In a recent Huffingtonpost article, Why it is Wise to Worship a Woman, Arjuna Ardagh describes his long-ago visit to a sacred temple in Bali. Inside the ornate temple, he says, were ten circular walls protecting the feminine deity at its center. After lighting incense and making offerings, newcomers were allowed to pass through three of the entrances, but could go no further. Hindus, he explained, could go beyond the fourth wall. Devotees of the deity could proceed beyond the fifth, but only those who had given their lives to her worship were allowed to approach the goddess directly.

“A woman’s heart is just like that,” says Ardagh. “At the essence of every woman’s heart is the divine feminine. It contains everything that has ever been beautiful, or lovely, or inspiring in any woman. It is the peak of wisdom, the peak of sexual desirability, the peak of soothing, healing love. But it’s protected, for good reason, by a series of concentric walls. To move inwardly from one wall to the next requires that you intensify your capacity for devotion, and as you do so, you are rewarded with Grace.”

Passing through these gates to a woman’s innermost heart, he adds, takes commitment, loyalty and planting “small seedlings of devotion” on a daily basis. He suggests telling your partner ten times a day something you adore about her, and paying attention to her fears and insecurities as well as her deep desires. Eventually, as Ardagh discovered with his wife, “When you love a woman completely, at the very essence of her being, you discover the magic ingredient which has led every man to fall in love with a woman. My marriage has become the guru, the salvation, the muse, the crack through which the divine shines through.”

At this Sunday’s Full Moon (Jan. 8, 11:30 p.m. PST), the Great Father (Sun in Capricorn) stands opposite the Great Mother (Moon in Cancer), shining his light upon her in homage to her beauty. Warrior Mars in protective Virgo makes flowing aspects to the Sun and Moon, guarding them. This Full Moon initiates a process that intensifies as Mars retrogrades through Virgo (Jan. 23 to April 13). As the Warrior turns inward, we are asked to nurture our seedlings of devotion for whomever or whatever gives our lives meaning.  We patiently clean the kitchen floor when our adorable feline spits up hairballs. We willingly rework a report for our boss. We lovingly feed ourselves healthy foods, and clear our homes of clutter. And yes, we tell our beloved daily what we appreciate about them.  Thus we nurture the divine feminine in ourselves and the world.