NOTES FROM THE "NEST"

This beautifully hand sculpted fae has graced my blog early on, but as I was thinking about a passage I was going to share with you tonight I felt this precious mother and child was an appropriate accompaniment. Many years ago I had countless conversations with my best friend who never married and did not have children. She actually knew as a young girl that she was not really made for mothering and we always agreed that it was fortunate that she knew that of herself and did not have to discover it after the fact. However, she had a saying whenever children or adults behaved in an unseemly manner; "Raised by wolves" she would declare and give me the one eyebrow raised (that I cannot do to save my life!) My answer would be "Actually, wolves would have done a better job!" and we would laugh. After a few years of this one of us would simply look at the other and just say "Wolves?" and the other would just give a nod. So this is what I was wanting to share with you tonight. One of the most interesting books I've ever read and continue to pick up (the worn cover proves my constant handling of it) is Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I'm sure many of you have not only read it, but have referenced it yourselves. One of my most favorite passages I will share.
Healthy wolves and healthy women share certain psychic characteristics; keen sensing, playful spirit, and a heightened capacity for devotion. Wolves and women are relational by nature, inquiring, possessed of great endurance intuitive, intensely concerned with their young, their mates, and their pack. They are experienced in adapting to constantly changing circumstances; they are fiercely stalwart and very brave.
If you have never had the pleasure of this book, I highly recommend it. If nothing else, you will come away with a profound sense of sisterhood and perhaps a deeper sense of how amazingly similar wolves really are to us.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I couldn't agree with you more about the book Women Who Run With The Wolves. My husband introduced me to this book (via one of our bookshelves) at the end of '06, and I found it to be so invigorating and healing. I'm actually doing a study of it on my blog. Hopefully people will take your advice!

One Crabapple said...

Oh this is one of my FaVORITE books !

In the early nineties was it ? My girlfriend and I took that book everywhere we went or bought one if we were without. We called it The Bible. Wonderful book....! I am delighted to see you here with it as well. I have to get mine out and see where I open it to ....

My favorite is the beginning - La Loba. The old woman with the bones. LOVE that! Thank you for bringing it up !!!! Inspiration. X X X X X X X O

Miss Robyn said...

I haven't read it but you are the 3rd person to mention it in the past week... I guess I must go and read it soon.