February Goddess: Aphrodite

February Goddess: Aphrodite
February 20th, Friday 6:30pm
Church of Spiritual Light
1939 Park Meadows Dr. #1
Ft. Myers, FL 33907
Rev. Renee Bledsoe
239-560-6314
Donation: $10

Aphrodite, otherwise known as Venus and the Goddess of Love, is one of the most important divine feminine archeytpes to get to know. For she is already a part of each of us as we invoke the Lover within, for she is the mother of Eros or Cupid. As we explore and perfect our ability to love and become fully human eros or divine sensuality is a very important energy to understand and honor. For if you we do not honor it, at best life will seem dry and lackluster and at worst we will be ruled by hedonism and addiction.

Aphrodite is the gorgeous, perfect, eternally young woman with a beautiful body. Her Girdle, which has magical powers to compel love is her symbol. Her strengths are her potent sexual attractiveness and dazzling beauty.

Aphrodite's parents are Zeus, King of the Gods, and Dione, an early earth/mother goddess. More commonly, she was believed to be born of the foam in the sea which bubbled around the severed phallus of Ouranos when Kronos slew him. Aphrodite rises from the foam of the waves of the sea, enchanting anyone who sees her and inciting feelings of love and lust wherever she goes. She is a contender in the story of the Golden Apples, when Paris chooses her as the fairest of the three goddesses (the others were Hera and Athena) and Aphrodite decides to "reward" him for giving her the Golden Apple (the prototype of most modern awards) by giving him the love of Helen of Troy, something of a mixed blessing that led to the Trojan War.

Some other notes of interest about the myth of Aphrodite is that she, the fairest of them all, was married to the most hiddeous man and was then the lover of the one of the most beautiful Greek Gods, Adonis, whom by the way, she had to share. Whew!

So what is the story of Aphrodite trying to tell us? Sex is bad, Beauty is bad and Love is bad? Is this really all we think or care about? On first glance it might appear to be so. But let's go all the way into this golden apple. After all she did win the reward and was chosen from amongst the most powerful Goddess archetypes in history, known for their heavenly nurturing (Hera) and wise strength (Athena). So what does this say about what we value and what seems to take the prize over these qualities? Seductive beauty wins out? It does seem that way doesn't it at times.

So what if a woman was the embodiment of all three of those Goddesses? What if she was heavenly, nurturing, wise, strong AND beautiful? Are we not being given a peek into our own psyche as we go into resistance with these notions? For there is no doubt that the mass consciousness is compelled toward beauty. To us beauty is such a powerful connection to the divine that it is irresistable to us. Yet, what if we find the power within to let Eros (her offspring), the enlivening creative force that puts the juice in the apple and makes us want to bite down, to work for our wholeness. For Aphrodite lives within us all, but so too does Athena and Hera.

Aphrodite says...
Any woman, no matter what size, shape or background can invoke my power, the power of Aphrodite. You must first come to terms with your desirability and your own charisma. This is why it is so important to know thyself. If you take yourself seriously, if you are a queen in your own right (as Hera) and a force to be reckoned with (as Athena) then you are safe and free to express yourself in complete power. Think Catherine Zeta-Jones. You have created the safe container for your beauty. And you may bask in your own beauty and gift it to the world.

Think not of how you look, as to how you feel, the energy of your stance, the tilt of your head, the seduction of your smile, the fit of your clothing, the focus of your simplicity and the mystery of your secrets. An Aphrodite woman knows how to sculpt and create her persona. Know that you can beguile and enchant those who seek love and ask to drink in the beauty of the divine feminine. If you walk with me you will not lose yourself. You will become one with your soul. For inside of every woman is a being of unspeakable beauty, adored and adoring.

Now, especially now, that you have purified your desires, that you are in service to the Light, that you have a deep abiding love for this earth and all her inhabitants...especially now that you know about the magic behind the Universe and you understand how manifestation and form work...now do you understand your right and your desire to be beautiful is an expression of God/Goddess interplay. For it is in this being that your inner essence is reflected out to the world and brings joy to its beholders...not from a vapid, I've got to look good or nobody will notice or love me stance...but from allowing your beauty to manifest as a result of the beauty that lives within.

Aphrodite says....let your radiance shine, beautiful one. Put on pearls, dress your soul in finery to reflect the spiritual heights of your thoughts and beliefs. Heal your beliefs about beauty. Love women and men who project outward beauty, even if you think they are shallow. Do not throw out the baby with the bathwater! Hold their beauty in your heart and do not reject it. It's OK to be beautiful. It's OK to shine. In fact it is your birthright to do so and you inspire others to be beautiful when you embrace your own beauty. Know this, my lovely one. Also know that loveliness is more than just classical beauty or sexiness. Let us see the real you, the heart and soul of who you are...that is where your beauty resides.

Aphrodite Affirmations
I am beautiful.
I am adored and cherished.
My beauty comes from within me and expresses outwardly in the way that I love and care for my body.
I dress and adorn myself in beauty every day.
I walk in beauty from moment to moment.
I am purified by the Light.
I am a being of Light.
My angelic self merges with my physical body and I am whole.
I tap into the omnipresent wisdom of my Higher Self.
I channel divine grace for healing of self and others.
I am a radiant Light unto the world.
I am a Light worker and a healer.
My countenance is holy and sacred.
I am worthy of the highest forms of love.
I am a vessel for the Light.
I am sacred, divine love in the flesh.
Every aspect of my life is sacred.
My love for humanity and all creation transcends time and space.
My soul has been set free.
I am that, I am.
My entire life is a prayer, a worship and a sacrament.
I am in bliss and gratitude of the beauty and splendor of this world.
I call to Aphrodite to inspire me to express my true beauty.