About the Wild Woman Initiation Series
The Wild Woman Project came to me in a flash, a vision & it wouldn’t let me go. So, I listened. The Wild Woman archetype has been initiating me ever since. Through various experiences, which have mostly been about untangling what is true & what is not true in my own being, I have come ever closer to the wild woman within. I am a student, servant, guardian to this project who’s mission is to to awaken women to their most authentic, undomesticated nature, so they may feel like themselves, all the time, no apologies. I am sharing the 13 most important lessons I’ve learned about the path of the Wild Woman over the next few months. May it be useful.
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2
I sat in the dark, earth at my back, listening.
Outside, the rain beat down on the tarp strung over my tent. The rustling of the leaves outside could have been moved by the wind, or a possum, or maybe a bear.
Inside, my heart was pounding & my mind was racing. Oh god, what am I doing here? This was a mistake.
And then I heard her voice: you are home. you are safe.
My insides began to soften. Oh yes, I thought. That’s right. Even though I have no idea what is going to happen tonight on this mountaintop. I know that I was beckoned here by guidance. I could trust in that-I could rest in the arms of the creative intelligence that brought me here.
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Years ago, the Wild Woman said to me: when you learn to see on the new moon, you will develop the knowing you seek.
When the moon is new, no matter how hard we squint, we cannot see her, she is on retreat, leaving us in the dark.
The dark ||| the great mystery ||| the vast unknown
So many of us are deeply uncomfortable when we sit with the idea that there are forces beyond our control. We are unnerved when we realize that the best planning, the sturdiest structures can be humbled in the face of an unexpected loss, change of plans, or some wildish divine intervention.
In truth, we have no idea what is going to happen. Ever.
We live in the dark, in the mystery.
This used to really freak me out. I have been a doer most of my life. Always taking action, making goals, checking off items on my to-do list. Controlling the outcome of my life is a game I played, aggressively, for a long time. I don’t know that this part of me will ever totally fade away, nor do I want it to.
However, in my wild woman initiation, I have learned over and over that the wildish wisdom that comes from sitting in the dark and listening in to my own heart is immeasurably more potent than my mind’s best laid plans.
The wild woman has taught me to be supple like a great tree in a fierce storm.
The wild woman has lead me to tools that help cultivate my intuition.
The wild woman has taught me to honor and respect my inner knowing, no matter how irrational or inconvenient.
Through her teachings, I have learned to glow in the dark.
Sometimes I forget that the light is, in fact, within. And in those moments, I bring myself back to this lesson…
Lesson 2: In the great mystery of life, trust the light of inner guidance to be your compass.
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EXPLORE THE OTHER LESSONS OF THE WILD WOMAN INITIATION SERIES
On the Horizon
Join an international, intergeneration group of weird and wonderful wild-hearted Women in our online Cave (which lives on an app)!
We meet weekly in Circles, Workshops, Practices to keep our wild spirits lit!
Upcoming Weekly Gatherings:
Join us for an hour-long New Moon Meditation Adventure on May 7th!
Online, from anywhere.
Using a dynamic meditation journey, we will tune into the New Moon, to your own Inner Guidance, synced up with wild-hearted women from around the world. This offering will include music, storytelling, meditation, journaling prompts & intention-setting.
Can’t make it live? No worries. All participants will receive a copy of the recording with 24 hours of the session.
We have Wild Woman Project-trained Circle facilitators is 26 countries, and 44 out of the 50 United States.
Chris Maddox is the founder of The Wild Woman Project where she teaches women how to utilize the gifts of the Wild Woman Archetype in their everyday lives & how to lead women’s circles in their local communities. She is the organizer & facilitator of the beloved annual WILD WOMAN FEST, a women’s retreat-festival hybrid which fosters a deep connection to nature, a direct experience of the divine feminine & profound spiritual sisterhood among the women in attendance.
An ever student of the great mysteries of existence and nature itself, Chris believes women are holding innate gifts & tools that society at large needs – now more than ever. She is committed to helping women remember their special magic and to bring it forward into every corner of their lives, for the greater good of the planet.
Hello Chris, what a wonderful project to embark on. Have you happened to have read ‘Women who run with Wolves’ by Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estés? It was a revolutionary book that started me on my journey towards my Wild Woman.