The Wild Woman: Coming Home to Yourself
Remembering the instinctive, free-spirited and untamed parts of who we are.
I wonder how often we lose touch with the parts of ourselves that once came so naturally.
The parts that danced without thinking, followed a feeling without needing to understand it, said what they felt and trusted the quiet little voice within. Somewhere along the way, life can teach us to be a little quieter, a little more agreeable, a little less of ourselves.
We learn to fit in, to meet expectations and to put the needs of others before our own. And sometimes, without even realising it, we find ourselves living further and further away from what feels true to us.
This is where I feel the Wild Woman archetype has something beautiful to teach us.
She represents that instinctive, untamed part of the feminine. The part of us that knows, that feels deeply, that longs for freedom and that is naturally drawn towards creativity, curiosity and connection with the world around her.
She isn't someone we need to become. Perhaps she is someone we need to remember.
Remembering our wild nature
In Women Who Run With the Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estés explores this idea through ancient stories, myths and fairy tales. She speaks of Wild Woman as a powerful feminine force that lives within us all, connecting us to our instincts, intuition and the deeper wisdom of our nature.
One of the things I love about this imagery is the connection to the wolf.
Wolves don't spend their lives questioning their instincts or trying to fit into someone else's expectations. They know when to rest, when to move, when to protect and when to trust what they sense. There is something quite beautiful in remembering that we too have this instinctive wisdom within us.
How often do we override our own feelings? How often do we talk ourselves out of something we know deep down, or ignore the little nudge that is asking us to pay attention?
Perhaps reconnecting with our Wild Woman begins with something as simple as learning to listen again.
Finding her in the everyday
I don't think being a Wild Woman necessarily means making big changes or turning your life upside down. Sometimes she appears in the smallest of moments.
She might be found in the freedom of walking barefoot on the grass, dancing around the kitchen, spending an afternoon alone in nature or allowing yourself to create something simply because it brings you joy.
She is there when you speak your truth, honour a boundary or give yourself permission to rest without feeling guilty.
She is also there in the moments when you recognise that something no longer feels right, and find the courage to listen to that feeling.
For me, the Wild Woman is a reminder that we don't have to be everything to everyone. We are allowed to have our own rhythms, desires, dreams and needs. We are allowed to take up space and to live in a way that feels a little more like us.
Perhaps the invitation is simply to make room for more of that.
A little time for reflection
As you explore this archetype, you might like to spend a little time with these questions. There is no right or wrong answer. Just allow yourself to be curious about what comes up.
When do I feel most like myself? What am I doing, and what does this tell me about the parts of me that feel free and alive?
Are there parts of myself I have tucked away to fit in, please others or meet expectations?
Where in my life am I ignoring my intuition or talking myself out of what I know to be true?
What does feeling free mean to me? When was the last time I truly experienced that feeling?
What would it look like to give myself a little more permission to be spontaneous, creative, expressive or unapologetically myself?
How might I bring more nature, rest, play and time for myself into my everyday life?
A gentle reminder
Perhaps the Wild Woman isn't lost to us at all. Perhaps she has simply been waiting patiently beneath the busyness, the expectations and the many roles we have learned to carry.
We don't need to find her somewhere outside ourselves. We can begin by slowing down, listening a little more closely and noticing the things that make us feel alive.
We can begin by trusting ourselves again and exploring ourselves in the quiet moments.
And perhaps, little by little, we remember that the woman we have been searching for has been within us all along.