Feminine Courage

Photo by Vlad Marisescu on Unsplash

Have you ever gone on a bear hunt?
.
Perhaps…
when you were in kindergarten
and were read the book
‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’
about friends
swishing through tall grass
splashing through a stream
climbing a high hill
peering into a dark cave…
.
And facing a fierce bear
.
The themes of this invigorating
children’s story-time game
are echoed in myths, fairy tales
and the Heroine’s Journey.
.
Going on a bear hunt,
at whatever age, is a story of
life experience
gained wisdom
and courage.
.
And it’s a story about the Feminine.
It’s not a hunt to conquer the bear.
It’s a hunt to find the bear
and seek its help.
.
In the fairy tale, The Crescent Moon Bear,
the heroine
travels far distances
fords icy rivers
scales treacherous mountains.
.
With each step
she struggles to gain her footing.
With each step she continues on.
With each step she gives thanks
to the river, the meadow, the mountain
for their assistance in helping her on her journey.
*
Fortitude
Persistence
Respect
Gratitude
*
These are forms of Feminine Courage.
.
Then she finds the bear.
Deep in its cave.
Does she rush in and
demand her needs be met?
No.
.
She sits with the bear from afar.
Nourishes the bear with her food.
Moves closer to the cave little by little.
*
Patience
Nurture
Inclusion
*
These are qualities of
Feminine Courage.
.
Finally she stands in front of the bear.
He growls and threatens.
She is terrified and shaking like a leaf.
She does not run even though she is afraid.
*
Stands within herself
even while shaking.
*
True courage, by anyone, is
doing what you think is important
even while being afraid.
.
She tells him what her needs are.
She tells her story.
She asks him to understand
and give the gift that he is able to give.
*
Speaks her truth
by telling her heart.
*
That is the ultimate form of
Feminine Courage.
.
She receives the gift.
She thanks the bear.
Runs down the mountain.
Fords the river.
Crosses the meadow.
.
Thanking each along the way.
*
Receptivity
Appreciation
Partnership
*
Feminine Superpowers
.
She returns to her village.
Seeks out the Healer.
Realizes the real gift she received from the bear
is the experience of her own strength.
*
Wisdom.
*
She now can be a Healer herself.
.
This is the gift of the
Divine Feminine to the world.
.
May you experience your own
Feminine Courage
and Wisdom
as you adventure on your
Heroine’s Journey.
*
Use your Superpowers.
*
Love to you always,
Sophia


For Reference:
We’re Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
Women Who Run with the Wolves. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D.