Lisa Marie Rankin [00:00:00]:

Hello, beautiful ones. In today's episode, I'm talking about one of my favorite characters of all time, Lady Jessica from Dune. This conversation is part story, part Jungian psychology, and part personal reflection. I'll explore the difference between feminism and feminine power, the archetypes Lady Jessica embodies, and why her story matters for us today. And as a reminder, this month's archetypal movie club, we'll be diving into Dune Part 1, the recent one from 2020. So if you'd like to join me for a mythic discussion, I'm going to tell you all of the details at the end. Let's dive in. Welcome to the Goddess School Podcast, a space for women who want to reclaim their story, awaken their archetypal power, and live mythically.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:00:50]:

I'm Lisa Marie Rankine, author, teacher, and your mythic guide. I help women step beyond self help and into soul work by weaving together Jungian psychology, storytelling, ritual, and feminine wisdom traditions. In each episode, you'll find personal reflections, mythic frameworks, and soul stirring conversations designed to help you re enchant your everyday life and become the heroine of your next chapter. This isn't about fixing yourself. It's about becoming the woman you are meant to be. The veil is parting. The ship is setting sail. Let's begin.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:01:33]:

Hello, beautiful ones, and welcome back to the Goddess School Podcast. Today, in this solo episode, I want to talk about Lady Jessica from Dune. And this discussion is going to be based on the recent Dune series, the one in 2021 with Rebecca Ferguson, Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya. Now, first, Lady Jessica is my role model. She really embodies all of my favorite archetypes. The mother, the witch, the lover, the warrior. I mean, she literally kicks ass while pregnant. And the reason I think that Lady Jessica is more relevant than ever in why she can be so inspiring and empowering is because as women, there is a narrative that many of us have lived under, and that is to be powerful as a woman, we need to compete with men on their terms.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:02:30]:

That means hustle harder, show more dominance, show more aggression, prove ourselves in the way that the world values. Like a late night at the office, climbing the corporate ladder and measuring success based on external measures, whether it's the house or the car. But Lady Jessica shows us a different path. She isn't powerful despite being a woman. She's actually powerful because she is a woman. Let that sink in for a moment. So let's talk a little bit about the difference between feminism and feminine power. Because in my mind, they are two very different paths.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:03:14]:

And in the age of like, bash the patriarchy. And I know that I hear that from a lot of women that we have to bash the patriarchy. I think that this movie gives us a different perspective because it explores the forces beneath the patriarchy. And we're actually left wondering if you've watched Dune or Reddit, Are women really that powerless or is our power more covert? This question, I believe, really matters, because what I see is that in this rush to bash the patriarchy, many women adopt their rules as their own and we end up giving more than we intended. Now, let me explain. Equality is essential, full stop. I am very grateful for the feminists who have paved that way. I am happy that I can own property, have a bank account, and get any job that I want.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:04:14]:

And the path that we've been told in which to get to equality has often meant trading some of the very qualities that make us powerful. Intuition, creativity, sexuality, and our cyclical wisdom so that we can compete on male terms. So yes, we have achieved equality in most instances, and yet we often feel less powerful than ever because we've had to give up many of our feminine qualities, attributes, powers, in favor of. Of a man's. And how does this look in our culture today? This could look like engaging in disposable dating culture, prioritizing career over family, or viewing our cycles and hormones as problems to be fixed. That's why Lady Jessica is so compelling. She doesn't abandon her feminine magic. She wields it.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:05:14]:

Rather than trying to compete with men like we do in modern society through aggression and dominance, she plays a different game altogether. One based on strategy, lineage, and inner mastery. And I know that the women in my community are very interested in all of these. So it's really, to me, empowering to think that we actually don't have to play the same game. We could play a different game. We could utilize our unique feminine magic to really experience power, sovereignty, creativity in the world. Now, one way Lady Jessica does this is by embodying different archetypes. So if you've been with me for a while, you know that I love working with archetypes.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:05:59]:

And just a little overview of what an archetype is. An archetype is a universal pattern or of behavior or energy that we embody that we fail. Now, often for many of us there we have like one or two go to art archetypes, and those are good. They got us to where we are. And yet we are also so much more. So often we can look at what is available to us so we can start to learn how to wield these different energies, these different patterns of behaviors, so we can create the reality that we really want. So let's look at some of the archetypes that Lady Jessica embodies. She's the lover she truly loved, the good Duke Leto Atreides.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:06:44]:

He was a man of worth. She took great care of him. She was also a mother. She loves her son Paul, but she doesn't coddle him. And we're going to really be talking a little bit more about the mother archetype in just a few minutes. She guides him to be his best and fulfill his destiny. She challenges him. She teaches him.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:07:05]:

She's the warrior. She knows how to protect herself. She doesn't let fear stand in her way. I think it's pretty cool that she can command others to do what she want, dance through the tone, the pitch of her voice. And as the witch, she practices her skills and learns to wield her power. So really, is it any wonder that I'm obsessed with Lady Jessica? She is not a flat character. She's a living mandala of archetypes. She shows us that feminine power isn't about abandoning ourselves, but becoming more of ourselves.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:07:38]:

