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In Wendy Weiner’s 2005 play, Hillary: A Modern Greek Tragedy with a (Somewhat) Happy Ending, Hillary Clinton is seen as a contemporary embodiment of Athena— the goddess of wisdom.
On the debate stage in 2016, Hillary Clinton indeed appeared as a solid, grounded voice of reason next to a tempestuous, chaotic Donald Trump. In mythological terms, Clinton vibrated the energy of Athena. Trump, on the other hand, was Poseidon— the stormy, sulky god of the sea. Trump wielded his Twitter handle like a trident, generating a hurricane of energy that hit the halls of our civilization and left destruction in his wake.
We all know how the Athena vs. Poseidon match-up went. But it’s a new day now and we have a new competition afoot.
Donald Trump remains the same blustering, whirling water tornado he’s always been. Kamala Harris, however, brings a different and perhaps more formidable goddess energy to this election. In Kamala Harris, we’re experiencing the archetypal energy of the huntress.
In ancient Greece, the goddess of the hunt was known as Artemis. And later in Rome, she was called Diana. Statues of Diana often depict the goddess stretching back her bow, about to release an arrow. This is a goddess with perfect aim. Accompanied by her hounds, Diana is relentless. She has the will, strength, and courage to run through the wilderness and chase down her target.
Kamala Harris: The Prosecutor
As a prosecutor in California, Kamala Harris pursued criminals and took them to task. The prosecutor in Kamala Harris is a determined huntress. In recent weeks, we’ve finally had the chance to see this in her. Kamala Harris has been disciplined, focused and tireless. A woman who won’t back down.
After years standing in the background, we’re getting to see Kamala Harris center stage and fully in her power. We’re witnessing Harris in huntress mode. Watching her, she feels unstoppable. Not only in her power but also in her joy. After all, the huntress is happiest when she’s hunting.
Donald Trump is clearly on his back foot, unsure of what to do about this goddess of the hunt who is now hunting him. His verbal attacks aren’t landing. His political beast mode doesn’t work so well against huntress energy.
In 2016, Donald Trump went after Hillary Clinton suggesting she didn’t ‘have the stamina’ to be President. This cheap shot connected with a deep, centuries-old lie that still runs through our culture. This central distortion is that the feminine is weak; that women, by nature, are weak. Trump took advantage of this deep-seated cultural perception of ‘feminine weakness.’ On a gut-level, he understood how to tap that ugly vein and spark a geyser of uncertainty about whether Clinton was strong enough to be Commander in Chief.
This time around, Trump will have a much tougher time playing that card because the archetypal huntress is the very picture of stamina. The huntress proves the ‘weak woman’ narrative patently false.
The archetypal huntress is Serena Williams energy. It’s Amelia Earhart energy. It’s Wonder Woman energy. And yes, it’s Kamala Harris energy.
Early in her acceptance speech at the DNC, Harris shared what her father had said to her as a child growing up in Oakland. He told her, “Run, Kamala, run.” “Don’t be afraid.” “Don’t let anything stop you.”
In the midst of the greatest run of her life, Kamala Harris invoked the young huntress in herself. The girl who ran fast. The girl who was fearless.
The wind is now at Harris’ back and the debate stage awaits. It’s an opportunity to harness the phenomenal momentum her campaign has gained and multiply it.
In the 2017 film Wonder Woman, Diana (who is an evocation of the ancient goddess) says “What I do is not up to you.”
At the debate, if Harris doesn’t let Trump’s chaos dominate the night. If she maintains her focus with the eye of the huntress. If she doesn’t take the bait and doesn’t let him move her off her game. And if she stays steady in his storm, she can take Trump to task and effectively prosecute the case against him, just as she has prosecuted her cases in court so many times before. In Kamala Harris’ quiver, there’s a bounty of arrows. May she use them.
About the Author:
Kate McAndrew is General Partner at Venture Capital fund Baukunst and the author of The Goddess Guide to Branding, available for pre-order now. To discover your own archetypal goddess at work, take the free quiz.