Wild Thing, You Make My Heart Sing

You make everything.... groovy. I was first formally introduced to Wild Woman through my mother who had a copy of Women Who Run with the Wolves. I didn’t really know what the book was, other than it was sacred.

I couldn’t read it like other books. I would pick it up, read a story and have to put it down. Each tale was dense and rich. I’ve picked it up again and again. Clarissa Pinkola Estés writes medicine. The Wild Woman archetype is near and dear to my heart, and has gotten me through many many tough times. 
 
To kick off the new year, before the pending pandemic took hold, I gathered with me beloved sisters and Rachel Butler led us through an activity to recognize both the Wild Woman and the Modern Woman patterns we were experiencing. It was an eye-opening reminder of how easy it is to get stuck in a routine, and that more often than not, we just need a little wake up call to get out of it. 

Here are a couple lessons I learned from the experience and how you can get in touch with your Wild Woman.
 
Wild Woman cares for her natural rhythms and validates her distinct cycles. At the time I was working hard to discern what to do with my career and my job. I was analyzing each possible scenario, getting coached on how to navigate the politics of transitioning, and covering all my bases – being “smart.” This was Modern Woman.
 
A handful of weeks later, “work” is turned upside down and all my smart plans were completely irrelevant. What replaced them? A new way of working and connecting based on my own natural cycles and rhythms. Eat when I’m hungry. Sleep when I’m tired. Build when I feel creative. Garden when I want to nurture. Dance when I feel sexy. Laugh when I need play. A 9am-5pm job no longer dictated my life and I was no longer trapped by it. I rediscovered what feels completely natural – even if it took a few weeks to adjust to.

Our routines, especially for mothers, have similarly gone out the window. In what areas are you finding ease and natural flow, and in what area are you discovering the world isn't designed for you to be successful? 
 
Wild Woman fiercely protects her soul and that which is sacred. Modern Woman compromised and said things like, “well, my values don’t have to be aligned with my leaders. I can still do good work here.” Whereas Wild Woman lets you know when you “stand in her danger” – when you have unfavorably approached that which is sacred to her. That which she will ferociously protect.
 
I had forgotten what I stand for. And Wild Woman reminded me.
 
Finally, Wild Woman always returns. Even if I had forgotten her for a while, she hadn't forgotten me. 
 
Rachel founded Wild Souls Rising to help women access their wild, instinctual Self. Her deepest hope is that women bring their untamed selves to our homes, communities, workplaces in service of creating the world we want to see. In the new covid reality, this couldn’t be more important.
 
Rachel believes that conscious women will lead the social, economic, environmental, political, and systems changes that we so desperately need in our world. But we can’t do that when we have gone to sleep within the relentless monotony that is our modern lives. 
 
It's not up to our leaders or politicians. It’s up to us. To insist and to demand a society and economy that serves US. It’s time to wake up. And to get wild.
 
Check out Rachel’s next free virtual call on her website or follow along on Instagram.