Now, I talked a little bit about where I see the difference between feminism and feminine power. Where for me, feminism is about equality, which, sure, we need, but often we got that equality by giving up our unique feminine powers and qualities like our cyclical nature. Now, I know this because I lived it. I remember when I was in the corporate world, you know, if I had my period, if I was bleeding, I wouldn't really want to tell anyone. I would, you know, get my pad or tampon and sneak off into the bathroom. I would still be expected to attend the 8am meeting. And this is in person, back when we actually had to show up for work. So I didn't want to let on that maybe my body, something was a little bit different with me that day because I had to compete on a male's terms.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:08:28]:

But we also know that our cyclical nature is very powerful. Like, we're very intuitive when we are bleeding, but that's also the time that we want to slow down. We might need to be by ourselves more. Or when we are in the ovulation period, we are actually magnetic and we like to gather. So that's just an example. I mean, literally, women bleed with the moon. We bleed with 20 every 28 days while we are menstruating. That's pretty significant.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:08:59]:

So there are a lot of Differences with men that I don't think have always been factored in, in this rush for equality. So in Dune, we have an example of how women can be powerful and yet different. And this is in the Bene Gesserits. So these are the witches who partner with planetary leaders, and they're really the power beneath the power, or as we like to say in the intuitive feminine world, the river beneath the river. The Bene Gesserits have carefully guided bloodlines for centuries to produce the one. They're committed to the spiritual practice, obtaining and passing along knowledge through their lineage and honing their strength. You know, they're sort of like modern day Romantasy heroines, which, you know, I also like to talk a lot about. Now, the Bene Gesserits don't believe they are inferior to men at all.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:09:52]:

Not. Not for a second. In fact, when the head Bene Gesserit tells Paul Atreides that he has too much power, his first question is like, why? Because my father's the duke. But she replies, no, because you're Jessica's son. Women are powerful. The Bene Gesserits are supposed to only bear daughters to pass along their ancient wisdom and abilities. Now, Lady Jessica breaks the rules by teaching her son the way of the Bene Gesserits, adding to his power and capabilities. So, in Jungian terms, Lady Jessica is not the devouring mother.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:10:27]:

So the devouring Mother is the mother who keeps her child dependent and small and safe at all times. She tries to protect him from the world's evil, but in a way, keeps him locked and keeps their growth, their potential, stunted. In contrast, Lady Jessica is the initiator. She's the mother who demands her child face fear and grow into his destiny. So why is this all important? It's because we live in a culture that often ask women to choose career or family, strength or beauty, intellect or intuition. But Lady Jessica refuses that choice. She's not just one thing, she's many. She doesn't play by a specific set of rules.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:11:07]:

She plays by her own rules. And that's really what I want to encourage women to consider. What. What is the game that you want to play? What are the rules that you want to follow? Can you create your own? Where do you find your strength and your source of power? And it might not be where others find it. And that's okay, because it's up to you to tap into your unique brand of strength and power. And of course, I feel like there's probably not a podcast or a talk that I do where I don't recite this quote, but Carl Jung has said, I'd rather be whole than good. This isn't about cultivating an air of perfection or trying to be the perfect, whatever. We are trying to become whole.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:11:49]:

And wholeness requires that we reclaim these various archetypes, not abandon them, not play by somebody else's rules. So here is my invitation to you. Where in your own life have you given up your feminine magic to play by someone else's rules? And where might the lover, the mother, the witch or warrior be stirring in you? Is there one that you would look to to start developing a little bit deeper? Now, if you'd like to go explore these questions with me, I invite you to join me in this month's archetypal Movie Club. So we're going to be gathering to Discuss Dune Part 1 on Thursday, September 25th, and of course there will be a replay. We're going to explore themes like feminism versus feminine power, matrilineal wisdom, the devouring mother versus the initiator, and what it really means to face our fear and rise. This discussion will be for my Substack subscribers. There is a link to learn more in the show notes. And right now, paid subscribers, it's only $7 a month.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:12:55]:

That's actually even less if you were to go out and see a movie. So if you are interested in exploring this discussion further, come on, join me in Substack and catch up on Dune. Grab your notes and we will discuss more there. All right, beautiful ones, I will see you soon. Be well. Thank you for joining me for this episode of the Gotta School Podcast. I hope it sparked your imagination and expanded your vision for what's possible. If you're ready to explore these concepts more deeply, reclaim your personal myth and live with greater creativity and enchantment, I invite you to join me in enlivened my Divine Feminine Mystery School and Sacred community where we bring these teachings to life through ritual, story coaching and of course, real world action.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:13:48]:

You can find the link to learn more in the show notes. And remember, the Goddess isn't a deity outside of yourself. She's an aspect of your highest self. You are the goddess. Until next time, Sam.