VASALISA

Last night I read the story of Vasalisa. What struck me were the similarities to Cinderella, yet it ended with much more empowerment than Cinderella's story. Instead of being taken away by Prince Charming, Vasalisa took back her own power by listening to her intuition and responding quickly to it...through the doll in her pocket. The power in this story is of listening to our intuition. Being able to hear that voice that KNOWS and trusting it enough to respond, quickly, to what it tells us. There is much in this story about our relationship with our Mother's as well. This gives me food for thought about my relationship with my own mother. She was great at being the "Good Mother"...unconditional Love for me poured from her heart and I always knew, know now and always will know that she loved me deeply and unconditionally. She was fearful, however, and it seems to me, spent alot of time warning me about life...trying to keep me safe. I am sure that I have done that with my children as well...I do not fault her for this...we all want our children to be safe. Yet, somewhere along the way, I decided to dismiss her warnings. I suppose this was healthy for me, in many ways, and especially necessary for my individuation from her. Her fear just never set well with me and, possibly with rebellion, I decided to prove that the thing to do was to do the thing that you feared. This has gotten me into some sticky siituations but it has also made me a less fearful person than I was as a child. My Mom had a rough time in her midlife. I could write about her for hours, but I wont (at least not now). We lost her about 4 years ago. I miss her every day. She was a good Mom. Even as I began to explore the world, even as she tried to keep me safe, she always accepted me and loved me. What I love about her the most was her ease with people and her quick witted sense of humor. She was a light hearted and happy woman, before her illness. That is what I'd like to remember of her more. That is what I would like to regain in myself, more. Her playfulness and simple elegance were quite exceptional. There is much to say about Baba Yaga.... and I intend to write about that later.