A short summary
What’s it about?
‘Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. Her name is Wild Woman, but she is an endangered species. Though the gifts of wildish nature come to us at birth, society's attempt to "civilize" us into rigid roles has plundered this treasure, and muffled the deep, life-giving messages of our own souls. Without Wild Woman, we become over-domesticated, fearful, uncreative, trapped.’ Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D., Jungian analyst.
I found this book to be a tough read—it took me around 5 weeks to complete it. What made it hard to digest was the whimsical nature of it. At times it felt too fluffy and fantastical. At other times, it had me gripped and I found it so relatable. To put it shortly, this book is a collection of legends and tales that Clarissa has sourced from women all over the world. Each short story/fable/old wives’ tale highlights an important lesson.
I’ve pulled 11 of my favourite quotes from the book below…
