December 10, 2025 • 26 mins
Medusa wasn't born a monster. She was a woman, a priestess, a rape survivor who was punished for her own violation. Patriarchy turned her into a warning: this is what happens when women have boundaries too fierce to cross.
But what if the transformation wasn't a curse? What if the serpent crown was sovereignty, and the petrifying gaze was the ultimate boundary—the power to stop anyone who approached with harmful intent?
In this episode, Casey reclaims Medusa's story and explores:
- The real myth of Medusa
- Why the serpent crown is sacred feminine wisdom, not monstrousness
- The petrifying gaze as absolute boundary: "Look at me with respect, or do not look at all"
- Rage as protective medicine—holding the line, not lashing out
- The difference between traumatized rage and sovereign boundaries
- Who the real monsters are (spoiler: not Medusa)
Casey shares her own ongoing healing journey with sexual trauma and what Medusa continues to teach her about holding sacred boundaries in partnership.
Content warning: This episode discusses sexual violence and may be activating for survivors. Please ensure you have support.
Includes a practice for reclaiming your gaze and your power to protect yourself absolutely.
Join the coven: patreon.com/TheGoddessCoven_PriestessInitiations
Transcripts & resources: www.the-goddess-coven.com
This podcast is spiritual teaching, not therapy or medical advice.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Welcome back to Priestess Initiations, the Goddess Coven.
I'm Casey. This is episode 7, and today
we're talking about Medusa, the woman they turned into a
monster, the victim they blamed,the survivor whose very
existence became her protection.Medusa teaches us that rage is
medicine, that boundaries can beabsolute, but what the world
(00:25):
calls too much is often just a woman who refuses to be harmed
again. If you've ever been violated and
then blamed for it, if you've ever been called angry when you
were just protecting yourself, if you've ever weaponized your
visibility because it was the only power you had, you've met
Medusa. Before we begin, I want to say
(00:48):
clearly that if sexual trauma ispart of your story, please make
sure you have support. Find a trauma informed therapist
if you need one. What ioffer here is spiritual
teaching, not mental health treatment.
And some of what we explore today may be activating, so
please take care of yourself. So let's start with what they
(01:13):
don't tell you about Medusa. They tell you she was a monster.
They show you her severed head on Shields, snakes writhing,
mouth frozen in a scream. They say she was born that way,
something to be slain, conquered, a trophy for heroes.
But that's not the truth. Medusa was a woman first.
(01:37):
She was a priestess in Athena's temple, a maiden devoted to the
goddess. She was known for her beauty,
especially her hair. She was human, mortal, serving
the divine. And Poseidon, God of the Seas,
God of earthquakes, God who takes what he wants, saw her.
(02:00):
What happened in Athena's templewas not seduction.
It was not an affair. It was rape.
Poseidon raped Medusa on the sacred floor of the goddess's
sanctuary. He desecrated the temple, and he
destroyed Medusa's life in the process.
And when Athena discovered what had happened, when the goddess
found them, she did not strike Poseidon, which you might have
(02:25):
feelings about, but he was a fellow Olympian, powerful,
protected by divine politics. The gods look out for their own.
Sound familiar? Olympus was a patriarchy too,
just like our society is right now.
So Athena struck Medusa instead.Athena transformed Medusa so
(02:47):
that her beautiful hair became serpents.
Her face became something that would turn anyone who looked at
it to stone. The victim was punished for her
own violation. The one who was harmed was made
into what patriarchy calls a monster.
This is the story of every womanwho has been assaulted and then
blamed, who has been violated and then asked, what were you
(03:11):
wearing? Why were you there?
Why didn't you fight harder? Why didn't you leave?
As if being harmed makes you responsible for the harm.
As if trauma transforms you intoa threat.
And it does. It makes you a threat to
patriarchy, to a punitive based justice system where fear of
(03:33):
punishment prevents men and boysfrom taking accountability, from
restorative justice that actually brings satisfaction
through actionable change and restorative effort to those who
were harmed. Your trauma, your truth, demands
real social change. But here's where the story gets
interesting. Here's the reframe that changes
(03:55):
everything. What if the transformation was
not punishment, but protection? What if Athena, constrained by
the rules of Olympus that she couldn't break, gave Medusa the
only gift she could? What if she couldn't punish
Poseidon yet, but she could ensure he and every man like him
(04:19):
could never hurt Medusa again? What if the serpent hair was not
a curse, but a crown? What if the petrifying gaze was
not monstrousness, but the ultimate boundary, the power to
literally stop anyone who approached with harmful intent?
