Lilith Archetype – 10 benefits of the “dark feminine” model

In this article, I will introduce you to the Lilith Archetype and I will explain how to work with it, why it’s considered to be the “dark feminine archetype”, and also the main aspects of its light shadow sides.

Lilith is a complex and misunderstood figure over the centuries. Today, in Neopaganism, Lilith is considered a Goddess, a primal female force, and an aspect of the Triple Goddess. However, in her original mythology, Lilith is seen as a demonic and destructive force.

The most interesting thing is that these two views about Lilith are true and are part of her. That’s exactly why we have Lilith Archetypes to interpret and understand.

But then some questions remain: what is the Lilith Archetype? What are its aspects? How to activate this archetype correctly? Throughout the text, I will quote some passages from Lilith’s story so that everything is clear.

Who is Lilith and what’s the meaning of her archetype?

Firstly, I’m going to present a summary of who Lilith is. In this way, you will understand well what the Lilith Archetype means.

Lilith is considered to be Adam’s first wife. When we take Jewish and Christian mythology as a reference, we can say that Lilith is the first woman created by God. In this way, Lilith and Adam lived in the Garden of Eden, a place considered a paradise.

So far so good. But why is Lilith so controversial then? The answer is found at the moment when Lilith refused to be submissive to Adam. The simple fact of her saying “no” and imposing her will caused her to be punished by God by being expelled from Eden.

After this expulsion, angels were sent to bring Lilith back. But that would only happen if she apologized and agreed to be submissive to Adam. Of course, that didn’t happen. To the angels’ surprise, Lilith was already fully “integrated” with the world outside Eden, having a legion of demons as children.

Good created Eve to accompany Adam in paradise as his first female creation rebelled. Eve was the opposite of Lilith. Lilith, however, went on to “haunt” Adam and Eve and made appearances in the form of a serpent, threatening paradise.

Lilith’s greatest act of rebellion was offering the apple of knowledge to Eve and Adam. This culminated in the expulsion of the two from Eden.

Looking through a different point of view is enough to see Lilith as a rebel in search of freedom, not a villain. Lilith is synonymous with strength and courage, especially in the feminine aspect of these traits. And this is where the main characteristics of the Lilith Archetype reside.

I also like to make it very clear that nowadays there is a lot of confusion about the origin or image of Lilith. It is very common to see her being confused with the Mesopotamian Goddesses Inanna (Ishtar) or Ereshkigal. Everything happens because of a translation error that has already been discussed and clarified a lot.

Lilith Archetype features

The main features of the Lilith Archetype are related to freedom, strength, and the power of seduction. The Light and Shadow aspects of her archetype are quite distinct and often need to be worked with a lot of energy so that a good feature can be well balanced by its shadow aspect and vice versa.

Think, for example, of freedom and the power of seduction. They can cause problems when they are taken too far. It is very common nowadays to see people who think that freedom means being able to do whatever they want, without thinking about consequences. And it is not so. When working with the Lilith Archetype, this feeling may end up dominating you and your life may become chaos.

Light vs Shadow aspects of the Lilith Archetype

It’s not by coincidence that the Lilith Archetype is commonly known as the “dark feminine archetype”. It’s just “too much” for the patriarchal society we are inserted into today. Lilith is such a strong and potent archetype that we can consider that there are “Lilith archetypes” when we take into consideration the Light and Shadow aspects. It is important that you carefully read the characteristics of both sides before working with this archetype so that you can have a good experience and make the most of what Lilith can offer you.

We can observe the light and shadow sides of the Lilith archetypes in this deity’s own history and in how it is interpreted according to the culture that interprets it. As I wrote at the beginning, in her original mythology, Lilith is seen as a demonic and evil force. Amulets were made to protect newborn children from Lilith’s threat, as they believed she would devour them! Now, in another interpretation, we understand Lilith as a female force so strong that it causes fear and shakes the structures established by the patriarchy.

Take these questions into consideration and think about the answers in different ways. The light and shadow aspects of the Lilith Archetypes will start to become clear:

• A woman decides to take charge of her life and live as she wants. How is this woman seen by you? And for society? And by the dominant religions today?
• A woman refuses to obey a man’s orders and becomes more powerful than he is. How is this woman seen by you? And for society? And by the dominant religions?

