The Wild Woman

                           The Wild Woman: Reclaiming the Sacred Archetype

This is not just some random muse. The Wild Woman is an archetype often avoided, oppressed, and shamed. Try as you might to keep her hidden, she will always find a way to emerge. In a world consumed by ‘me’, ‘myself,’ and ‘I’, we often find comfort in the belief that if something isn’t happening to us, it’s not our concern. But one thing shatters this complacency: the horror of hearing about rape, especially when it involves a child.

I cannot approach my subject without confronting these uncomfortable truths, for the “Wild Woman” has long been tucked away, hidden in the closet of our collective consciousness. Yet, despite the repression, she remains—and she is awakening.

Wounds, especially those that deeply scar, have a way of bringing out a woman’s innate sense of community and her fundamental role as a nurturer and caregiver. When grief strikes within a family, she becomes the pillar of strength, embracing everyone into her fold. She steps up with courage to meet every challenge.

But there was a time when these strong characteristics lay dormant, asleep within her. She was once a simple, fanciful child, blissfully unaware of gender biases. But this is not the story of that innocent child. Nor is it the story of a woman who steps out of her dreams into a reality defined by her physical beauty—luscious lips, hips, and all. No, this isn’t her story either, for she may be caught up in vanity, a mere tease with nothing more to offer.

This is the story of ‘Her’—the woman your mother warned you about. She’ll charm you with more than just her smile. She’ll talk you into drinking wine and indulging in pleasures you can’t resist. She’ll hold your heart in her loving hands, toy with your mind, and never let you rest in the illusion that she belongs to you. This is ‘Her’ story.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking this is about some other woman, someone who doesn’t touch your life. She may not be your mother, but don’t doubt for a minute—this woman is all women, including your mother.

Debatable? Of course. Just as we must debate the notion that “all men are assholes.” So, let’s get this straight. ‘She’ is every woman. In the next few lines, you’ll recognize her. She is strong, opinionated, persuasive, financially independent, a stronghold for her aged parents, and the voice of a thousand women. She was also Mary Magdalene, Saimdang, and Joan of Arc. Have I lost you? Perhaps, but the common thread among these women, as history tells us, is that they were demonized before they were accepted and praised. Mary Magdalene, however, still remains marred by misinterpretation, at least in the most commonly told stories about her.

The sacred archetype of the Wild Woman has been seen in all ages, living in every woman—the one who refuses to be subservient, who gets labeled as “wild” for not being ashamed of her sexuality. She’s the woman who walks into a room full of men and owns it. She knows what she wants and when she wants it. Even after centuries of demonization and suppression, ‘She’ is still here, living through you and me. When we stop playing dead to ourselves and own our beauty and power, we will stop carrying the shame.

This is a tribute to all the Wild Women who fought their way through traditions and cultures to create and birth the careers we enjoy today. The freedom to pursue any profession we choose, to raise our children alone if needed—what a privilege to simply “Be.” Lilith or Eve, just two sides of the same coin.

So, as my dear friend Paul once asked, “Which side of the coin are you—Lilith or Eve?”

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