Think about it. After the transformation, no one
(04:42):
could violate Medusa again. No one could even look at her
with objectifying, predatory eyes without being turned to
stone. Her very existence became her
protection. Her trauma became her armor.
Her visibility became her weapon.
She didn't have to hide. She didn't have to make herself
small, or palpable or safe for others.
(05:06):
She went to live at the edges ofthe world with her Gorgon
sisters, and her existence kept her safe.
The men who came to slay the monster were really men who
couldn't tolerate a woman who could protect herself
absolutely. A woman who could stop their
gaze with her own. A woman whose boundaries were so
fierce, so absolute, that even looking at her the wrong way
(05:29):
would petrify you. Perseus, the celebrated hero,
could only defeat her through trickery.
He couldn't face her directly. He had to look at her reflection
in his shield, approach her while she slept, use weapons
given by the gods. Even in death, she could not be
(05:50):
met face to face by masculine power.
And here's what they really don't tell you.
From Medusa's Blood Spring, Pegasus, the winged horse, the
symbol of creative power, inspiration, transcendence.
From violation and transformation and death came
(06:11):
the power to fly, to rise above,to soar.
This is Medusa's teaching. Trauma can be alchemized into
power. Victimhood can transform into
guardianship. What the world calls monstrous
is often just fierce boundary enforcement.
(06:34):
So let's talk about what Medusa actually became.
Because the symbolism matters. The serpents on her head,
they're not random, they're sacred.
In ancient goddess traditions, serpents represent wisdom,
transformation, regeneration, the ability to shed your skin
(06:56):
and be reborn, the earth, medicine, kundalini energy, the
life force itself. Medusa wears a crown of
serpents. She wears the most powerful
symbol of feminine wisdom and transformation on her head, and
patriarchy looks at that and calls it monstrous.
(07:18):
Because that's what patriarchy does with feminine power.
It can't control. It calls it monstrous, evil,
dangerous. The witch, the whore, the bitch,
the Medusa. But we know the truth.
The Serpent Crown is sovereignty.
It's the mark of a woman who hasshed her old skin, who has been
(07:40):
through the fire of transformation, who wears her
power openly. And the gaze, the petrifying
gaze that turns men to stone. This is the ultimate boundary.
Your gaze has power. When you look back at what harms
you, when you refuse to lower your eyes, when you meet
(08:02):
predatory energy with your own fierce seeing, you stop it.
You turn it to stone. This is what Medusa teaches.
You don't have to be soft. You don't have to make yourself
safe for people who wish you harm.
(08:23):
Your boundaries can be absolute.Your protection can be fierce.
Your gaze can say you cannot touch me, look at me with
respect, or do not look at all. And yes, some people will call
you a monster for this. They'll call you angry,
difficult, too much. They'll say you're overreacting,
(08:44):
that you're being unfair, that you need to soften.
But you know what? The people who call you
monstrous for having boundaries are usually the people your
boundaries are protecting you from.
Medusa's visibility is her power.
She doesn't hide in shame. She doesn't make herself
smaller. She exists openly, and that
existence is what keeps her safe.
(09:08):
This is the medicine for survivors.
You don't have to hide. You don't have to carry shame
that belongs to someone who harmed you.
Your trauma doesn't make you dirty, broken, or monstrous.
Your fierce protection of yourself is not a problem.
It's your power. One of the most important things
(09:31):
Medusa teaches is this Rage is medicine.
Rage is protection. We're taught, especially as
women, that rage is ugly, that it's destructive, that it makes
us unattractive, that it's not spiritual, that we need to let
it go and forgive. But Medusa says no.
(09:54):
Rage tells you where your boundaries have been violated.
Rage says this is not OK, this will not happen again.
I will protect myself. Rage is what rises up when
someone tries to harm you. Rage is the life force saying I
deserve better than this. I am worth protecting.
(10:19):
And for survivors of sexual trauma especially, rage is often
the first sign that you're moving from victim consciousness
to survivor power. Rage means you've stopped
blaming yourself. Rage means you've stopped making
excuses for what was done to you.
Rage means you're done being small and accommodating and nice
to people who harmed you. This is good rage.
(10:43):
This is medicine. But here's what's crucial to
understand about Medusa's rage. It's not about lashing out.
It's about holding the line. Medusa's not trapped, but she
also doesn't leave her garden atthe edge of the world to hunt
(11:04):
men down. She doesn't go seeking revenge.
She doesn't rage at everyone indiscriminately.