See? This is Lilith.

The Lilith Archetype light aspect

The light aspect of the Lilith Archetype is related to the good side of activating and living the Lilith experience in your life. This aspect includes characteristics such as freedom, self-confidence, strength, inspiration, and courage. Check below below 10 characteristics of the light aspect of the Lilith Archetype to attract into your life:

• Increase your self-confidence;
• Exercise your freedom;
• Expand your decision-making power;
• Inspire and lead teams and groups of people;
• Become more attractive;
• Empower yourself in a very intense and strong way;
• Make your voice prevail in any situation;
• Increase your power of persuasion;
• Fight for your rights and attract people who support you;
• Know how to easily recognize situations where they might try to take advantage of you.

In the story of the Goddess Lilith, we see that she does not submit to anything that could make her feel inferior or bad. She challenges the structures established by a man and, precisely because she is a woman, she suffers the consequences of her challenge.

However, even being punished, Lilith does not put herself in the position of a victim and reacts by creating her own lifestyle and, consequently, becoming a threat to what was already established. A real revolution!

The Lilith Archetype shadow aspect

The shadow aspect of the Lilith Archetype is quite dangerous, even more so in the society we live in. This is why she’s known as the dark feminine archetype. It happens because Lilith’s shadow aspect is too intense and can generate many conflicts. So a good balance between the light and shadow aspects is needed. When you successfully work with the light aspects you’re going to need to work and accept some of the shadow aspects to maintain them.

The “danger” exists when you allow the shadow aspect to take care of everything. Here are 10 characteristics of the shadow aspect of the Lilith Archetype for you to pay attention to:

• Create confusion and “fights” just for fun, without a clear objective or need;
• Become extremely nervous and irritated by anything that goes against your point of view;
• Lose moderation and become an “extremist” based on your ideas;
• Dominate other people and use them to achieve your goals;
• Become too boastful;
• Feeling that you can do whatever you want without regard for other people;
• Feeling like destroying instead of collaborating;
• Spread psychological terror to distress other people;
• Become too selfish;
• Feeling the center of attention and demanding to be courted.

As you can see, the shadow aspect of the Lilith Archetype, the dark feminine archetype, is practically a collection of characteristics of a psychic vampire.

As I mentioned, these characteristics of the dark aspect should be used sparingly as they are necessary for the light aspect to manifest. So it is necessary to be very careful when working with the Lilith Archetype. The line that separates the light side from the dark side is very thin and can be crossed without you realizing it!

When Lilith is expelled from “paradise”, she violently rebels and she doesn’t give up until she manages to get Adam and the newly created Eve expelled as well. Even though we can interpret Lilith’s attitude as revolutionary in releasing Adam and Eve from prison, the way she does it is quite radical.

In our society, activating the Lilith Archetype and acting in this way can bring consequences that you are unwilling or unprepared to face.

How to work with the Lilith Archetype

To work with the Lilith Archetype in your life, you need to follow the step-by-step guide I’ll leave here next. In this tutorial, you will learn how to activate the Lilith Archetype correctly and manifest the light and shadow characteristics in your life!

What archetype should I use alongside Lilith’s?

I suggest using an archetype that brings a stance of justice and wisdom along with the Lilith Archetype. I say this because the shadow side of Lilith manifests itself precisely in the absence of justice, wisdom, and limits. And it is very easy to “extrapolate” the limits of everything.

I suggest you use the Athena Archetype. The Goddess Athena is the Greek Goddess of justice, wisdom, and also war. She can help balance the Lilith Archetype and prevent boundaries from being crossed.

Another option is the Saraswati archetype. Goddess Saraswati is the Hindu Goddess of wisdom and the arts. Unlike Athena, Saraswati does not have the aspect of war. Even so, she can be a good choice to use with the Lilith Archetype.

What does the Lilith Archetype attract?

The Lilith Archetype primarily attracts freedom and confidence to those who work with it. Lilith symbolizes that rebellious attitude capable of changing the pre-established paradigms that are created and used by a minority just to bind and control the majority. This archetype also attracts strength and a lot of courage.

When you work with the Lilith Archetype, you activate all of this in yourself and start a new phase in your life full of attitude, strength, courage, and without fear of imposing your voice and your will against everything that is wrong.