If you are familiar with Theseus and Ariadne’s Myth, you might know several interpretations about what happened to Ariadne after Theseus sailed away leaving Ariadne at the island of Naxos. If you are not familiar with the story, you can further expand the information by clicking here, as this post will be referring to this part of the myth.

In the myth, Ariadne was extremely unhappy after Theseus sailed away and left her on Naxos. One of the most common interpretations refers to it as “Ariadne being abandoned by ungrateful Theseus leaving her in profound sorrow”.

Yet, one of the least common or known interpretation is the one that continues the story further to explain that Ariadne was found by Dionysius, who consoled, loved and married her. Some interpretations mention that his wedding present to her was a crown enriched with bright gems, and when she died Dionysius threw the crown into the skies so she could be remembered. The Constellation Corona Borealis is often called Ariadne’s Crown or Northern Crown in her honor. Some other interpretations state the crown was given by Theseus.

An analogy to Ariadne’s immortality in the skies reflects on the fact that her sorrows were overcome. When Ariadne realized she still had the magic thread Theseus previously used to enter the labyrinth and kill the Minotaur, she decided to use the same thread to walk her inner labyrinth to kill her own sorrows and fears.

Ariadne’s adventure of getting into her own labyrinth gave her full knowledge of herself, by the winding path of the labyrinth and the thread. This analogy is a reminder of some of the main factors needed for empowerment – self-knowledge and self-confidence. It is here where Ariadne is immortalized because the analogy serves as the basis for feminine liberation. She represents the feminine figure that decides to free herself from feelings of abandonment and victimization in order to be empowered and, at the same time, inspire others.

This part of the Myth reminds me that sometimes life brings us the “unexpected” ending. There are times in life when we have made decisions or expressed ourselves from an unconscious state of mind or maybe we were unaware of the responsibility that comes with our actions or we were fully aware placing hopes, wishes and yearnings expecting the best positive possible outcome, but somehow, for the good or for the worse, the results were “unexpected”. Not good or bad, just “unexpected”.

We could spend our whole lives fighting, cursing, blaming and analyzing what went wrong. However, that will not change the end result.

My invitation here is to look for an “alternative ending” or look for the further “good” or “blessing” behind and beyond any situation. You might find that the “unexpected” result might bring something even better to your life.

Empower yourself,
Ariadna