She stays in her space, leaves when she wants, and she holds
her boundary. And when men come for her, when
they cross into her territory with harmful intent, then her
(11:24):
gaze turns them to stone. This is the difference between
protective rage and traumatized rage.
That's still acting out the wound.
Feminine rage that lashes out, that attacks indiscriminately,
that punishes all men for the harm done by some.
That's traumatized rage. And I say this with compassion
(11:45):
because I understand it, but that kind of rage actually
perpetuates the cycles we're trying to break.
It feeds into the man hating woman narrative.
It makes men feel threatened andthey they rage back and the
cycle continues. Both sides lashing out, both
sides hurting, both sides more entrenched.
The lashing out on both sides needs to stop.
(12:09):
What needs to be born is what Medusa embodies.
Sovereign boundaries, holding the line, gatekeeping.
Our sacred gifts, our bodies, our trust, our vulnerability.
Because here's the truth that patriarchy doesn't want us to
know. Our trust, our vulnerability,
(12:32):
our bodies, our sacred gifts. But these need to be earned, not
given freely to anyone who asks.Not withheld out of bitterness
or revenge, but offered discerningly to those who have
proven they can hold them with care.
Medusa's rage protects her sovereignty.
(12:53):
It guards her garden. It says you cannot enter my
sacred space unless you approachwith respect.
You cannot access my vulnerability, my body, my
trust, unless you've earned it. And if you try to take what
hasn't been offered, if you try to violate her boundary, then
yes, you will be turned to stone.
(13:13):
Not because she's hunting you, but because she will not be
moved from her truth. This is the fierce feminine that
the world needs right now. Not women who are constantly
angry at all men. Not women who have shut down
completely, who won't let anyonein.
But women who know their worth, who hold their boundaries, who
say I am sovereign. You may approach with respect or
(13:37):
not at all. And for the men who are willing
to do the work, who are willing to earn trust instead of
demanding it. Who are willing to respect
boundaries instead of seeing them as obstacles.
Medusa teaches them something, too.
She teaches them that feminine vulnerability and sacred gifts
are precious. That they're not owed to you.
(14:01):
That you have to show up, be present, be accountable, be
trustworthy, and then maybe you'll be invited in.
This is restorative. This is what actually creates
change. And so I know some of what I
said is probably upsetting. It might be hitting some raw
(14:25):
edges. And that's why I want to hold
this compassion and why I want to.
I want to name that I am not just talking from academia, but
from lived experience. I've been on over a decade long
(14:49):
journey of healing from sexual trauma, and sexual assault was
incredibly normalized when I wasin college.
The ideas that I'm talking abouttoday of holding sovereignty, of
knowing you are worthy of being earned, those were not things
(15:13):
that were part of our culture when I was in college, and
they're still not, but they're starting to emerge into the
mainstream. And there are so many layers
that I have uncovered through this process of trauma healing.
And I wrote my thesis actually, interestingly for my masters on
(15:37):
embodying empowering archetypes,a path to healing sexual trauma
in body psychotherapy. After this episode, for those of
you interested, I will be posting that thesis to our
Patreon for Full Moon members and higher.
(15:59):
And this is the thing that I want to talk about is these
layers, right? This spiral, you've probably
noticed that's a theme in this podcast by now.
And it's a theme because it's true.
Even a decade later, I'm still healing.
I'm just healing in very deep layers now because it's not
linear. I returned to this work again
(16:20):
and again at different depths, and that's the spiral that
Medusa keeps teaching me. And so recently I've been
learning new lessons around sex and sexuality.
And that means sometimes I'm open and sometimes I'm not.
(16:42):
And that's not a problem. It's wisdom.
And the wisdom comes in knowing that my body knows what it
needs, taking the pause to listen to it, and honoring that
that listening is healing. And I'm learning that I need
(17:04):
different things at different parts of my menstrual cycle.
I believe all women need this. If there's one out there that
doesn't, please let me know in the comments.
But for most of my experiences with people who have wombs that
they need different things, I amblessed right now with a partner
(17:27):
who not only respects my know, but checks in with my maybes in
safe partnership. It's not on you to fix yourself
when you're not in the mood. Sometimes their energy might
need to shift, and if it's a manthat you're with, his energy
might need to become more present, less goal oriented.
(17:53):
I've learned what it means to bewith someone who sees my
boundaries as sacred, not as obstacles.
Someone who understands that my body's wisdom, including when I
need to close, when I need distance, when I need softness
instead of intensity, is something to honor, not
override. Someone who recognizes that my
vulnerability and my trust are sacred gifts that need to be
(18:16):
earned, not demanding. And he's willing to do that
work. And this is Medusa's teaching.
