myths/stories

Aphrodite’s ‘Girdle’

Dear Divine Woman,

It was truly the most stunningly beautiful gift I had ever received, the golden girdle – you would call it a belt - that my husband, Hephaestos, god of smithing made for me. In those days, a girdle was something that encircled, inspired and embraced rather than something that bound, controlled, reshaped, pinched – and essentially kept a woman from being able to live and breathe fully and freely.

We did not have much in common, Hephaestos and I, but in the hope of pleasing me, he showered me with gifts he made, for he had an amazing ability to forge beautiful things from all metals, and gold in particular. This golden girdle is surely his most wondrous creation, for it is not only stunningly beautiful, but it is also magical: it both embodies and emanates all that is needed for sweet love and fiery passion – pure loveliness, charming beguilement, the ardor of desire and the gentleness of the whispered endearment, which steals the heart away from even the thoughtful. In short, it makes whosoever wears it absolutely irresistible to both humans and gods.

Oh, yes, I must admit that this was a gift that I did appreciate. Perhaps it is because this golden girdle both captures and expresses who I, the goddess of love, am at heart. A very nice added benefit of this belt is that, should any divine woman find that she is having difficulty accessing her own deepest heart, I can lend it to her, for it will work its magic for her also. In fact, I lent it to Hera several times – you know Zeus and his wandering eye. Helen, of Trojan fame, also borrowed it – of course, that did cause quite a hornet’s nest. Still, you get the idea: any woman, including you, can borrow it and access its magic.

Now, I realize that belts are tricky for lots of women these days. Some of us can’t find a waist to wear a belt on, whereas others have been told that we can ‘get away with’ wearing a belt if we wear it with a jacket – that is to say, cover it up, so that it just peeks out at the world. The alternative of wearing a belt over our hearts, as I often do, is totally out of the question, as it is reserved for the special sashes and ribbons of contest winners. Now isn’t that interesting? – reserved for ‘specialness’…

So many restrictions… makes it difficult to get to the heart of the matter, doesn’t it? So, I’ll let you in on the secret to the magic of my golden belt. First, notice that it can be worn either over the heart, our emotional and compassionate center, or around the waist and hips, the center of our being, of our selves, of our strength. That’s the key: accessing the love and compassion at our center, the strongest power at the very core of our being. Not surprising, really, because, after all, who can resist us when love is at our center?

I do hope you will toss out all those constricting social and fashionable restrictions, turn a deaf ear to nay-sayers and wear this belt – and all belts – as I wore mine: to open to love and creativity, to define and mark who you are at your very core, but, never, never, never to constrict. In short, let the belt encircle you as you ‘girdle’ yourself with love – and know that in so doing, you are irresistible!