Last week I ran a small ritual at the Medicine Wheel in Byron Bay, with about 14 women. We did an exercise out of Aphrodite’s Magic - gazing with the eyes of the Goddess (the Beauty Eye). This is a beautiful thing to do - either with a friend or women’s group. It is something that never gets tired, no matter how many times you do it.
It begins with going deep within the self, finding the seed part of you that is the Goddess. Then send each breath into this part, allowing it to expand and grow til it stretches through your whole body (this takes a little time and you should keep stretching it further and further out, even until it goes beyond your body, like an aura). Lastly you focus on bringing that energy specifically up the spine, into the head and particularly into the backs of your eyes, so that when you open your eyes, you will be looking through the eyes of the Goddess.
When you open your eyes, you gaze at the woman sitting opposite you (also with her eyes open) and view her through the eyes of the Goddess. Looking for the Goddess within her, when you see it, you name it quietly, saying “I see the Goddess within you” and she does the same.
You can repeat this with several different women, or make it more elaborate, seeking to name the aspect of Goddess you see in her (ie a water Goddess, the maiden Goddess, Shakti…). You can also spend several minutes detailing her beauty to her, which we did. Not only do you get the amazing experience of seeing the Goddess before you, in the form of another woman, you also get to hear how she sees you, as the Goddess. These words can be very precious and affirming.