She teaches that your boundariesare sacred, that your body gets
to say no, maybe not right now, and that's not a problem, and
(18:40):
that healing doesn't mean you stop having boundaries.
It means you learn to trust them.
You don't owe anyone access to your body, ever.
The too muchness of your protection is exactly right, and
you're learning to hold the line, not lash out.
(19:04):
And this is ongoing because healing isn't linear.
Some days I'm fierce, some days I'm soft.
And both are allowed. And so I just want to encourage
you again that if sexual trauma is part of your story, you
deserve support. There are some really great
(19:25):
trauma informed therapists out there, and healing takes time.
Honor your pace. Your boundaries are not a
problem to solve. And remember that your rage is
medicine. Learn to hold the line with it.
You're not broken. Medusa teaches us that we don't
(19:48):
heal by becoming soft and vulnerable with everyone.
Sometimes we heal by becoming fierce, by letting our gaze turn
harmful energy to stone, by holding the line at our sacred
boundary and refusing to let anyone cross it who hasn't
earned the right. And that's not monstrousness,
that's sovereignty. So let's be very clear about who
(20:13):
the monsters are in Medusa's story, because this matters.
The monster is not the woman with serpent hair.
The monster is not the survivor with fierce boundaries.
The monster is not the woman whosays no and means it.
The monsters are Poseidon who raped her, the system that
(20:34):
punished the victim instead of the perpetrator.
Athena, who couldn't or wouldn'thold Poseidon accountable so she
took it out on Medusa instead. And yes, sometimes women
perpetuate harm against other women.
Sometimes the feminine betrays itself.
We'll talk about that more when we get to the Medusa and Athena
(20:57):
pairing in Season 2. I'm planning on doing an episode
on them together from a parts work lens because I really see
them as two parts of a whole. Perseus is a monster who killed
a traumatized woman and called it heroism, and the culture that
has told this story for thousands of years, as if
(21:20):
slaying her was noble, as if shedeserved it, as if she was the
problem. The real monster is a culture
that blames the victims, that asks survivors what did you do
to provoke it, that tells women your anger is ugly, your
boundaries are unreasonable, andyour protection is excessive.
The real monster is a world thatneeds women to be nice,
(21:42):
compliant, accessible, and callsus a monstrous when we refuse.
Medusa survives anyway. Her image endures.
On doorways, she protects home. On Shields, she guards warriors.
In jewelry, she adorns women whoknow their power.
In tattoos, she marks the skin of survivors.
(22:05):
We need her. We need the reminder that we can
transform our trauma into protection, that we can
weaponize our visibility, that we can look back at what harms
us and turn it to stone with theforce of our truth.
When women wear Medusa imagery today, we're not claiming
monstrousness. We're claiming the right to
protect ourselves. We're saying my boundaries are
(22:28):
absolute. My gaze has power.
You cannot violate me and walk away unchanged.
I am not an object for your consumption.
Look at me with respect or do not look at all.
Let's close with a Medusa. Practice reclaiming your gaze.
(22:48):
If you have a mirror nearby, take a moment to grab it or go
to it and look at yourself. And if not, just imagine your
own face, particularly your eyes.
Take a moment to look into your own eyes.
(23:10):
Really look. Not with judgement, let that go.
Not with criticism. Just see yourself.
Now imagine you're wearing Medusa's serpent crown.
Feel the weight of it, the powerof it.
(23:32):
You are crowned in wisdom and transformation, in fierce
protection. Take a moment to adjust your
posture. Stand tall, powerful.
Straighten your spine, maybe give it a little slither and
(23:57):
feel your crown. Feel your eyes.
And when you're ready, bring to mind someone or something that
has tried to harm you, violate your boundaries, or make you
small. Don't go into the story.
(24:20):
Just let it be the energy that'spresent with you right now,
whether that's your boss at workor someone else.
Now meet it with your gaze. Imagine your eyes have Medusa's
(24:43):
power. You look at it and it turns to
stone. This thing that has tried to
harm you, to make you small. It turns to stone under your
gaze. It cannot move.
It cannot reach you. It cannot hurt you.
(25:05):
Your gaze says no, not anymore. You cannot enter here, feel that
in your body, feel the power of your own protection.
This is Medusa's gift. Your boundaries are sacred.
(25:29):
Your gaze has power. You get to protect yourself
fiercely and absolutely. Everything we explore here lives
in practice. There's a link in our bio for
our free community where you'll find our Ritual Grimoire,
Embodiment library, and online workshops diving deeper into the
work. If this work is serving you and
(25:51):
you want to support the podcast,I have a Patreon where you get
monthly New Moon rituals, the ability to list your business in
our coven shop, and more. That link is in the bio, and I
will be posting that master's thesis in there today.
