I am sure you know it, this silent inner voice…your female intuition which strives to be heard. It accompanies every woman, and, with almost scary precision, tells us what is truth or deception. Female intuition is like a compass, telling women what direction to choose, or who to trust. But:
_ Do we actually hear this inner voice?
_ And if we do: do we listen to it?
_ Do we suppress our inner voice because what it tells us is inconvenient, or tied up with uncomfortable consequences or sacrifice?
THE WILD WOMAN AND HER INTUITION
Our intuition, our inner voice, is like a secret messenger, providing direct access to our psyche, our inner ‘wild woman’. It speaks to us in the form of inspirations.
The multifarious psyche of the ‘wild woman’ is described in detail in the world bestseller ‘Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype’ by the psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola Estés. Over decades she collected stories, myths and fairy tales from all over the world to enable us to gain a more profound access to the female soul, with the help of these symbolic tales.
The third story in this book is about ‘Vasalisa, the wise one’. A story about the initiation of a woman into the hidden kingdom of her own intuition.
THE STORY
When Vasalisa’s mother is dying she gives her daughter a doll that looks like Vasalisa. She should feed the doll and always keep it with her. When her father marries again, Vasalisa has a stepmother and two stepsisters who torment her. One day they send Vasalisa away into the woods. With the help of her doll she finds the witch Baba Yaga there. She is allowed to stay with her but has to fulfil many tasks. Her doll remains a big support for her.
But one day the witch also sends Vasalisa away. As a farewell present she gives her a glowing skull. When she returns to her stepmother and stepsisters, they already have new plans to destroy her. However, the glowing skull becomes Vasalisa’s new ally. When the girl wakes up the next morning, all that remains of her stepmother and stepsisters is a pile of ashes.
THE DEEPER MEANING
The key message in this fairy tale is the power of female intuition. In this story it is passed on from mother to daughter, from one generation to the next, as a beneficial legacy. This intuition might be suppressed or buried, due to a lack of understanding, but it is never lost.
The fairy tale also describes an initiation process where the candidate has to pass certain tests. As soon as all the tasks are completed, she develops a new relationship with her own intuition, activating many undeveloped aspects of her own soul.
WHAT DO YOU CORRESPOND WITH?
Read my questions and watch the feelings that arise. Maybe you want to write down your thoughts:
_ Do you simply say YES when somebody offers you something unexpected, and you cannot/do not want to say NO, although your inner voice warns you?
_ Do you listen to your intuition when choosing a partner, or are you blinded by appearance?
_ Do you sometimes ask yourself what you really want?
_ Do you know exactly what is good for you, and what is not? And who does you good, or not?
_ Do you allow your ego power over your feelings?
_ In your childhood was your mother a role model for making decisions by intuition?
_ Are there any intuitive-wise women in your family?
_ Have you got contact to your inner wild woman?
Clarissa Pinkola Estés says that it is one of the most difficult tasks to develop a sensible power of discrimination. It requires courage, will power, and soul substance. It involves sacrifices and waiting until we really encounter what we want. This learning process becomes most evident when we choose a lover or partner.
Ingrid Auer for Women 