Mayan Motherhood Archetypes

I was reading a book, Jaguar Woman, the other day, published in 1986. In it the author writes of an initiation ceremony she experienced in Mexico.

(Full disclosure, this is written by Lynn V Andrews who was a wealthy white woman from LA who learned from different female shamanic elders around the world in the 80s, and was initiated into a secret global sisterhood at that time. She has since been called a “Plastic Shaman,” and shunned by certain indigenous groups, so you can take her writing for what it’s worth to you… For me, her description of these Mayan archetypes really hit home in a way.. Which is why I’m sharing with you. But like I said, take what works and leave what isn’t resonant.)

She writes how, in Mayan reality, all pregnant mothers go through this Initiation of The Final Mother.

Imagine a ceremony that every single pregnant woman in the community was required to undertake and play a role in, to prepare her for the reality of what motherhood could look and feel like… ALL aspects of it, the shadow and the light… all possibilities that can exist over the YEARS we spend in this archetype of Mother.

In western culture we have an ideal view of motherhood: the nurturing mother who marries, falls into a routine, cares for her children easefully, takes care of her home with joy. 

It becomes challenging when we find ourselves falling outside of this reality… this energy signature… this ideology of what it means to be a “normal” mother. 

In this author’s account of the Mayan belief system, there are actually four versions of Mother. And they are all exalted and viewed as necessary aspects of motherhood. 

These archetypes align with the four directions.

The earth mother does exist, yes.. the one who falls so easily into the routine of motherhood and care for others. She is in the North, called Great Mother or Chicomecoatl, the grandmother of the gods who is constantly nursing a little one with her ample breast, never tiring, always giving, ever-fertile. 

In the East, is the Rainbow Mother, Moon Mother, or Xochiquetzul. She has the energy of the Seer, the Poet, the Artist. She is a great thinker, too, and IF she marries and IF she has children, she doesn’t nurture her home, spouse, or children… she absolutely INSPIRES them with her artistic and free Beingness. She withers under the influence of routines. 

Across from Rainbow/Moon Mother, we have Crazy Mother or Ilamatecuhtli in the west. This is actually the same as the goddess of death… death, a part of motherhood, and this is the aspect of mother that turns others to stone if they look at her the wrong way. This is the part of motherhood that strips us of all we know to be true, removing us from our former talents and abilities, paralyzing us in this new space of Motherhood. This is the part of motherhood that tests your sanity, makes you feel crazy (think of this one manifesting in those women who are diagnosed with PPA/PPD/PPP). This is the aspect of Motherhood that tries to lure us into forgetting who we are under the burden of what it means to be Mother. 

Across from the Great Mother is the Death Mother in the South, Coatlique. She is the snake goddess and can also be an instrument of death, depression, or madness. This is the part of motherhood that repulses us, that is revolting, that feeling, for example, of disgust when you are touched out and can’t stand ONE MORE MINUTE of a baby being on your body… and then your baby starts crying and needs your comfort, grasping for your breast. 

By realizing that all four parts are part of the experience of being a Mother, and realizing that we have to balance ourselves against the “dark” aspects without resisting them, but by honoring them with our awareness and offerings of gratitude for the POWER they add to the experience of being a mother, we can hold ourselves beautifully within the crossroads in the center. Or maybe choosing one of the “light” archetypes if that feels aligned too, to spend more time in that direction. 

The process of becoming a mother shows us where we fall on this circle, and shows us how easy it is to fall into the grasp of the Crazy Mother or the Dark Mother if we allow them to consume us, without the awareness of the depths we are throwing ourselves to. 

There is a lot of power that comes from knowing who we are as a mother. Perhaps this is why we don’t have initiations for mothers like this… perhaps there was some benefit in the past, collectively, that we all somehow agreed to consciously or not, giving our power away to the darkness instead of honoring it and taking power FROM it. 

There is an ease that comes from aligning our energy with the archetype that feels most aligned with our inner essence. 

We don’t ALL have to be the Great Mother. We can if that’s our Truth, but we can also confidently inhabit the Rainbow/Moon Mother if that feels more aligned, or any of the others, without feeling guilty at all, because we have the awareness and realization that it’s a necessary part of the spectrum. 

Inhabiting each of these archetypes, even the “light” ones, has its challenges though. 

For example, it can feel isolating to be the Rainbow/Moon Mother in a society that doesn’t honor this role of Mother as Muse/Artist/Inspiration instead of Mother as Nurturer. These women can become frustrated, unfulfilled, or turn to methods of disassociation/addiction in order to cope. 

One who is the Great Mother, on the other hand, is honored and valued and accepted in society, but when they reach midlife, their children are grown, and there is no one left to nurture in that way, they can be overcome with grief to the point that the Death Mother could want to take over. 

When we have the awareness of the dark aspects of motherhood, as well as the light, and where we align naturally, we can take steps to honor the dark aspects if they come around. 

If we feel the influence of Crazy Mother or Death Mother, if we feel depression or gloom, we can create ceremony or ritual to honor the energy, which often helps dispel the energy more quickly than if we were to resist it or succumb completely to it. 

By honoring the dark side, we destroy her power over us, removing consent for her to “take us.” 

By honoring the light side of ourselves, these two complimentary archetypal presentations of Great Mother and Rainbow/Moon Mother, we are able to know what we need, express those needs to those around us, and have confidence in the importance of our role no matter how we present as Mother. (As well as honoring the rolls of the mothers around us no matter which archetype THEY are embodying.) 

We can pick and choose which aspects of any of these archetypes most suit our natural inclinations. For example, the Great Mother’s nurturing provides a container for what can sometimes feel like the chaotic freedom of the Moon Mother. The Great Mother reminds the Moon Mother to eat, to feed her kids, and to put them to bed at night. While the Moon Mother reminds the Great Mother that she can have a life outside of caring for her kids and home, and to show herself some love in her individuality, if she were to want that for herself. 

We can and often do embody aspects of all archetypes at the same time in different proportions. 

I’ll never forget an Akashic reading I received from Daniela Gil during my second pregnancy … I asked her what I needed to know to be the best mother possible for my child and baby-on-the-way… After tuning into the records, she said “Your children don’t NEED you in the way other kids would need their moms, they desire a hands-off type of mothering. They want to see your spaciousness and your freedom and be inspired by that.” 

There is so much levity that comes from the affirmation of and alignment with our true essence. Everyone’s on the same page on a soul level. And can be on a 3D level too, when we’re able to communicate our Truth from a place of authenticity and empowerment. 

I am loving and nurturing AF to my kids like the Great Mother, but I also really honor the Rainbow/Moon side of myself by trusting in my need for freedom and the benefit my children receive from seeing me pursuing my art, my creativity, and my joy while I’m in my own time away from them.

I am literally in this moment, writing this email at 1AM on the eve of the new moon while a sleeping toddler is draped across my lap… Maybe some folks view that as crazy but I view that as my version of motherhood and embodiment of the Great and Rainbow/Moon mother archetypes simultaneously. :)

So, as we all navigate our own unique pathways through motherhood, may we remember and call upon the wisdom of this ancient initiation ceremony: the acknowledgment and celebration of all archetypes, both “light” and “dark.”

In recognizing the power within each archetype of our Selves, we invite balance, authenticity, and empowerment into our experience. 

I’m so eager to hear from you, too, about which archetype resonates most deeply with your essence, and how could/has fully embracing this part of you enrich/ed your journey through motherhood? Let me know!