Your support helps me keep creating this content and
(26:14):
building the coven. And if you're loving the
podcast, please leave a review. It helps us reach more people
who are ready for this medicine and share it with your friends.
Maybe it's an opportunity to deepen into some of these
discussions, especially with this episode, because you
deserve support. Subscribe so you don't miss an
(26:37):
episode. The Spiral.
This podcast is spiritual teaching, not therapy or medical
advice.
Welcome back to Priestess Initiations, the Goddess Coven.
I'm Casey. This is episode 7, and today
we're talking about Medusa, the woman they turned into a
monster, the victim they blamed,the survivor whose very
existence became her protection.Medusa teaches us that rage is
medicine, that boundaries can beabsolute, but what the world
(00:25):
calls too much is often just a woman who refuses to be harmed
again. If you've ever been violated and
then blamed for it, if you've ever been called angry when you
were just protecting yourself, if you've ever weaponized your
visibility because it was the only power you had, you've met
Medusa. Before we begin, I want to say
(00:48):
clearly that if sexual trauma ispart of your story, please make
sure you have support. Find a trauma informed therapist
if you need one. What ioffer here is spiritual
teaching, not mental health treatment.
And some of what we explore today may be activating, so
please take care of yourself. So let's start with what they
(01:13):
don't tell you about Medusa. They tell you she was a monster.
They show you her severed head on Shields, snakes writhing,
mouth frozen in a scream. They say she was born that way,
something to be slain, conquered, a trophy for heroes.
But that's not the truth. Medusa was a woman first.
(01:37):
She was a priestess in Athena's temple, a maiden devoted to the
goddess. She was known for her beauty,
especially her hair. She was human, mortal, serving
the divine. And Poseidon, God of the Seas,
God of earthquakes, God who takes what he wants, saw her.
(02:00):
What happened in Athena's templewas not seduction.
It was not an affair. It was rape.
Poseidon raped Medusa on the sacred floor of the goddess's
sanctuary. He desecrated the temple, and he
destroyed Medusa's life in the process.
And when Athena discovered what had happened, when the goddess
found them, she did not strike Poseidon, which you might have
(02:25):
feelings about, but he was a fellow Olympian, powerful,
protected by divine politics. The gods look out for their own.
Sound familiar? Olympus was a patriarchy too,
just like our society is right now.
So Athena struck Medusa instead.Athena transformed Medusa so
(02:47):
that her beautiful hair became serpents.
Her face became something that would turn anyone who looked at
it to stone. The victim was punished for her
own violation. The one who was harmed was made
into what patriarchy calls a monster.
This is the story of every womanwho has been assaulted and then
blamed, who has been violated and then asked, what were you
(03:11):
wearing? Why were you there?
Why didn't you fight harder? Why didn't you leave?
As if being harmed makes you responsible for the harm.
As if trauma transforms you intoa threat.
And it does. It makes you a threat to
patriarchy, to a punitive based justice system where fear of
(03:33):
punishment prevents men and boysfrom taking accountability, from
restorative justice that actually brings satisfaction
through actionable change and restorative effort to those who
were harmed. Your trauma, your truth, demands
real social change. But here's where the story gets
interesting. Here's the reframe that changes
(03:55):
everything. What if the transformation was
not punishment, but protection? What if Athena, constrained by
the rules of Olympus that she couldn't break, gave Medusa the
only gift she could? What if she couldn't punish
Poseidon yet, but she could ensure he and every man like him
(04:19):
could never hurt Medusa again? What if the serpent hair was not
a curse, but a crown? What if the petrifying gaze was
not monstrousness, but the ultimate boundary, the power to
literally stop anyone who approached with harmful intent?
Think about it. After the transformation, no one
(04:42):
could violate Medusa again. No one could even look at her
with objectifying, predatory eyes without being turned to
stone. Her very existence became her
protection. Her trauma became her armor.
Her visibility became her weapon.
She didn't have to hide. She didn't have to make herself
small, or palpable or safe for others.
(05:06):
She went to live at the edges ofthe world with her Gorgon
sisters, and her existence kept her safe.
The men who came to slay the monster were really men who
couldn't tolerate a woman who could protect herself
absolutely. A woman who could stop their
gaze with her own. A woman whose boundaries were so
fierce, so absolute, that even looking at her the wrong way
(05:29):
would petrify you. Perseus, the celebrated hero,
could only defeat her through trickery.
