There are four female archetypes that shape our Moon cycle, the Maiden comes first

Many more archetypes cycle through our beings – women are complex, flowing and ever-changing (and don’t we know it!) Yet Maiden, Mother, Wild Woman/Enchantress and Wise Woman/Crone are the four that most women settle into as La Luna cycles both overhead and through our wombs.

Maiden Comes First

The Maiden (also known as Virgin) archetype is the energy type that women embody during the pre-ovulation, or follicular phase of our own, personal moon cycles (when our bleeding has just finished).

You’ll also feel this archetypal energy rise with the waxing lunar phases, that is: waxing crescent, first quarter and waxing gibbous lunar phases.

The Maiden archetype embodies purity and independence, strength and uncorrupted nature

This has less to do with sexual status and SO much more to do with a state of mind in this context.

**To elaborate a little, the meaning of the word ‘virgin’ has been misappropriated in modern times. Its ancient meaning refers to an independent, autonomous woman, a woman who isn’t required to answer to anybody.

Imagine the fresh, rising energy of an emerging young woman, full of enthusiasm and authenticity. Someone with an intelligent, practical attitude who can plan, organise and confidently foresee what’s coming. She is stunningly confident in her skin.

The Maiden may not have the wisdom of age. She is fresh, new to experiences and her energy holds a gentle naivety which edges on foolhardy at times. But that’s where the secret of her flowering comes from.

Embodied, this archetype appears to easily juggle a whole stack of interesting projects and activities. Sometimes she works with bold, determined autonomy, and at other times collaborates with friends, enjoying common interests.

Do you know somebody like this?

The confidence of these kinds of people rarely goes unnoticed.

Opportunities and people flock to them, and they always seem to sparkle, exuding a sense of being supported and directed by the Universe.

Well, THIS is the woman who you become during this phase of your moon/menstrual cycle!

BUT let’s get something straight: This has a little, but not everything to do with youth. You can be 90 years old and hold the energy of the Maiden, for archetypes are timeless.

You may not feel it every time around, and you may have a whole stack of blocks preventing her from emerging, but she does reside within each of us!

So how can YOU coax her out?  The key to this (and to starting to embody all archetypal energies in their corresponding phases) is to adapt the way you go about things.

The maiden archetype is all about magnetism.

She is YOU standing firmly inside your own power, and creating changes in the structure and environment around you, in order to attract all that you need and desire to you. Here are 11 ways to bring her into being:

1. Make plans

Think practical and logical (of all the archetypes, the Maiden is perhaps the most ‘masculine’ in her approach). Be a considered catalyst for change, that means not simply reacting to your environment but causing it to ‘react’ to you!

2. Be Assertive

Ask for what you want – most people want to be useful, so tell them what they can do for you.

3. Make Conscious Choices

Choose to read, watch, listen to and surround yourself with inspirational, motivational books, videos, and people.  Accelerate your growth at this time, don’t hold yourself back with downbeat influences.

4. Individuate

Take the time to uncover and cultivate your own unique gifts and quirks.  The Maiden archetype doesn’t follow the crowd, she knows that her strength lies in her individuality. Invest time and money in developing yourself.

5. Celebrate the Success of Others

The Maiden archetype has had a bad rap in the past, being cast as self-centered and self-interested. For years this has caused women to abandon their own needs and desires, giving their lives over to others.

This is changing.

If you see and know other women who are making positive changes in their lives, support and celebrate them! This really does help to nurture and strengthen their inner Virgin/Maiden, which after all, is being brave enough to pave the way for the rest of us!

6. Make Connections

Consider joining a group or organization with which you have an affinity.  By coming together with people with whom we have a shared belief or goal, we strengthen our own resolve and deepen our sense of self.

7. Adorn

Dress, or adorn yourself so that you’ll feel strong, active and powerful. This may seem obvious, but we can be so habit-driven about what we wear, it’s easy to forget that you may need to get something different from your clothes, according to the phase of our cycle.

So the Maiden archetype may mean you donning leggings and high-tops so you can feel energized enough to run all over town making waves all day.  Maybe you need to wear some extra big jewels? Or she may reveal her strength to you in killer heels and body-con!  And this may change from cycle to cycle (depending on your focus) so stay tuned to the attire you most require!

8. Flex

Be flexible. Make plans (as in number 1) but let them change. Adapt. As much as this archetype is self-driven, it’s also very much about connection. So shape your activities around the needs of others. Meet people where they are with genuine interest, and co-operation and connection will lift you and them up higher.

9. Strengthen Your Solar Plexus

Work on your solar plexus chakra. This is the third chakra that sits just below where the ribs meet and governs your sense of personal power and self-esteem.

When functioning in a strong, balanced way it enables you to feel confident, ambitious and courageous enough to take risks and generate action. You feel able to face rejection head-on, and rise to action in a crisis.

But when it’s out of whack, your self-esteem plummets and you feel powerless. The smallest knock can send you into a downward spiral and you’re more likely yo be overcome by our fears (NOT what the Maiden/Virgin archetype embodies).

10. Anoint and Arm

Diffuse, or anoint yourself with essential oils to enhance personal power, self-esteem, and clarity of thought. I like to think of this as energetic armour! Try frankincense, sandalwood, rose, and geranium.

11. Don’t Forget the R & R

Remember to leave some time to unwind. The high energy, dynamic, creative attitude of this archetype can sometimes result in depletion. So whilst it is a resilient phase, stay centered enough to know when enough’s enough.

Nurture the emergence of YOUR inner maiden Archetype

The more you allow and nurture the emergence of your own Maiden/Virgin archetypal energies, at this phase in your cycle, the more her strong, healthy aspects are able to emerge, with the full support of your body and your emotions.

By believing, harnessing and maximizing on the good that the Maiden brings, the more her positive aspects will show and grow. And the easier you make this for yourself at this point in your cycle, the more easily you can propel yourself forward in life.

At another stage in your cycle, the same creative, assertive actions and efforts would most likely feel like the most enormous (and unproductive) effort! Because your whole being (not to mention the sacred cycles of nature) will be urging you to slow down or sit and write poems, or clean out your wardrobe…

Get to know yourself, make friends with yourself, and trust yourself!

Alignment with your own female power will not happen by chance.