The 5 Erotic Archetypes For Women
You may have read about the four cycle archetypes and the divine feminine archetypes here on Revoloon, and I’m excited to finally explore the erotic archetypes with you in this post.
An archetype represents a specific set of personality traits, strengths, gifts, and values. There are so many facets of a woman, and each archetype embodies a different one. Every woman will feel comfortable and at home with one or several archetypes but feel estranged or detached from others. Working with the archetypes we’re unfamiliar with is how we honor every part of ourselves, find balance, and reclaim the full force of our feminine power.
There are no good or bad archetypes. Every archetype has a light side (positive traits) and a shadow side (toxic traits). If you feel like you’re in the shadow side of one of these archetypes, working with her can help you clear any blockages within and move into the light. When we work with all the archetypes, and through any shadows, we can feel the wholeness and richness of the fierce feminine.
Why should you work with erotic archetypes?
The erotic archetypes in this post relate specifically to women’s relationships with self-pleasure, sexuality, and sex. There is a multitude of ways that working with these archetypes can help you heal your relationship with sex, experience more pleasure, and dip into the world of sex magic.
Depending on what you’re going and growing through, the erotic archetypes can help you:
- Work through past sexual shame and/or trauma
- Embrace your sensual and sexual nature as a woman
- Have more positive, joyful sexual experiences
- Reconnect with and boost your libido
- Get wildly turned on
- Overcome shyness and insecurity
- Love and honor your body
- Navigate the different phases of womanhood (bleeding, pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and menopause)
- Break negative sexual habits
- Engage in spiritual sex, romantic sex, and wild sex
- Learn the art of sex magic
Meet the 5 erotic archetypes
The Pure Maiden
Words associated with this erotic archetype: innocent, pure, whole, youth, gentle, sweet, kind, open, shy.
The first of the erotic archetypes is the Pure Maiden. She represents the erotic innocence and vulnerability that exists in all of us. She helps us be open, tender, and playful with our partners during sex.
Although this archetype may be most strongly tied to a woman yet to have sex, we all have this archetype within us no matter how sexually experienced (or inexperienced) we are. The Pure Maiden allows us to reclaim this sense of innocence and playfulness if lost.
In her shadow side:
The shadow side of the Pure Maiden is feeling like your innocence has been robbed from you. This may have literally happened to you if you experienced sexual assault, abuse or trauma, but other times it can simply be a feeling.
You might use shyness as a mask to block sexual experiences. You might generally struggle to get turned on and feel like you’re not a very sexual being.
Another possibility is that you feel shame when you crave a more intimate and playful connection with someone instead of hot and steamy sessions.
The Sensual Mother
Words associated with this erotic archetype: love, lover, romance, sensual, heart-centered, luxury, nurture, mother, earth.
The Sensual Mother archetype looks for an emotional connection with her lovers and an experience that excites her senses. She longs to be romanced, nurtured, and seduced. She loves fiercely and fully with the whole of her heart. This woman loves, love, and seeks to love and be loved.
This archetype is also linked to our capacity to mother (nurture) ourselves and be in relationship. Can you be with your partner but also erotically nurture his inner child? If you have an unhealed mother wound from childhood, you will likely feel a block.
When you primarily embody the Sensual Mother erotic archetype, sex is most likely described as making love.
In her shadow side:
Some signs you’re in the shadow of the Sensual Mother archetype are submitting during sex, lying there, and waiting for it to be over. You have sex because you feel obliged to satisfy your partner’s needs or want to be loved, and it feels like you’re no more than a spectator or object in the experience. This may even leave you physically recoiling from your partner’s touch because, deep down, your soul doesn’t want this.
You don’t feel empowered to presence what you need and want, and you are blocking yourself from receiving. Your heart may be completely closed during sex to protect yourself from feeling unloved or abandoned.
The Wild Witch
Words associated with this erotic archetype: raw, wild, free, ugly, primal, instinct, animal, release, untamed, ritual, witch, nature, magic.
To know the Wild Witch’s freedom and liberation, we must own our ugly. There may have been times during sex when you’ve felt insecure about how your body looks, a sound that has escaped your lips, or you haven’t allowed yourself to ever fully lose control. Overcoming these blocks and embracing our primal nature as women is how we heal and embrace the Wild Witch.
