When Eros was dispatched by Aphrodite to spoil Psyche for eternity by marrying her to Death himself, he slipped and pricked himself with his own arrows of love, falling hopelessly in love with Psyche. From there, the adventurous mortal girl starts the long trek into full, adult womanhood, learning many of the instincts of femininity along the way and how to place them in her service. This may be the "master feminine instinct" in women, and one of adventure, growth and expansion of life through discovery, analogous to the Odysseus in men.
Cupid and Psyche is a story originally from Metamorphoses 2nd century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis. It is about the overcoming of obstacles to the love for Psyche, which means, "Soul" or "Breath of Life" and Eros. Her future husband was the son of Aphrodite and Ares, the god of romantic love. Their ultimate union in a sacred marriage would be fraught with challenges, as with any of us.
There are all kinds of rules and behaviors to learn in becoming a newlywed in this tale, but they are not "imposed" on the girl, so much as they illustrate the natural give and take between the masculine instincts and feminine instincts, the behavior of new in-laws, siblings and other family when a marital union occurs.
The Psyche Instinct in women is one of working both on one's personal growth into full, mature womanhood, as well as clues at using the various other feminine instincts to navigate romantic relationships with males, make one's way in the workforce, and to strive for the personal accomplishments of one's "life purpose."
Among the "lessons" illustrated in the tale are included, the marital "rule" of Eros that he never be seen by her in the light of day (lest she discover that she has married none other than a god - she thinks he is just a man.)
A whole list of obstacles and travails are put in her way by the jealous "mother-in-law," Aphrodite, which are illustrative of a woman mastering being in the workforce, and striking a balance in married life, one of the major complaints of today's woman about the difficulties of western culture.
This story is worth reading for their details, as they include the tests:
- Task One: Sorting the grain of Ceres (where a woman brings to bear her natural way of having an eye for detail.)
- Task Two: Harvesting the Golden Wool from the violent Sheep (where a woman navigates conflict in the most powerful feminine ways.)
- Task Three: Collecting the Black Water from the Cliff (where she learns balance while striving for achievement of goals.)
- The Underworld: In a final collection of tasks, forming an adventure of personal growth, Aphrodite sends her into the underworld to fetch the gems of Persephone and return to the world of the living. (This is like a full initiation into adulthood, governed by the Matriarch of the family, Aphrodite.)
By the end of these tribulations, Psyche, who was once a girl, has been fully initiated by elder women (and the world at large), into a new identity and way of life. She weds Eros and they live happily ever after.
It is an instinct that contains honesty with the self, and a desire and enjoyment of growth and transformation.