Symbols of the Divine Feminine

Lately, I’ve been really fascinated with symbols. We see them everywhere: the moon on a necklace, the triangle in sacred geometry, spirals carved in ancient stone. Even if we’ve never studied them, they somehow resonate on a deeper level.

In many of these symbols, we encounter the divine feminine: a story written in curves, circles, and flowing shapes. Some of them have been used for thousands of years to honor fertility and the feminine principle.

In this post, I want to explore some of the most enduring feminine symbols as well as their origins and meaning.

A little disclaimer before we dive in: While many of these symbols have been in use since ancient times, their interpretation as specifically “feminine” is often a modern reading. In prehistoric cultures, these shapes likely carried multiple layers of meaning tied to fertility, cycles, protection, or cosmology, but we can’t always know their exact intent.

The association of these symbols with the divine feminine has later been documented in traditions such as Hindu Tantra (5th–10th century), medieval alchemy, Jungian psychology, and contemporary spiritual movements (19th–20th century onward). While the symbols themselves are ancient, the feminine lens we apply to them today is part of an evolving interpretation.

Geometric & celestial symbols of the divine feminine

Downward-facing triangle

The downward triangle represents the life-giving, nurturing, and receptive power of the divine feminine. Like a womb or vessel, it points to the earth. We can image water flowing or a child being born. It reminds of a container, open and holding, symbolizing our power to receive, to nurture, and to give life.

While in recent times, the downward-pointing triangle is called "inverted", did you know it is believed to be the "original" triangle? Its shape has long been associated with the womb and the fertile, life-giving aspect of the feminine. As a primordial symbol, it represents the source from which everything else arises.

The downward-pointing triangle is among human's earliest sacred symbols, often found in cave art, pottery, and figurines. They are often interpreted as connected to the female body, specifically the pubic triangle, and fertility.

In Hindu yantra diagrams, you’ll see many interlocking upward & downward triangles, with the downward triangles representing Shakti / the divine feminine. Similarly, in alchemical manuscripts from the 17th century, the downward triangle stands for water and earth, the receptive and nourishing elements. In modern esoteric traditions, the downward-pointing is often interpreted as the chalice, the vessel that contains and offers life. As such, it embodies the creation power of the divine feminine.

The spiral

The spiral is another ancient sacred symbol, carved into stones and painted in caves. Found across cultures, from the Neolithic spirals at Newgrange in Ireland to petroglyphs in the Americas, it mirrors the forms we see everywhere in nature: shells, ferns, whirlpools, hurricanes, even galaxies. Its geometry suggests both movement and continuity, making it a universal sign of life unfolding.

Symbolically, the spiral represents cycles and continuous movement. Moving outward, it speaks of expansion; moving inward, it represents return to the source, the womb, or the self. In goddess traditions, it is often tied to the feminine principle. It symbolizes becoming and renewal, birth and death, echoing the rhythms of the moon, seasons, and fertility. Double or triple spirals, like the Celtic triskele, emphasize balance and eternal, interconnected cycles.

You may have also come across the Spiral Goddess, a female form with a spiral carved into her belly or womb space. While it almost feels ancient, this image is not prehistoric. It’s a modern creation, popularized in the late 20th century through goddess spirituality, feminist paganism, and Wiccan traditions

What makes the spiral powerful is that it never ends; it’s both a journey and a return. It bridges inner and outer worlds, flowing like water or energy, always in motion yet anchored by a center. As a feminine symbol, it expresses that life consists of a neverending rhythm: arising, dissolving, and arising again.

The circle

The circle has always carried a special weight in human imagination. Because it has no beginning and no end, it is one of the strongest symbols of timelessness, unity, cycles, and the infinite. Everything returns, everything repeats. In sacred geometry, it is often seen as the primal form from which other shapes emerge (which we can again interpret as the feminine’s life-giving force).

Circles are among the earliest geometric motifs in human art. Already ancient Egyptians used overlapping-circle grids in decoration, demonstrating mastery of geometry long before the Greeks. Across cultures, we find medicine wheels, mandalas, and ritual rings. Stone circles, like those in Britain, often served as gathering spaces and showed a profound understanding of the cosmos.