He couldn't face her directly. He had to look at her reflection
in his shield, approach her while she slept, use weapons
given by the gods. Even in death, she could not be
(05:50):
met face to face by masculine power.
And here's what they really don't tell you.
From Medusa's Blood Spring, Pegasus, the winged horse, the
symbol of creative power, inspiration, transcendence.
From violation and transformation and death came
(06:11):
the power to fly, to rise above,to soar.
This is Medusa's teaching. Trauma can be alchemized into
power. Victimhood can transform into
guardianship. What the world calls monstrous
is often just fierce boundary enforcement.
(06:34):
So let's talk about what Medusa actually became.
Because the symbolism matters. The serpents on her head,
they're not random, they're sacred.
In ancient goddess traditions, serpents represent wisdom,
transformation, regeneration, the ability to shed your skin
(06:56):
and be reborn, the earth, medicine, kundalini energy, the
life force itself. Medusa wears a crown of
serpents. She wears the most powerful
symbol of feminine wisdom and transformation on her head, and
patriarchy looks at that and calls it monstrous.
(07:18):
Because that's what patriarchy does with feminine power.
It can't control. It calls it monstrous, evil,
dangerous. The witch, the whore, the bitch,
the Medusa. But we know the truth.
The Serpent Crown is sovereignty.
It's the mark of a woman who hasshed her old skin, who has been
(07:40):
through the fire of transformation, who wears her
power openly. And the gaze, the petrifying
gaze that turns men to stone. This is the ultimate boundary.
Your gaze has power. When you look back at what harms
you, when you refuse to lower your eyes, when you meet
(08:02):
predatory energy with your own fierce seeing, you stop it.
You turn it to stone. This is what Medusa teaches.
You don't have to be soft. You don't have to make yourself
safe for people who wish you harm.
(08:23):
Your boundaries can be absolute.Your protection can be fierce.
Your gaze can say you cannot touch me, look at me with
respect, or do not look at all. And yes, some people will call
you a monster for this. They'll call you angry,
difficult, too much. They'll say you're overreacting,
(08:44):
that you're being unfair, that you need to soften.
But you know what? The people who call you
monstrous for having boundaries are usually the people your
boundaries are protecting you from.
Medusa's visibility is her power.
She doesn't hide in shame. She doesn't make herself
smaller. She exists openly, and that
existence is what keeps her safe.
(09:08):
This is the medicine for survivors.
You don't have to hide. You don't have to carry shame
that belongs to someone who harmed you.
Your trauma doesn't make you dirty, broken, or monstrous.
Your fierce protection of yourself is not a problem.
It's your power. One of the most important things
(09:31):
Medusa teaches is this Rage is medicine.
Rage is protection. We're taught, especially as
women, that rage is ugly, that it's destructive, that it makes
us unattractive, that it's not spiritual, that we need to let
it go and forgive. But Medusa says no.
(09:54):
Rage tells you where your boundaries have been violated.
Rage says this is not OK, this will not happen again.
I will protect myself. Rage is what rises up when
someone tries to harm you. Rage is the life force saying I
deserve better than this. I am worth protecting.
(10:19):
And for survivors of sexual trauma especially, rage is often
the first sign that you're moving from victim consciousness
to survivor power. Rage means you've stopped
blaming yourself. Rage means you've stopped making
excuses for what was done to you.
Rage means you're done being small and accommodating and nice
to people who harmed you. This is good rage.
(10:43):
This is medicine. But here's what's crucial to
understand about Medusa's rage. It's not about lashing out.
It's about holding the line. Medusa's not trapped, but she
also doesn't leave her garden atthe edge of the world to hunt
(11:04):
men down. She doesn't go seeking revenge.
She doesn't rage at everyone indiscriminately.
She stays in her space, leaves when she wants, and she holds
her boundary. And when men come for her, when
they cross into her territory with harmful intent, then her
(11:24):
gaze turns them to stone. This is the difference between
protective rage and traumatized rage.
That's still acting out the wound.
Feminine rage that lashes out, that attacks indiscriminately,
that punishes all men for the harm done by some.
That's traumatized rage. And I say this with compassion
(11:45):
because I understand it, but that kind of rage actually
perpetuates the cycles we're trying to break.
It feeds into the man hating woman narrative.
It makes men feel threatened andthey they rage back and the
cycle continues. Both sides lashing out, both
sides hurting, both sides more entrenched.
The lashing out on both sides needs to stop.
(12:09):
What needs to be born is what Medusa embodies.
