1.
We Stand Shoulder to Shoulder.
We believe in the architecture of circle. Each person standing shoulder to shoulder, facing center, witnessed and witnessing.
This orientation extends not only to our live events, but also speaks to our philosophy that Women’s Wisdom blossoms as we become deeply present to what is coming through our bodies/minds/hearts – together.
For too long, particularly in spiritual community, women have sat at the feet of male teachers & gurus seeking wisdom. A new day has come, different structures are needed now.
We aim to be on the cutting edge of new structures & teaching settings that value the voices of all (not few), that ask (not tell), that challenge the patriarchal fingerprints which have been left all over our lives (inside and out).
2.
The Wild Woman Archetype is Our Primary Guide.
Everything we do here is in service to awakening the Wild Woman Within – a tremendously potent and powerful force that moves through each woman in a different way.
“…in the case of the Wild Woman Archetype, in order to phantom her, apprehend her, utilize her offerings, we must be more interested in the thoughts, feelings, and endeavors which strengthen women, and adequately count the interior and cultural factors which weaken women.In general, when we understand the wildish nature as a being in its own right, one which animates and informs a woman’s deepest life, then we can begin to develop in ways never thought possible. A psychology which fails to address this innate spiritual being at the center of feminine psychology fails their daughters and their daughter’s daughters far into all future matrilineal lines.”~Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés
In 1992 Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype was born. From the perspective of a poet, storyteller & Jungian Analyst, Dr. Estés introduced soulful analyses of myths, fairy tales, folk tales and stories from different cultures to uncover the Wild Woman archetype of the feminine psyche. This revolutionary book spent 143 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list and introduced the Wild Woman Archetype to the world.
In 2011, The Wild Woman Project founder, Chris Maddox, held this book in her hands for the first time. It was the very first time she had heard those 3 words strung together: Wild Woman Archetype. The tremendous power & importance of the archetype was instantly clear to her. Within a month, Chris dreamt up the beginnings of the project.
Here at The Wild Woman Project, we believe there are a myriad of ways to ignite the expansive, mysterious, and multidimensional nature of the Wild Woman Within and are wholeheartedly committed to supporting women in their explorations of this radical force.
3.
We Create Spaces for Women, by Women.
Our offerings are extended to all who identify as women because we believe women have particular work to do with one another that simply cannot happen in any other setting.
We gather the women with an eye toward the greater good of all people – women & girls, trans-women, men & boys, trans-men, non-binary folks, gender non-conforming people – everyone.
As each woman finds her voice and lives in alignment with her truth, she inherently influences all the humans & beings around her.
4.
We provide affordable trainings, classes & retreats.
Because we prefer trading goods & services for money to sustain ourselves (vs. fundraising), we have chosen an LLC model over a non-profit model.
We offer partial or full scholarships for ALL of our offerings & work hard to find creative ways to serve women of all economic circumstances.
We regularly get the feedback that our clients are blown away by the value we provide for the price and we are committed to keeping it that way.
Feminism is the belief that people of all genders deserve equal rights.
We hope this was obvious, but just in case it wasn’t, we are taking out the guess work.
Unfortunately, some people have a misunderstanding of what Feminism means. If you are looking for resources to further your Feminist Studies or are not quite sure you understand Feminism, we made this page for you.
6.
We are rooted in a Mystic understanding of reality.
Mystics believe in one great creative intelligence that runs through everything that is.
Even underneath the dance of the Feminine and Masculine principles lives a Unity.
This concept of Oneness is primary to our orientation.
7.
Just because you can’t measure it, doesn’t mean it isn’t real.
We believe there is value living in the unseen (or esoteric) realms.
Just as there is no way to really quantify what happens inside when one hears their favorite song or reads a meaningful poem, there are certain things of import that can not be measured.
And that is just fine with us.
8.
Women have specific mysterious super powers the world needs.
We believe in honoring the intelligence running through our bodies, emotions, dreams, minds, gut feelings, intuition & instinct. Because women have been historically oppressed and systemically taught to distrust themselves, the world has not yet experienced the intrinsic gifts of women.
We believe that as women step into the fullness of their spiritual gifts, we will see much-needed and radical change in the world.
9.
We believe in the value of diversity.
There is nothing so beautiful and transformative as the coming together of women from various backgrounds, cultures & perspectives.
The Wild Woman Project deeply values diversity and we work hard to put systems into place to help cultivate an environment where this value is a cornerstone.
We offer partial or full scholarships for most of our offerings – placing Black Women, Women of Color, Indigenous Women, Veterans, Single Mothers, and Elders at the forefront of receiving in order to provide defense against systems of oppression set in place to hold these women down.
10.
We believe everything is the path.
There is no place we can stand that is off our path.
We trust in the perfection of present moment (even when it is difficult), and we adjust accordingly. We believe in being strong, yet flexible, and humble enough to know when to let things go or when to persist.
We aim to learn and grow from every experience.
11.
We believe in kindness.
Trolls & haters beware. Snarkiness, hatred, bigotry, degradation in any form is not welcome here. If you email or comment with anything hateful we will delete it immediately.
Here at The Wild Woman Project, we treat one another with compassion & respect.
Period.
12.
We trust, honor & protect the Natural world.
Constantly turning to the natural world for guidance & inspiration, we honor Nature as a great & wise teacher.
Despite the widespread disrespect and abuse our culture and civilization imparts on the Earth, we are committed to living in deeper and deeper harmony with Nature.
For every single purchase that is made through us, a tree is planted.
Every. Single. Time.
(via Trees for the Future)