Pierre Barnard

One of the reasons that motherhood is a heroic path for women (the Demeter archetype) is that it opens up the potential for the woman to experience the boundless love of the divine through the love they have for their children. Not every woman achieves this just by virtue of reproducing, of course, but for women on a spiritual path who take motherhood seriously, it can be turned into something transcendent. The soul-bond that a mother has with her child, having shared her breath and her heartbeat with her baby in the womb, is an experience that cannot be replicated in any way. As much as fathers also love their children, they cannot love them in the way that mothers do, as they do not have the same soul connection. And like all heroic paths that lead one to become god-like, this too is a path of sacrifice, of having to let go of one's lower desires and ego, to become a better person, for the sake of her children. The heroic paths of women often sound less exciting than the paths for men, as women's paths do not have the active quality that define the male paths. But they are no less difficult and no less rewarding. The path of Demeter, of the mother, is perhaps seen as the least exciting. I think this is due in part to the fact that just anybody can have a kid and parenthood is often maligned and looked down upon. We live in an age where we are in love with the products of our own minds and caring for children is seen as (and let's be honest, often actually is) tedious and lacking in mental stimulation. A waste of a woman's mind! But actually, this is not true, despite the outward appearances. There is an immense amount of self-growth that can come from the care of children for the woman who can see the opportunity beyond the tiresome chores of child-rearing. It is the opportunity to develop her capacity to love, first and foremost, as well as all the other virtues associated with a solar nature, such as patience, emotional and mental stability, discipline, etc. At the end of the day, it is the mother's job to guide this new soul through life- a huge responsibility! We were all shaped by our mothers, for good or bad. A mother's success at her role is not only a spiritual victory for her, but also potentially for her children. When a mother walks the path of a hero, she lays the groundwork for her children to be able to do the same. Heroic mothers raise heroic children- it is they who are the most critical for passing on the torch to the next generation. All the great ideas in the world mean nothing if there is no one to bear them forth into the future. Happy Mother’s Day to all the heroic mothers out there.

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PiBarnard retweeted

South African Academy of Family Physicians: SAAFP @SAAFP1

about 7 years ago · Midrand

Snapshots of Session A of the oral #research presentations this morning, with topics ranging from under students perceptions of #FamilyMedicine, cost awareness of lab tests among district hospital doctors, psychosocial needs of Basotho caregivers of disabled children. #SANFPC19