The circle is also one of the most frequent motifs in spiritual iconography. The halo (or nimbus) surrounding divine figures is a sign of sacred presence and eternal light. It appears not only in Christianity but also in Buddhism, Hinduism, and earlier Mediterranean traditions. 

As a feminine symbol, the circle embodies more than enclosure. It speaks to cycles of birth, death, and renewal; to the womb as container of life; and to the way all things arise from and return to the same source.

The horizontal line

The horizontal line mirrors the horizon, and so it has been tied to ideas of grounding, rest, and stability. In art and design, horizontal strokes are often used to create calmness, openness, or a sense of balance, spreading the eye outward rather than pulling it upward.

Unlike the circle, spiral, or triangle, the horizontal line hasn’t been as clearly codified in ancient symbolic systems. Some modern theories of symbolism connect the horizontal to the feminine; in contrast to the vertical line, which thrusts upward and is more often read as masculine.

The horizontal line represents the grounding presence of earth, the calm of still water, and the expansive quality of the feminine that gently holds space.

There’s also a different representation of lines coming from ancient Chinese philosophy, where the very structure, not the direction, of a line (ongoing ⚊ or interrupted ⚋) carries symbolic meaning. In the I Ching, a solid unbroken line represents yang, the masculine principle of firmness and linearity, while a broken line represents yin, the feminine principle of openness and receptivity.

The moon

The moon has fascinated humanity for as long as we exist. Its phases, its disappearance and return, and its quiet pull on the tides have made it one of the most potent symbols of rhythm and renewal. Across cultures, the moon has been linked to cycles of life and death, fertility, and transformation. You might also be familiar with the Triple Moon symbol from Neopaganism, representing the three archetypes of Maiden, Mother, Crone, visualized by a waxing, full and waning moon.

Because its 29-day rhythm mirrors the menstrual cycle, it has often been connected with women, intuition, and the mystery of the hidden. Even though there is no scientific evidence for a universal synchronization between menstruation and lunar phases, many women report that their cycles align with the new moon or full moon.

Surprisingly, the moon isn’t always interpreted as feminine. In Hindu iconography, the crescent moon rests on Shiva’s head, as a mark of his transcendence over time and mortality. In other traditions the moon itself is male: the Norse god Máni, the Japanese deity Tsukuyomi, and the Egyptian moon-god Khonsu all show how lunar energy could be imagined as masculine. The symbolism here is less about gender than about what the moon embodies: change, rhythm, and eternal return (which nowadays, we code as "feminine" quality).

What remains constant is the moon’s association with cycles: waxing and waning, light and darkness, appearing and vanishing, a cosmic reminder that all life moves in rhythms. At nighttime, we also are presented with an opportunity to slow down, turn inward and restore our energy, which represents the principle of yin.

The moon reminds us to trust our cycles: to rest when it’s time to rest, to move when it’s time to move, and to remember the light always comes back after the dark.

The venus symbol

Growing up, this is likely the first sign you have come to know as a symbol for the feminine, along with Mars symbolizing the masculine. But do you know where exactly this interpretation is coming from? On our night sky, the Venus is the brightest object after the moon. It shines with a soft, luminous glow and appears in rhythmic cycles, as the morning or evening star.

Its beauty and connection to time made it a natural symbol of fertility, desire and attraction. One of the oldest finds we have is the Venus of Willendorf, a 30,000-year-old Paleolithic figurine, often interpreted as a fertility symbol. In Mesopotamia, Venus was identified with Inanna/Ishtar, goddess of love, sexuality, and fertility (and sometimes war). The Greeks carried this forward with Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, and the Romans renamed her Venus. Once the planet was firmly mythologized as a goddess, its celestial presence became inseparable from feminine energy. 

Astrology and alchemy reinforced this link: Venus ruled harmony, relationships, and creativity, while its glyph (♀) was seen as a hand mirror, the classic emblem of the beautiful goddess, or as the alchemical sign for copper, a metal prized for its shine and beauty.

That’s how Venus became the archetypal feminine planet, enduring as both an astronomical body and one of the most recognizable symbols of womanhood today.

Divine feminine symbols in nature

In addition to geometric and celestial imagery, the feminine is also represented through other nature-born symbols. Let's explore a few of them.