For her, sex is alchemy; a ritual that allows her to connect with herself and nature: the moon, menstruation, plants, animals, the elements, etc. She is willing to meet and embrace her darkness so that she can transmute it into wisdom and light. Her sensual, seductive nature helps her make magic out of every sexual experience.
In her shadow side:
The Wild Witch tends to isolate herself from partnerships out of fear of losing herself in others, being misunderstood or persecuted for her primal, witchy nature. As women, we all live with the generational trauma of the witch hunts, and the witch wound cuts deep.
The Soul Priestess
Words associated with this erotic archetype: sacred, soul, spirit, divine, goddess, union, tantra, oneness, root, adorn, temple.
The Priestesses always used to be the temple keepers. They often used their sexuality to connect with the divine and heal themselves and others. The Soul Priestess erotic archetype is about recognizing that your body is your temple and healing your relationship with your temple.
Who do you allow into your temple?
She is deeply rooted to the earth but stands tall and has beauty and softness to her. She uses sex to connect with the divine, the universe, the great goddess, and her lover. For her, sex is the ultimate expression of union and oneness.
In her shadow side:
In the shadows of the Soul Priestess, this woman may struggle to find joy, meaning, and fulfillment in sex that isn’t spiritual or soulful. For example, a one-night stand or a quickie may feel shallow or unenlightened, and this may lead her to struggle to enjoy the full breadth of sexual experiences.
Another sign of this erotic archetype in her shadow side is if you struggle to fully relax and be in the moment during sex because you’re so focused on finding the deeper meaning.
The Dark Seductress
Words associated with this erotic archetype: dark, seductive, erotic, lusty, kinky, taboo, shame, slut, whore.
The Dark Seductress is the last of the erotic archetypes. She is sometimes known as “The Slut” but not in the way some people use that word today (read more about the etymology here). Women have started to reclaim this word. In this context, a slut or whore is a woman who fully embraces her sexual energy and power, enjoys liberated sex, and explores her darkness.
This archetype is about fully feeling your erotic feminine pleasure for you and no one else. She doesn’t seek external validation. If someone enjoys her pleasure too, great. But this is not the goal.
She feels the urge to explore her dark fantasies and test her self-imposed limits, and she wants to meet her partner’s darkest self. She uses sex and sexuality to work with and heal her shame. This kind of sex would be described as penetration, domination, and fucking.
In her shadow side:
The Dark Seductress may manipulate or use her sexuality to intentionally harm others to make her ego feel desired and loved. She may use sex as a weapon or a tool to avoid feeling deeper emotions. She may also shame herself for engaging in her dark fantasies and skip the part of acceptance.
It’s important that this dark, seductive energy is embraced in a safe, supportive space and isn’t directed at anybody else.
How to access these archetypes in daily life
To truly access and embody these archetypes within you, you’ve got to experience their frequency on a deep, cellular level. This is how we heal and transform.
One of the best ways to start on this journey is to tap into your inner feminine. We live in a world that runs primarily on masculine energy. Usually, being at work requires us to be in our masculine, but many of us forget to shift back into and honor our feminine.
Simple things like being in nature, connecting to your body, and tuning into your feelings are ways to access the feminine.
If you want to specifically explore your sexuality, make a ritual out of it.
Adorn yourself with something that feels beautiful, comfortable, and sexy against your skin and allows you to move fluidly.
Set up your space, so it feels safe and indulges your five senses. Light candles, put on sensual music, scatter rose petals, use essential oils, and prepare a delicious bowl of something that delights your taste buds.
Connect to your gateways: your throat and yoni. Both are connected. If your throat is blocked, then your yoni will be too. Open your throat, make a sound, and see what comes out. Place your hands on your heart, belly, and womb space. Breathe deeply and mindfully.
Play. Explore. Have fun. Give yourself permission to be here, to enjoy your body, and to receive pleasure.
Reflect on the erotic archetypes
Here are some questions to journal on that will help you understand where you are right now and where you wish to grow.
- What archetypes do I resonate with most?
- What archetypes do I feel disconnected from?
- How are the shadow sides of these archetypes showing up for me?
- Which past experiences have led me here?
- What archetype(s) is calling me to work with it further right now?
Share your journey and experiences with these erotic archetypes in the comments below!