Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life

“Archetype” is the word that Jung used to refer to the contents and structures of the collective unconscious: inherited or innate potentials, forms, or ideas which are transformed into universal symbols once they enter into the conscious mind.

Because I’ve always understood that solitude is more than just a luxury: at certain times in life it’s a necessity. It’s a prerequisite for deep change, for freedom of thought and imagination.

Medial Woman — who embodies those women’s mysteries more than any other.

There are, of course, fundamental differences between anger and aggression; the one doesn’t lead inexorably to the other.

The Greek poet Hesiod names the three sisters as Alecto — “unceasing in anger,” the punisher of moral crimes; Megaera — “jealous one,” the punisher of infidelity, oath-breaking, and theft; and Tisiphone — “avenger of murder.”

I didn’t experience any of the “brain fog” or forgetfulness that many women report having to deal with — quite the opposite. Now that I was no longer tied to the endless ups and downs of monthly hormonal fluctuations, and the endless seething cycles of up-and-down emotion that accompanied them, I felt not only liberated, but clarified.

The Furies could only be placated with ritual purification, and the completion of a task specifically assigned by them for atonement. It’s important to understand that although the Furies were feared, they were also respected and perceived to be necessary: they represented justice, and were seen to be defenders of moral and legal order.

The word hetaira refers to a class of highly educated women in ancient Greece who were trained not only to provide sexual services to men, but also to provide them with long-term companionship.

love of ambiguity, an explicit comfort with not-knowing. A riddle was a gateway