Water

Water has long been one of the strongest feminine symbols. Flowing, adaptable, and life-giving, it represents both fertility and emotional depth. In myth and ritual, water is the element of cleansing, intuition, and birth. Its always downward, receptive movement connects it to the feminine principle: it yields yet shapes, it softens yet sustains. While often gentle, its raw power is not to be underestimated; it is a force of nature, and the foundation of all life.

Earth

Earth is equally tied to the feminine, often personified as the Great Mother. She is the fertile ground that holds and grows all life. In the Andes, she is still revered as Pachamama, “Mother Earth,” a living goddess who embodies fertility and the sustaining power of the land. The Great Mother archetype also shows up in different traditions, for example as Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture. As a feminine symbol, earth embodies nourishment, abundance, and cyclical renewal. All creation arises from, and eventually returns to, her embrace.

The serpent

In many traditions, the snake is associated with fertility and regeneration because of its ability to shed its skin, symbolizing rebirth. Even in the way it moves, it reminds us of the feminine: flowing, spiraling, gentle yet never to be underestimated. This made it a natural emblem of the cycles of life and a symbol of the womb’s creative power. In Minoan Crete, for example, the snake goddess figurines (c. 1600 BCE) show women holding snakes, likely linked to fertility. Similarly, in Hinduism, serpents are tied to water, fertility, and the divine feminine energy of Shakti. Even in traditions where the serpent is demonized (like the Biblical Eden story), it still carries the archetypal weight of hidden knowledge and transformative power, qualities often associated with the feminine.

The cave

The cave is sometimes seen as the womb of the earth. Its dark, enclosed space suggests safety, mystery, and fertility, making it a natural site for early rituals, burials, and initiation rites. To enter a cave is to return to the source. It invites us to step into a place of gestation and transformation, where darkness is not emptiness but potential for something new to be brought into existence. In sacred geometry, we can also see a cave- or seed-like shape in the Vesica Piscis (the center of two overlapping circles). It’s seen as the womb of creation, the point where duality overlaps to generate new forms.

Runes associated with the divine feminine

If you’re into Norse mythology or Germanic folklore, you might be familiar with runes, the ancient alphabet used across Northern Europe from around the 2nd century CE. Runes carried symbolic and magical meanings, often carved onto wood, stone, or bone for protection, divination, or ritual. Within this system, some runes resonate especially strongly with feminine energy.

Berkano (ᛒ)

Berkano represents birth, fertility and creation. It is the rune of the birch tree, a species long associated with protection, renewal, and fertility. In the runic tradition, Berkano represents birth, motherhood, and nurturing growth. Its shape even suggests containment or shelter, echoing the womb. As a feminine rune, it speaks of beginnings, healing, and the sustaining power of care.

Laguz (ᛚ)

Laguz translates to “water,” and embodies flow, intuition, and emotional depth. Just as rivers carve landscapes and tides follow the moon, Laguz represents the receptive, fluid qualities of the feminine. It points to trust in the unconscious and the wisdom of moving with life’s rhythms rather than against them.

Ingwaz (ᛜ)

This rune is linked to the god Ing/Freyr, but symbolically it represents seeds, gestation, and potential. Often drawn as a diamond shape, it suggests something held and protected until the moment of release. In this sense, it mirrors the womb’s creative role, containing life in stillness until it is ready to emerge. Because gestation itself arises through the union of feminine and masculine, Ingwaz is often interpreted as a symbol of their merging power, the fertile meeting point that allows new life to begin.

Finals words: humans as meaning-makers

I find it fascinating how the same patterns keep showing up across humanity. We might think we’re all so different, but in the end, the same motifs move our lives: birth, death, transformation. We turn to the earth for grounding, we follow the cycles of the moon, and our lives are still guided by the stars. These symbols just remind us of what’s always been there.

These symbols are powerful because we give them meaning. They’ve carried different interpretations across cultures and centuries, but what keeps them alive is our willingness to see ourselves in them. On their own they might be just shapes, but because humans are forever searching for meaning, they become something more.

This is by no means a complete collection – so if you know of any other symbols connected to the feminine, let us know in the comments. I'd also be curious to know which symbols speak to you the most or if any surprised you! Feel free to share below.