What does it mean to be a wild woman?
Lately, I have been reading Women Who Run With the Wolves, hungrily, with keen pacing. I’m savoring, and speeding through, and slowing down, and going back, and skipping forward all up and through this wonderful collection of analyzed myths that remind us of the innate power of the primal self.
Written by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women Who Run With the Wolves explores the intricacies of innate instincts of the wild woman archetype.
LISTEN: Wild Woman Playlist
What is a wild woman?
I’m only half way through the book, but I already know wildness. Wildness is innate. We all already know what a wild woman truly is. To be wild is our nature. This book can help push out a dormant wild woman, but it isn’t a necessary read in order to tap into your most natural self. It can help remind your inner wild woman that it’s safe to be free and wild.
We know a wild woman is not what is depicted in media. On reality television, social media, and wherever else we may see her misrepresentation.
Jealous & unhinged, the wild woman is not. In fact, she is sharp, keen, with a strong sense of self. She is at home in her being, never jealous. She is precise, clear, and balanced, never unhinged. She is in tune. She is bound to her freedom and primal instinct. She is solid. She is grounded. She is made of earth, of course, and moves in the Earth’s image and to the Earth’s frequency without missing a beat.
Wild means to be untamed, uncontrolled.
To be tamed is to be broken, or subdued and dominated.
Controlled means restrained. Control stems from contra (which means against) and roll (wheel). Wheel stems from the root Proto Indian European root kwel which means to move around. Kwel is where we get the word cycle - which references the primal regeneration women go through monthly - and cyclone - the untamed and uncontrollable power of wild nature. To be controlled means to be dominated, and many cases means to dominate what is natural.
When I think of the wild woman, I think of a mix of Oya, La Dominadora, and Ayida Weddo. These manifestations are so similar, they probably stem from the same source energy, as they are often cross-referenced between each other.
Oya, the goddess of tornadoes and cemeteries, is an energy I know well. I’ve written about her before. She dances by stirring the air in large circles with copper bracelets and multicolored scarves decorating her body. Her number is 9, which represents completing a cycle.
La Dominadora/Ayida Weddo is an energy I am new to.
I keep seeing descriptions of her, saying she is a snake slayer, but that’s not true. Snakes are her warriors. She reminds us that our enemies cannot dominate us if we tap into our primal fierceness.
Tapping In
Your wild woman is born in the dark, when the truest parts of yourself can run free. A wild woman is cultivated by being true to yourself and venerating your ancestors. A wild woman is loud, and quiet, and fierce, and sweet, and guttural, and high pitched.
She burns what brings harm to restore harmony, and then turn the soot over with her bare hands to begin anew.
Here’s to more wild woman moments.
