Lisa Marie Rankin - The Goddess Solution: Practical Wisdom for Everyday Life

I was born a goddess. I squealed with laughter when I was happy, and I wept without shame when I was sad. I gave my love freely and expected to receive love in return. I was wild, messy, and curious. I didnt care how I looked; I was attuned to how I felt. Even though some things took effort, I persevered. I didnt care about perfectly accomplishing a task to impress othersI wanted to develop skills. As a child, my daily objectives were to pursue pleasure, give and receive love, and acquire knowledge. Later, I learned that these are the same daily objectives of living like a goddess.

As I grew older, I began to change. I came to believe that I needed to look a certain way and act a certain way to be lovable. I learned to suppress my needs for the benefit of others. I was careful not to make anyone angry. I hid my frustrations in favor of being agreeable. I no longer prioritized play and pleasure. Instead, I focused on getting aheadfirst in school and then in the corporate world. But getting ahead just meant achieving societys standard of success, not looking within myself to recognize the unique contribution I could make to the world or identifying the things that lit me up.

Rather than make mistakes to develop new skills, I focused on getting things perfect so I could receive validation. I looked to outside factorsincluding money, men, physical appearance, and career successto prove my worthiness instead of knowing it inherently. I turned to alcohol, shopping, and gossip to distract myself from the things that werent going well in my life, rather than confront them head-on.

Even when things appeared to be going well, I always had a sense that something was missing. Something was a little bit off. Now I know it was a connection with the divine. I had lost touch with my goddess nature. Fortunately, I could feel the pull and hear the whisper of the goddess, calling me to come back.

At forty, I had just survived a divorce and a doomed love affair. I could feel that my energy was offway offbut I didnt know why. I was spending a lot of time focused on dating and my appearance. I was trying to prove my worthiness and desirability through external factorsnamely, men and a finely crafted aesthetic. Of course, that didnt work.

I recall thinking, I dont feel like a goddess. Its interesting that I used those exact words, since I hadnt really spent much time thinking about goddesses, or even what it feels like to be one. But she was calling me back to reclaim my crown. I started to go to therapy, work on myself, and learn more about goddesses from across cultures and throughout history. I remember writing a note to myself that read: Act like a goddess even if you dont feel like one.

I started to invoke my inner goddess through yoga, meditation, journaling, reconnecting with nature, and self-inquiry. I began to remember the things that energized me. I chose to prioritize pleasure. Rather than look to external factors to validate my worthiness, I turned inward to cultivate self-love. I realized that worthiness wasnt something another person could give meI needed to create it on my own.

When I created the space and time for stillness and silence, I could hear the goddess more clearly. It became evident what I needed to do and what shifts I needed to make in my life to live passionately and authentically. Like me, many women feel that their story is winding down at this age, but really its just getting started.

The goddesses I learned about showed me how wisdom from thousands of years ago still applied to modern-day situations involving love, money, conflict, sex, and sense of purpose. I learned that I could be sexy and smart, vulnerable and strong, feminine and sovereign. I began to embrace my sexuality, my anxieties, my fears, and my desiresall the things I thought I was supposed to suppress, or at the very least tame. I realized that those were actually my superpowers.

I got curious about the things that inspired me. I explored them. And even though I still had fears of criticism and judgment, these no longer influenced my behavior or prevented me from trying. I stopped listening to the small voice telling me I wasnt good enough. Instead, I heard my goddess self encouraging me to move forward. I asked myself if the habits and people in my life were strengthening me or weakening me. This led me to replace behaviors like drinking alcohol, gossiping with friends, and engaging in unfulfilling relationships with empowering new habits and partnerships.

Of course, stepping into my goddess nature came with some upheaval. Old structures and beliefs needed to be destroyed for new ones to arise. My marriage, career, some friendships, and many habits were reevaluated and dismantled to clear the path for me to get aligned with my goddess nature. Although this brought tears, worry, and doubt, it also brought a sense of freedom and purpose. Not only that, but the dissolution of some structures has allowed me to evolve into a better mother, daughter, partner, and friend. Now Im excited to share this goddess wisdom with you.

The goddesses I have selected for this book are from across traditions and cultures. There are thousands of goddesses, but these are the ones who have most resonated with me and influenced my life. There are days when I need to connect with a warrior goddess like Durga for the courage to confront a problem. Other times, I want to connect with a love goddess like Aphrodite to spark passion in my relationship and my life. The goddess Saraswati provides me with creative inspiration, and Isis encourages me to nurture my family in a less-than-traditional configuration.

Some of my interpretations of the goddesses energies may not match with the connection you have with them. Thats okay. Each goddess connects with each one of us differently as she provides the energy we need to skillfully move through life and love. Explore the goddess, sit with her, consider her myth and how she shows up for you. How do you feel her energy? Where could you use this energy in your life?

I understand that some of these goddesses are still worshipped today. They were selected with love, respect, and sincere devotion to the deities themselves, the regions they are from, and the people who continue to worship them. Joseph Campbell, author, teacher, and mythologist, said in The Power of Myth, his legendary television series and book with Bill Moyers, that he hoped to see these stories evolve into planetary myths that unite people across the world, rather than separate them by culture and geography. It is my sincerest hope that by connecting with goddesses from across traditions, were taking a step in that direction. Campbell also talked about myths evolving over time to meet the people and situations of the current day so that they remain relevant and helpful. That is what I have attempted to do here.

Women across the world are united through shared goals of finding love, discovering purpose, caring for others, and becoming an uplifting force. These goddesses, their stories, and their wisdom show us that we are all much more alike than we are different when it comes to our desires, fears, and feelings. We all want to give and receive love, we want our families to be safe and healthy, and we want to feel that our gifts will have a positive impact on the world. In fact, these goddesses show us that weve shared these same aims for thousands of years. The goddesses in this book will help you remember what you came here to do.

There are several ways you can connect with the goddess, and you dont need to choose just one.

1. You can think of the goddess as a deity outside of yourself whom you can petition for help or guidance with the situations in your life. You can connect with the goddess through prayer or ritual.