Inside Out

Most of you probably already know that Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, but do you know who these other six goddesses are? Take our quiz and find out!

Can you picture your father, brother, or male friends closing their eyes, clasping their hands together, and praying to the earth goddess Gaia for rain to relieve a drought?!

It's hard to believe, but at one time people worshipped a goddess -- as in a female! In ancient times, both women AND men prayed to a goddess who represented all the awesome qualities that are feminine. Hard to imagine that happening now, isn't it?!!!

This goddess worshipping culture was invaded, and eventually taken over by the Indo-Europeans. Belief in the female goddess faded away as the Europeans were forced into the Indo-European's male-focused religion.

BUT, maybe it's time to start thinking about goddesses again...

Today the goddesses are usually only remembered as part of the study of Greek mythology. According to Greek myths, there were seven goddesses who lived on Mount Olympus, each one with her own special powers

These Greek Goddesses represented those special qualities that are feminine. YOU are female, AND each and every female IS a goddess. (Even if she doesn't always feel like one!) We each may be able to relate to one goddess more than another, but we all have the ability to use the wisdom of the goddesses!

How does this relate to being a girl here and now in 1999?

Just imagine that three goddesses acted as one girl's guides for a day. They followed this girl (named Amy) around and told her what they thought she should do in every difficult situation that happened to her that day.

The three goddesses were:

Here's what happened...

This year, like every year before school starts, Amy's mom took her to the coolest vintage clothing stores to get old Levis, dresses from the 50s, and any other treasures they could find. Amy loves these stores because she can always find unique clothing at good prices.

Since Amy and her mother split the cost of her clothes, finding a bargain is important to her.

Amy's favorite hobby is embroidery. She loves to decorate her tee shirts with her own original designs. She has saved $35 of her money to buy special silk embroidery thread which she plans to get at the mall.

Amy, Toni, and Michelle are having a great time at the mall, going from store to store looking at all the cool stuff to buy. Toni and Michelle are totally psyched when they find a pair of Dr. Martins in navy blue, the hottest fall color.

Amy decides to try the shoes on for fun, even though she already bought a pair of shoes at the vintage clothing store that she loves. The Dr. Martins were a half-size too small and pinched her feet a little when she walked. When she asked to try on the next size, the salesperson said that they were out.

Toni and Michelle bought their shoes and tried really hard to convince Amy to buy a pair. Toni said, "Amy, these are the coolest shoes; if you want to look good this fall you NEED to buy them!"

Guess what Aphrodite whispered in Amy's ear?

And what do you think that crafty Athena said?

Do you think this advice from Artemis was wise?

Unlike Amy, we don't walk around with goddesses talking to us. But maybe we should. Some girls seem to be born with goddess wisdom within them, and some always seem to have to work harder at it.

Are there any women in your life who you think have goddess-like qualities? Is there someone who you wish could be YOUR guide? Can you carry her spirit with you during the day, and ask yourself, "What would my goddess-guide do in this situation?" whenever you are faced with a tough decision? I bet you can.

Remember: EVERY girl is a goddess. Walk with confidence, be strong AND beautiful, from the inside out. Let goddess wisdom help YOU!

Match each goddess with her correct identity:

1. Demeter is the goddess of:

2. Athena is the goddess of:

3. Hera is the goddess of:

4. Artemis is the goddess of:

5. Persephone is the goddess of:

6. Hestia is the goddess of: