The mother wound—the shadow of the mother—is a deeply profound force across cultures. We all have a relationship with a mother, whether she’s still alive, absent, or controlling. This wound shows up in patterns where we walk through life thinking, “This always happens to me,” or “I’m always the one who…” and that belief becomes our reality.
Mara Branscombe, author of Sage, Huntress, Lover and Queen and Ritual as Remedy, joins this episode to dive into these deep waters. Known for her TedX talks and spiritual teachings on meditation and ritual, Mara opens up about her mystical journey and how archetypal and ritual work transformed her life.
“The shadow must be given a voice—only then can it be held, loved, and released.”
“True ritual is not performance, but a surrender to the intelligence already within you.”
The mother wound is a universal archetypal shadow that affects our self-worth, relationships, and identity—healing it begins with courageous self-inquiry.
Archetypes such as the Maiden, Mother, and Crone (or Sage/Queen) help structure feminine development, but must be engaged through shadow and light for wholeness.
Ritual isn’t about control—it’s a practice of surrender, aligning with nature and spirit to open to deeper truths.
True initiation into power comes through dissolving perfectionism, embracing death and rebirth, and relinquishing the fear of aging.
Full moons illuminate shadow and provide potent moments for ritual release and transformation.
Creativity (through movement, art, and poetry) serves as a channel for the shy or suppressed parts of the psyche to speak and integrate.
A mature feminine energy is self-sourced, not co-dependent or chasing validation—it becomes magnetic rather than seeking.
Shadow must be given voice—not denied—to be transformed. Writing and somatic practice allow integration.
The mature feminine and masculine must meet inside before they can meet in a sacred union outside.
Intuition arises without backstory—shadow masquerades as intuition through anxiety and fear-based narratives.
“You don’t become whole by chasing the light—you become whole by integrating what you once ran from.”
“Mature love begins when the source of your love is no longer outside of you.”
In this discussion, we weave together threads often kept apart: archetypal feminine development, the maiden-mother-crone triad, the wounded feminine, and how ritual becomes a path of surrender rather than control. While masculine archetypes like King, Warrior, Magician, and Lover are widely known, Mara offers a rare, richly embodied lens into the feminine psyche and how to integrate it through the wisdom of shadow.
From understanding how the shadow of the mother manifests in relationships, to dancing out layers of trauma beneath the full moon, Mara’s insights offer a map through the sacred feminine, and a return to wholeness. Ritual becomes the bridge—not a strict ceremony, but an intuitive communion with nature and our own inner knowing.
Her story begins at 17, when she was initiated into the Sisters of the Shields—a mail-based mystery school that guided her in lunar ritual, seasonal magic, and the wheel of the year. This sparked a lifelong devotion to healing, yoga, and the sacred feminine. Years later, she received a powerful intuitive vision of holding her own book—this lightning-bolt vision became the seed for her writing.
We explore the triad of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The Maiden teaches us that it’s never too late to begin again. It’s not about age but attitude. Even a 92-year-old retreat guest embodied Maiden energy by choosing to transform her life. But the shadow of the Maiden is the fear of aging, the grandiosity of entitlement, and a naive yearning for validation.
The Mother archetype brings creation and vision, rooted in Gaia. But her shadow is vast—universal even. Whether our mother was absent, overbearing, or abusive, we carry the imprint. “I’m not enough,” “I’m not worthy”—these voices often come from our early conditioning and perpetuate suffering unless consciously addressed. Mara suggests listing traits of your mother and yourself, distinguishing what’s truly yours. Trace your core beliefs back to their origin stories. Ritual, consciousness, and therapy become tools of liberation.
The Crone—reimagined as Sage and Queen in Mara’s work—embodies wisdom and leadership. The Queen must slay perfection, because clinging to perfection kills vision. The Sage teaches discernment, laughter, and universality. As Mara reminds us, shamans laugh often because their relationship to spirit is joyful, not heavy.
Together, we talk about how shadow work opens the portal to embodiment. The body stores and reveals trauma, and ritual brings it to light. We feed the shadow—not in a destructive sense, but by giving it a voice. Write down your shadow’s truths. Let it speak. Then bring compassion.
We also explore how women’s cycles connect to the moon—how full moons amplify what’s out of balance, and how menstruation becomes a sacred act rather than a source of shame. When uninitiated into their power, many women relate to their cycles as burdens. Mara offers alternatives: dancing, journaling, fire ceremonies, prayer bundles, and sacred trees as allies.
The sacred union of masculine and feminine within us both is also a recurring theme. The wounded masculine avoids responsibility, and the wounded feminine avoids power. Both mirror each other. Healing requires integrating shadow, grounding in ritual, and moving from victimhood to sovereignty.
We close with a reminder: intuition does not come with a backstory. It arises cleanly, without narrative. Shadow comes with story, anxiety, and fear. Discernment is key.
Mara’s final seed of wisdom, from the collective of archetypes within her: “Open to receive the call of the healing as it arises. It is never too late to begin again. Rest and receive the beauty of life.”
“To embody the Queen, you must slay perfection—because perfection strangles your vision.”
“The full moon doesn’t just illuminate the sky—it reveals what’s out of balance in your life.”
“It is never too late to begin again. In the sacred, every breath is a rebirth.”
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