There are many names for the Goddess of Love, Sensuality, and Beauty. She exists in every culture. The most well-known goddess of love is the Greek Aphrodite. She is often depicted as arising out of the sea on a half shell as made famous by Botticelli’s painting.
APHRODITE If a woman is blessed by Aphrodite, it generally means that she will be very much at ease with her body and have a healthy, uncomplicated relationship with her sexuality. Later as she matures this may appear as almost a rather casual regard for her sexuality. She will be sovereign unto herself, very self-possessed and autonomous.
One of her most predominant traits is to love being in love but only in relatedness with another. Aphrodite is never one to have sex without a feeling of connection no matter whether it is for an hour, night, or year. She is also known as the Goddess of Pleasure for she loves to be pleasured. She is often attracted to either sex and follows where her heart leads. An Aphrodite woman feels very comfortable with men and is seen as a "daddy's girl."
Right from the start she will have attractiveness about her, though not necessarily a conventional beauty. As a child she may have learned to flirt with her father and his friends provided they were not threatened by this. When she reaches adolescence she will have had to learn how to bring her budding sexuality under control. She may look more physically mature than she is and because of this attracts the attention of boys and men.
“Aphrodite is often mysterious and fascinatingly exotic to men and tends to be a disturbing presence in the workplace of the fatherland.”-The Goddess Within.
Therefore she may seek other forms of work such as being an entertainer or model. If she escapes from being sexually exploited by men she will learn how to use her beauty and sexuality to become a seductress.
OSHUN Oshun is commonly known as the river goddess in the Yoruba religion and is typically associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality. She is considered one of the most powerful of all orishas, and, like other goddesses, she possesses human attributes such as vanity, jealousy, and spite.is the Yoruha goddess of love, sensuality, abundance, and fertility.
She is generous and loving, charming, coquettish, and sensual: A woman who identifies with Oshun loves caring for herself. Her self-admiration is a way of showing the power of self-love, self-confidence, and self-reflection. She is depicted as kind, benevolent, and merciful. But she can also be very dangerous when crossed. Oshun teaches mankind how to overcome difficulties through kindness and diplomacy. Oshun is also associated with water, purity, destiny, divination, beauty, wealth, and prosperity.
Women who possess a lot of Oshun energy are independent, confident, and generous. They love freely but don't feel victimized if a relationship doesn't work out. They are kind and helpful, but they are not a martyr. They can communicate their needs effectively and listen to the needs of their partner.
HATHOR
She is the Egyptian goddess of many things: love, beauty, music, joy, dancing, fertility, and pleasure. She was the protector of women, though men also worshipped her. She had priests as well as priestesses in her temples. She was a goddess of motherhood, birth, rebirth after death, joy, celebration, gratitude, and renewal of the cosmos. Dance, music, and beauty were related goddess titles. She was particularly associated with women, but her cult was not exclusive to them.
A woman who identifies with Hathor possesses confidence and beauty, she loves to express herself through music or dance, she enjoys her body, and loves to be pleasured. She is unafraid of her sexuality and feels in control of her power to allure. She is a bit wild and free and is apt to tease a bit more and be playful when she wishes to find a lover.
The Shadow Side of the Goddess of Love, Sensuality & Beauty
The shadow of this aspect of the Divine Feminine, as it plays out in human nature, may look like self-absorption, vanity, excessive focus on outer form rather than inner beauty, and insensitivity to the needs and feelings of others. It may also be the use of flattery or other untruthful communication aimed at manipulating to get what one wants or compete for that which one desires.
Jealousy, comparison, and insecurity are shadow aspects of this archetype in human nature. The distortions of body image are found in this archetype. She will use her beauty and sex appeal to manipulate to get what she wants. She does not trust women and will betray them if necessary.
The gateway to the Goddess of Love is found through beauty in all its aspects. "I feel. I respond. I beautify.”
THE WAY OF THE LOVER All of these archetypes of the goddess of love evolve just as we do. They become more self-aware and more embodied with the qualities of a higher love frequency.
The way of the Lover is the way of presence in the present moment. The Lover embraces, inspires passion, and offers eternally fulfilling unconditional love and sensual ecstasy. The Lover sees the Beloved in every face.
Through beauty, life around her sphere is brought into natural harmony. Harmony is a natural state of being in this aspect. In this state of harmony, body, mind, feelings, and spirit are not in conflict, but in unity and linked to one’s essence and the larger pattern of perfection.
Harmony is merely a reflection of a higher order of reality. The Goddess of Love's transcendent function in the Mystery is that this aspect of the Goddess represents this higher order of natural harmony of which beauty is an example.
She is a goddess who knows her power, is virginal that is she is “whole unto herself” autonomous, her own boss, she knows her worth, and knows she is beautiful and irresistible. She knows the arts of love and adornment and how to use them.
She is the personification of love, grace, and beauty, and she knows how to use her feminine allure. Confident in her sex appeal, she sees that sexual pleasure is good and something that is to be enjoyed with as many partners as one desires.
**Some of this material was taken from the 13 Moon Oracle by Arielle Way.