Sovereign boundaries, holding the line, gatekeeping.
Our sacred gifts, our bodies, our trust, our vulnerability.
Because here's the truth that patriarchy doesn't want us to
know. Our trust, our vulnerability,
(12:32):
our bodies, our sacred gifts. But these need to be earned, not
given freely to anyone who asks.Not withheld out of bitterness
or revenge, but offered discerningly to those who have
proven they can hold them with care.
Medusa's rage protects her sovereignty.
(12:53):
It guards her garden. It says you cannot enter my
sacred space unless you approachwith respect.
You cannot access my vulnerability, my body, my
trust, unless you've earned it. And if you try to take what
hasn't been offered, if you try to violate her boundary, then
yes, you will be turned to stone.
(13:13):
Not because she's hunting you, but because she will not be
moved from her truth. This is the fierce feminine that
the world needs right now. Not women who are constantly
angry at all men. Not women who have shut down
completely, who won't let anyonein.
But women who know their worth, who hold their boundaries, who
say I am sovereign. You may approach with respect or
(13:37):
not at all. And for the men who are willing
to do the work, who are willing to earn trust instead of
demanding it. Who are willing to respect
boundaries instead of seeing them as obstacles.
Medusa teaches them something, too.
She teaches them that feminine vulnerability and sacred gifts
are precious. That they're not owed to you.
(14:01):
That you have to show up, be present, be accountable, be
trustworthy, and then maybe you'll be invited in.
This is restorative. This is what actually creates
change. And so I know some of what I
said is probably upsetting. It might be hitting some raw
(14:25):
edges. And that's why I want to hold
this compassion and why I want to.
I want to name that I am not just talking from academia, but
from lived experience. I've been on over a decade long
(14:49):
journey of healing from sexual trauma, and sexual assault was
incredibly normalized when I wasin college.
The ideas that I'm talking abouttoday of holding sovereignty, of
knowing you are worthy of being earned, those were not things
(15:13):
that were part of our culture when I was in college, and
they're still not, but they're starting to emerge into the
mainstream. And there are so many layers
that I have uncovered through this process of trauma healing.
And I wrote my thesis actually, interestingly for my masters on
(15:37):
embodying empowering archetypes,a path to healing sexual trauma
in body psychotherapy. After this episode, for those of
you interested, I will be posting that thesis to our
Patreon for Full Moon members and higher.
(15:59):
And this is the thing that I want to talk about is these
layers, right? This spiral, you've probably
noticed that's a theme in this podcast by now.
And it's a theme because it's true.
Even a decade later, I'm still healing.
I'm just healing in very deep layers now because it's not
linear. I returned to this work again
(16:20):
and again at different depths, and that's the spiral that
Medusa keeps teaching me. And so recently I've been
learning new lessons around sex and sexuality.
And that means sometimes I'm open and sometimes I'm not.
(16:42):
And that's not a problem. It's wisdom.
And the wisdom comes in knowing that my body knows what it
needs, taking the pause to listen to it, and honoring that
that listening is healing. And I'm learning that I need
(17:04):
different things at different parts of my menstrual cycle.
I believe all women need this. If there's one out there that
doesn't, please let me know in the comments.
But for most of my experiences with people who have wombs that
they need different things, I amblessed right now with a partner
(17:27):
who not only respects my know, but checks in with my maybes in
safe partnership. It's not on you to fix yourself
when you're not in the mood. Sometimes their energy might
need to shift, and if it's a manthat you're with, his energy
might need to become more present, less goal oriented.
(17:53):
I've learned what it means to bewith someone who sees my
boundaries as sacred, not as obstacles.
Someone who understands that my body's wisdom, including when I
need to close, when I need distance, when I need softness
instead of intensity, is something to honor, not
override. Someone who recognizes that my
vulnerability and my trust are sacred gifts that need to be
(18:16):
earned, not demanding. And he's willing to do that
work. And this is Medusa's teaching.
She teaches that your boundariesare sacred, that your body gets
to say no, maybe not right now, and that's not a problem, and
(18:40):
that healing doesn't mean you stop having boundaries.
It means you learn to trust them.
You don't owe anyone access to your body, ever.
The too muchness of your protection is exactly right, and
you're learning to hold the line, not lash out.
(19:04):
And this is ongoing because healing isn't linear.
Some days I'm fierce, some days I'm soft.
And both are allowed. And so I just want to encourage
you again that if sexual trauma is part of your story, you
deserve support. There are some really great
(19:25):
trauma informed therapists out there, and healing takes time.
