, the bright moon or the twinkling stars in the sky.

As we unearth our ancient mysteries and bring this knowledge to light in our present culture, you can see the archetypal images of The Great Mother through the Virgin Mary, Demeter, Gaia, Hathor, Pachamama, Athena, Venus, Aphrodite, Freya, and Kali to name a few. But the most ancient of all of these is our Mother Earth herself, mother to us all. My eyes and heart turn to her today.

We live in a society built upon industrialization using natural resources for productivity and valuing ease and convenience over sustainability and what is good for the planet. Scientists have warned us what the impact of our own work in the last century has done to the planet and we seem to be in an extreme cycle of change. I believe our Mother Earth is calling to us to step up, to protect her just as she has protected us for over 40,000 years.

Will the mother in us stand up for the mother we walk upon?
Will the mother in us nurture the mother in us all?
Will we be able to see the fruitfulness in each of us and nurture it instead of cutting each other down?
Are we capable of fully enjoying the beauty and wisdom of our surroundings?

Our Great Mother is an archetype that is the Giver and Receiver of Life. Her qualities include nurturance, receptivity, surrender, renewal, offering, gratitude, sanctuary, embrace, inclusion and self-nourishment. She serves as a midwife to our goals, dreams and passion.

There is also a shadow side to the Great Mother. The shadow side of the Mother is one whose creativity and life force is stifled by her over-giving nature, the never-ending caregiver who does not readily fill up her own cup. The mother who is exhausted, depleted and woefully lost from her own essence and dreams. The woman who has sacrificed her own goals for the “well-being” of her family. We must look to balance the two sides of the Great Mother within ourselves. It is a game of constantly checking in, nurturing ourselves and asking for support when we require it.

I’ll never forget when we were at a good friends’ 1st birthday party for their daughter which happened to fall the day before Mother’s Day. As I talked to many of the young mothers there about their desires and plans for Mother’s Day, I was struck by the volume of answers expressing a need to be alone, to rest and to retreat. Almost every mother I spoke with wanted nothing more than to sleep in, have an afternoon alone or get a massage and enjoy some solitude. One mother said she didn’t even know how to answer what she wanted to do with an afternoon alone because she had never had any time to herself in her first year of motherhood.

Why were all of us relatively new mother’s craving nurturing, nourishment, rest and solitude on such a deep level?

Because our “village” has dissipated. We do not live near or with a physical tribe anymore. The times we do get together as women is sacred but also confined to a few hours for a play date here or a toddler activity squeezed in here among many other weekly events. We do not share cooking and child-rearing responsibilities with other women and we spend most of our evenings isolated in our own homes wrapped up in turmoil between what to cook, when to get the children down and how to squeeze in meaningful time with our partners before crashing (before the baby or child may wake up again). Without realizing it, this can lead us into the arms of the shadow of the Great Mother. It was this gnawing physical need for rest and nurturing that opened up my eyes to the ways we unknowingly limit our own mothering when it comes to ourselves.

When we look at our own mothering, how and when are we allowing the Great Mother to take us into her arms for a full embrace to release all the worry, the tension, the exhaustion and stress?

When do we mother the mother within?

This Mother’s Day, allow us to resurrect the Great Mother within. Allow yourself to be held, to be nurtured, to set boundaries and to say, do and be exactly what you feel.

On this Mother’s Day my wish is for you to take care of yourself as you would take care of a child. To find the inspiration in Mother Earth herself and to listen to the needs of your Great Mother within.

May you receive the nourishment you crave.
May you embrace the innate, ancient wisdom within you to balance your sacred masculine and feminine.
May you surrender to the embrace of The Great Mother who is always here for each and every one of us.
May you fill your cup with inspiration, beauty and rest.
May your body, mind and spirit beat in alignment.

I also wish for you to receive. One aspect of the sacred feminine is receptivity. I know for myself, being able to surrender and receive can be very hard because I am used to being the one to give support. But what happens when you allow your partner and/or your children to nurture YOU? By receiving their love, affection and support you are actually gifting them an opportunity to nurture and care for their own mother.

Wherever you are, whatever you do, may you feel the beloved arms of our Great Mother surround you with love.