The featured pair of sculptures capture the dual nature of the Goddess perfectly. Both as nurturing mother and as fierce protector. The Egyptian Goddesses Hathor and Sekhmet. Mary Magdalene and Mother Mary. 

Society tends to embrace only the soft and timid aspects of womanhood. If women are capable of protecting themselves as embodied in the archetype of the warrior goddesses Artemis, Athena and Minerva, then the role of men needing to protect ‘fragile’ women is negated. 

Men are generally stronger than women, but with dedicated training, women can reach the same heights of physical prowess as men. Artemis, Athena and of course the Amazons, were female warriors and hunters, tasks generally assigned to men. The Amazons were known for their physical strength and agility. They were also exceptional archers, well versed in the arts of combat and riding. 

Society solidifies the roles assigned to gender with very little wriggle room. Men are not encouraged to show emotion in case they are deemed weak and pathetic. Boys don’t cry. Instead of acknowledging the dual nature of the individual from an Alchemical perspective, containing both masculine and feminine qualities, only one aspect is encouraged. 

This tends to create individuals that are out of balance and out of touch. They search for wholeness in the other, instead of finding it within. True union with another can only come once the two aspects are unified within. Unfortunately the projection of physical weakness onto women also extend to their intellectual capacity. Women are exceptional at making babies, but its only one aspect, not the be all and end all. 

Both men and women would benefit greatly from breaking the chains that keep them bound in a limited expression of the totality of self. It would also nurture greater understanding of the other, creating more lasting relationships and marriages. 

Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress. Photographer Carol Highsmith