Walking the path of the Wild Woman is not at all like walking on a paved road where the mighty trees have been bulldozed and the coyotes, and birds, and insects have been run out – their habitats obliterated. Where cement has formed lines on the ground and boxes on top of boxes where people live, work, and shop. Where people are too busy and too stressed to wonder why they are so anxious, so sick, so chronically unfulfilled, and so often heartbroken.
To walk the path of the Wild Woman is something quite different.
It is to walk into the woods or any wild landscape where life is feral and abundant. Where form is sometimes crooked, sometimes circular, sometimes jagged, sometimes soft. Where the creatures are many and a sense of adventure nestles itself into everything you do. To lay down to sleep and dream, to build a fire for warmth, to hunt and forage, to tell stories and sing songs, to look out for one another and work together – all of it essential for physical survival and infused with spiritual fulfillment.
So many of us are the her, the she, in Dr. Estes’ words, “Though her soul requires seeing, the culture around her requires sightlessness. Though her soul wishes to speak its truth, she is pressured to be silent.” To walk the path of the Wild Woman is to burn through the need for approval by the measure of cultural standards. This is no easy task due to the ubiquity the cultural messages, and our innate evolutionary need for belonging. One of the primary reasons for the existence of The Wild Woman Project is so that women can more easily find other sister-weirdos who are going rogue, following their hearts, and recovering their instincts. So that we, the wild ones, the misfits, the unruly women, can find a sense of belonging and exchange stories from our adventuring.
To walk the path of the Wild Woman is to inadvertently volunteer to be a part of changing the culture.
Because so many parts of the machine of the “civilized” world are destroying the Earth, the sole habitat of all creatures, ourselves included. Because the mainstream consumer culture is spreading like a cancer all over the world, embedding itself into the psyches of good hearted, well-meaning people. Because the systems we are living in are faltering and the survival of our species is under threat, we need many, many, many people who are willing to brave new paths, to recover their instincts and integrity. We need people who are wise enough to turn their backs on the hollow, yet shiny trinkets the current culture dangles in front of our faces, and place our attention upon the wilds, both outside and in. The more of us that do this, the more change we will see in our shared world.
To walk the path of the Wild Woman is to find another kind of treasure.
For those of us aiming to walk our own wild paths, there is a special kind of reward, one that is not flashy, nor something we can boast about on Instagram, or keep in a locked case or vault. It is a precious soul-treasure beyond words. It is a deep comfort that cannot be bought: the simple, yet profound experience of being true.
Wherever you find yourself on your own path of the Wild Woman, please remember there are many of us out there walking too. Despite never having met, perhaps speaking different languages, living in different parts of the world, we are walking out into the wilderness at this pivotal time. Step by step, breath by breath, we are remembering, reimagining what it means to be a woman – untamed.
I think the most challenging part about walking this path (as I write this) is untangling myself from my experiences of being raised to not talk back or express how I truly feel, to be shamed for always doing what I want to do, and for not comforting to what my caregivers wanted me to be. Despite years of healing, tears and stepping more into my own, I still feel plagued by those experiences from my younger years. These are all fresh on my mind because now, I’m tending to these shadows by working within the subconscious realm. I’m praying that this use of neuroplasticity will be the key to unlocking and releasing me from the binds that still hold me emotionally and psychologically.
The most rewarding part, of course, is knowing hat my inner wild has never led me astray, and I look forward to feeling what I FULLY feels like to be her, without any shame or trauma weighing me down.
Beautiful, Mishel ♥️
Thank you for sharing. Xo
For me, the most challenging part of walking this path, was once my favourite part. ..being my unique, spirited and soulful expression in every moment. Over the years projections and rejections tainted my colours and began to suffocate my flame. Being under the spot light left me wide open to judgement from others and it has taken alot of inner work to realign with my true path and colours and walk and embrace my unique soulful path.
The most rewarding part is the opening to self trust , completely backing myself without any room for self doubt or second guessing my choices. Just wholeheartedly leaping with full conviction with each choice made instinctually. From this innate place of self-trust there is never a need to look back with regret, only fondness or a wisdom gained in hindsight . I feel alive operating through a blend of instinct and intuition, rather than being hostage to my thoughts, conditionings or societies ideals. There is a great freedom here
I know so many of us can relate. ♥️ Thanks for sharing, Indigo.
The most challenging part of being a wild woman is keeping in the rhythm. When I am in the flow, I feel the power, spread the joy … infectious love and delight. My heart toward nature, I walk in sacred relationship. I hear, I feel, I sing with all. Ritual is strong … the song is powerful. But, then, I get hit/knocked down … with sadness or doubt, with bland mythology, cultural injustice. I return to my ritual and begin to work with the blind ecology, the social inequities—the troubles of the world which so consume my heart. I witness. I settle. I call out. I rise up again. It is, indeed, difficult to be true to self—always—but, it is the sweet key … to natural born language. Harmony.
Mmm…I feel that. Thank you for sharing, Serena ♥️
What is the most challenging part of walking the path of the Wild Woman?
For me, the most challenging part is the entering and exiting of the path and then finding a way to remember and return again. It’s a rhythmic path of return and reflection which at times feels exhausting. At times, I feel the strong pull towards the culture that is “sightless” and uniform because it has been instilled, preached, and engrained in my system for many years. Soon after the pull, the tension arises in my system reminding me to “do less” and breath more, connect within more, and pause in what feels like rapid pace. The cyclical nature of it is challenging.
What is the most rewarding part of walking the path of the Wild Woman?
That when I lose sight of “her,” I have the strength of many Wild Woman to encourage the return back to “her.” That I am not alone on this journey and my Wild Woman nature is uniquely mine and divinely assigned. I get to reconnect with her and find outlets for her truth and expression.
Beautiful, Jenna. Thanks so much for sharing ♥️
The most challenging for me is letting go of not feeling enough and therefore embracing who I am without apology. I have no reason to feel this way, except through not feeling unconditional love, self acceptance was never a priority, yet I always knew it was something I wanted for myself. It is challenging to love and accept oneself. But the most rewarding thing to do as well.
So the most rewarding part of walking the wild woman path is being on the path of self love and self acceptance and then in turn showing love and acceptance towards others.
Beautiful, Angela. Thank you for sharing ♥️