Honor your pace. Your boundaries are not a
problem to solve. And remember that your rage is
medicine. Learn to hold the line with it.
You're not broken. Medusa teaches us that we don't
(19:48):
heal by becoming soft and vulnerable with everyone.
Sometimes we heal by becoming fierce, by letting our gaze turn
harmful energy to stone, by holding the line at our sacred
boundary and refusing to let anyone cross it who hasn't
earned the right. And that's not monstrousness,
that's sovereignty. So let's be very clear about who
(20:13):
the monsters are in Medusa's story, because this matters.
The monster is not the woman with serpent hair.
The monster is not the survivor with fierce boundaries.
The monster is not the woman whosays no and means it.
The monsters are Poseidon who raped her, the system that
(20:34):
punished the victim instead of the perpetrator.
Athena, who couldn't or wouldn'thold Poseidon accountable so she
took it out on Medusa instead. And yes, sometimes women
perpetuate harm against other women.
Sometimes the feminine betrays itself.
We'll talk about that more when we get to the Medusa and Athena
(20:57):
pairing in Season 2. I'm planning on doing an episode
on them together from a parts work lens because I really see
them as two parts of a whole. Perseus is a monster who killed
a traumatized woman and called it heroism, and the culture that
has told this story for thousands of years, as if
(21:20):
slaying her was noble, as if shedeserved it, as if she was the
problem. The real monster is a culture
that blames the victims, that asks survivors what did you do
to provoke it, that tells women your anger is ugly, your
boundaries are unreasonable, andyour protection is excessive.
The real monster is a world thatneeds women to be nice,
(21:42):
compliant, accessible, and callsus a monstrous when we refuse.
Medusa survives anyway. Her image endures.
On doorways, she protects home. On Shields, she guards warriors.
In jewelry, she adorns women whoknow their power.
In tattoos, she marks the skin of survivors.
(22:05):
We need her. We need the reminder that we can
transform our trauma into protection, that we can
weaponize our visibility, that we can look back at what harms
us and turn it to stone with theforce of our truth.
When women wear Medusa imagery today, we're not claiming
monstrousness. We're claiming the right to
protect ourselves. We're saying my boundaries are
(22:28):
absolute. My gaze has power.
You cannot violate me and walk away unchanged.
I am not an object for your consumption.
Look at me with respect or do not look at all.
Let's close with a Medusa. Practice reclaiming your gaze.
(22:48):
If you have a mirror nearby, take a moment to grab it or go
to it and look at yourself. And if not, just imagine your
own face, particularly your eyes.
Take a moment to look into your own eyes.
(23:10):
Really look. Not with judgement, let that go.
Not with criticism. Just see yourself.
Now imagine you're wearing Medusa's serpent crown.
Feel the weight of it, the powerof it.
(23:32):
You are crowned in wisdom and transformation, in fierce
protection. Take a moment to adjust your
posture. Stand tall, powerful.
Straighten your spine, maybe give it a little slither and
(23:57):
feel your crown. Feel your eyes.
And when you're ready, bring to mind someone or something that
has tried to harm you, violate your boundaries, or make you
small. Don't go into the story.
(24:20):
Just let it be the energy that'spresent with you right now,
whether that's your boss at workor someone else.
Now meet it with your gaze. Imagine your eyes have Medusa's
(24:43):
power. You look at it and it turns to
stone. This thing that has tried to
harm you, to make you small. It turns to stone under your
gaze. It cannot move.
It cannot reach you. It cannot hurt you.
(25:05):
Your gaze says no, not anymore. You cannot enter here, feel that
in your body, feel the power of your own protection.
This is Medusa's gift. Your boundaries are sacred.
(25:29):
Your gaze has power. You get to protect yourself
fiercely and absolutely. Everything we explore here lives
in practice. There's a link in our bio for
our free community where you'll find our Ritual Grimoire,
Embodiment library, and online workshops diving deeper into the
work. If this work is serving you and
(25:51):
you want to support the podcast,I have a Patreon where you get
monthly New Moon rituals, the ability to list your business in
our coven shop, and more. That link is in the bio, and I
will be posting that master's thesis in there today.
Your support helps me keep creating this content and
(26:14):
building the coven. And if you're loving the
podcast, please leave a review. It helps us reach more people
who are ready for this medicine and share it with your friends.
Maybe it's an opportunity to deepen into some of these
discussions, especially with this episode, because you
deserve support. Subscribe so you don't miss an
(26:37):
episode. The Spiral.
This podcast is spiritual teaching, not therapy or medical
advice.
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