Praise Her
A Goddess for Invoking Beauty and Sexual Empowerment
Aphrodite helps us feel beautiful and honor our sexuality
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Some people charm whomever they encounter — men, women, kids, even animals. They are vibrant, provocative, and know how to make the subject of their focus feel like a million dollars. They may not be conventionally attractive, but they exude confidence, sex appeal, and magnetism. They are not people-pleasers and prioritize their own pleasure and desires first. Often, they dance to the beat of their own drum. They’re not driven by ambition or the white picket fence; instead, they pursue creative interests and a nontraditional lifestyle. These people walk hand in hand with the Greek goddess Aphrodite.
The story of Aphrodite
Aphrodite is likely one of the most well-known goddesses in Western culture. She’s the Greek goddess of beauty and love — and yes, sex. There are two stories of Aphrodite’s origin. One tells of her appearing from sea foam, naked and fully formed as a beautiful adult goddess. Another recounts her more traditional upbringing as the daughter of Zeus and his sea nymph mistress, Dione.
Aphrodite is both a lover and a mother. She was married to the lame Hephaestus, the god of fire and metalworking, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The union was arranged by Zeus to prevent the other gods from fighting over Aphrodite. Though kind and skilled at his craft, Hephaestus was born deformed and crippled. Aphrodite was not faithful to him and had many other lovers — both gods and men. One of her most passionate, volatile affairs was with Ares, the god of war. They had two sons, Phobos (Panic) and Deimus (Fear), and a beautiful daughter, Harmonia (Harmony). Aphrodite’s other well-known lover was the beautiful mortal Adonis, whom she shared with goddess Persephone for part of each year.
Greek goddesses generally fall into one of two categories: the virgin or the vulnerable. In this context, “virgin” means a woman who is “one-in-herself.” She is not owned, influenced, or victimized by a male god or man. In contrast, a vulnerable goddess’s well-being is often determined by the health of her romantic partnerships. The vulnerable goddesses have all suffered in some way by the actions of a…
