Meet your cycle archetypes: The Rebel/The Maiden
Image: Pedro Henrique Santos via Unsplash
Archetypes represent aspects of the human psyche that have been embedded in our consciousness over generations and they’re an amazing way to connect to your cycle. Because archetypes are about personality, attitude and outlook, getting into the ‘character’ of them can help you embody the attributes you need to find balance. They each have a special energy or superpower you can make use of, depending on what you need
In this four part series, I’ll be giving you an overview of their attributes, superpowers and vulnerabilities, as well as tips to help you to connect to them. You’ll notice that I’ve used both the common names for them as well as my own - that’s because I find archetypes to be multifaceted and these names resonate better with me. You may well have your own!
The Rebel a.k.a The Maiden
The Rebel (most commonly called, The Maiden) represents the Inner Spring or pre-ovulation stage of the cycle i.e. the days between your period ending and your ovulation happening. In terms of life stage, she can represent your teenage years and the time you first started your period (menarche) and/or early adulthood - I like to say until around the late twenties.
Who is she?
The Maiden is all about fresh starts, hope, optimism, dynamism and expression. Think about those days after your period, where you’re feeling an upsurge in energy and want to get back out into the world, or springtime, where the first leaves and flowers tentatively start blooming. The Maiden is about firsts (hence why a ship’s first sail is called a maiden voyage). It’s about stepping out into the world and experimenting. The Maiden can be naive, operating on blind faith, trusting everyone and everything until she knows better - think about first loves and first jobs. We tend to give a lot more leeway with things in the beginning and refine as we go. Our teens and twenties are (usually) about finding our place in the world - figuring out who we are with lots of first times - establishing a career, finding our friends, finding love etc.
I’ve re-named The Maiden, The Rebel, because the energy of this phase is inwardly focused. It’s about finding out who we are, and sometimes, that means kicking back against established rules to trial and error it on our own. The Rebel energy is about experimentation, risk-taking and forging our own paths. The Rebel energy is the one that might get you to dye your hair pink, or chop it off altogether, to try polyamory or a threesome, to book that wild holiday or pack your bags and go travelling.
In either case, The Rebel and The Maiden are about getting out and doing things to further ourselves in some way with lightness.
The Rebel/Maiden Superpowers
The Rebel and The Maiden are literal breaths of fresh air. Because they’re all about firsts, her energy is centred around lightness and play. Some of her superpowers include:
Ability to focus on and prioritise Self
Out of the box thinking - because there is no box!
Creativity
Planning and strategy
Play
Experimentation
Resilience
Optimism and hope
Lifting others up
Ability to enjoy the journey as well as the destination
The Rebel/Maiden Vulnerabilities
Because the energy of this archetype is about self-discovery and self-focus, if left unchecked it can tip over into egosism, where it becomes all about me and what it is that I want. Some vulnerabilities include:
Self-centredness
Aggression/bullying
Overwhelm at trying to do it all/overestimating abilities
Anxiety
Dangerous risk-taking
Alienating people
Flakiness, being unreliable
Stubbornness (because she knows better!)
Competitiveness
How to connect to your inner Rebel/Maiden
The great thing about archetypes, is you can try them on at any time of your cycle. I like to think of them as sisters who can step in to help, wherever you are. You might find yourself in your premenstrual phase and in dire need of some lightness and fun. The Rebel/Maiden is the one you need to call! There’s no need to wait until you’re in the correlating phase. Having said that, her energy will likely feel easier to connect to or more apparent, in your pre-ovulatory/inner spring. Have a play around and see!
If you find yourself constantly being done to (i.e. always the victim), feel like you’re too serious and disconnected from your playfulness, want to get better at planning creatively or want to find a sense of inner lightness, play and experimentation, connecting to your inner Rebel/Maiden will help! Here are some tips:
Reconnect to your Maiden self. Who were you as a teen/young adult? What music did you like? What films? Who were your Hollywood crushes? You don’t have to get back into the style etc (heaven forbid!) but looking through old photos, memory boxes etc can help you to connect and see yourself as you were. Creating a collage can be a lovely (and creative) exercise to do here!
Journal on your Menarche. How was your first period? What was happening in your life around then? Create a ritual or ceremony to honour who you were at this pivotal time if you feel you didn’t get what you needed back then.
Schedule play time! The reality is that adulting doesn’t always leave time for play. Animals and children are a great away to experiment with playfulness as they do it naturally and willingly. Take a moment to figure out what play means to you, whether its board games, tickle battles or jumping on a trampoline.
Do something new. Try a new class or hobby, jump on an Instagram live, try a new shade of lipstick or a new hairstyle. Remember, both The Rebel and The Maiden are all about doing things because they feel good, regardless of what other people think.
Plan! It might be your next holiday, a work project, your wedding, your next cycle or simply making a bullet/handwritten diary/journal. The Maiden has a natural affinity to strategy and planning, so any time you do these activities, you’re tapping into her energy.
My personal favourite ways to connect to The Rebel/Maiden
Red lipstick and nail varnish
Plotting out my next cycle
Drawing new pages in my hand-made diary planner
Creating social media and blog posts
Listening to pop music and singing in the shower!
How do you connect to your inner Rebel/Maiden? Is she someone you know well, or do you need to place a little more focus on her to incorporate her energy into your cycle?
If you’re struggling with your cycle and would like to see how using archetypes and coaching can help, schedule your free 30min call with me or check out my menstrual cycle coaching space.