Goddesses in the Dust: Selfie with a Greek Island
An archaeologist unearths the divine feminine, one archetype at a time...
"Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere you find yourself."
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(Thanks to Michelle at It's a Small Town Life)
I like to think of the Greek island of Ithaka as feminine. She has many curves and hidden places, and like a wise older woman, she has lived a long life and learned many lessons. As I was leaving the island this time, I shot a picture of myself with her in the distance. Most people take selfies with friends, and this is no different. Ithaka has been a comforting, loving companion over many decades. She has taught me a lot, but as is the case with the best of friends, the lessons they teach are not about themselves, but you.
So to me, Ithaka is a goddess, a mentor and a sanctuary. And as in the poem by Constantine Cavafy, I always try to remember:
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
