Book Club: The Retrieval of Intuition as Initiation (Ch. 3, Women Who Run With the Wolves)

This is our monthly Book Club episode, discussing a chapter from our current book choice: Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.

In this episode, we discuss chapter 3 “Nosing Out the Facts: The Retrieval of Intuition as Initiation”.

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Summary:

This chapter is for those of us who want to learn how to listen to our intuition and use it to make decisions in our lives. It’s for those of us who want to find fulfillment by being more of our True Selves, even if that goes against societal expectation.

In this chapter, Dr. Estes introduces us to an initiation about claiming a new understanding about our intuition, which you might also call your inner knowing. 

In Chapter 3 Dr. Estes shares the story, Vasalisa the Wise, who must complete 9 tasks to trust her own intuition. 

The tasks are:

#1 Allow the too good mother to die (Be willing to take risks and step into the unknown)

#2 Expose the crude shadow (See the tension between being yourself and appeasing external expectations)

#3 Navigate in the dark (Listen to your intuition to make decisions)

#4 Face the wild hag (See the power of your intuition and be able to stand both within the power and the non-ordinariness of it)

#5 Serve the non-rational (Do personal growth processes to cleanse the mind and clear it from anything blocking intuition)

#6 Separate this from that (Know what nourishment to bring into your life and what to let go of)

#7 Ask the mysteries (Seek wisdom from and about the numinous, and know what to ask about and what to let be a mystery)

#8 Stand on all fours (Claim the Soul Self; Claim the fire of your knowing)

#9 Recast the shadow (Let go of that which no longer serves)

We would love to know:

How did this chapter help you live with a full heart and a free voice?What is one quote from this chapter that stood out to you that you would like to explore more?

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How to Connect with Emma:

Find out more about Emma Veritas at https://www.enchantedwriting.com/Download Emma's free guide: 3 Habits to Calm Your Fear and Get You Writing

How to Connect with Caitlin:

Find out more about Caitlin Bosshart and schedule a free consultation at: https://caitlinbosshart.com/Follow Caitlin on Instagram: @caitlin_bosshart Follow Caitlin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caitlinbosshartlifecoaching/

Attributions:

Theme music: Wally Ingram, Stevie Blacke and Tom Freund. You heard portions of their tracks “Shine a Light” and “Udu ULove” from their record Spadé. 

Original cover art: Caitlin Bosshart

Fairy tale music: "Fairytale Waltz" by Kevin MacLeod

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