In Native American culture the wolf is seen as a teacher, a guide, and a leader of new ideas. Wolves have keen senses and mate for life. They have an innate sense of family within the pact and strong individualistic urges. As a woman I relate to the Native American assessment of the wolf. Most women have a potent desire to be a part of a community, to bear children, and to make a difference as an individual. There is a wild woman living inside of me and that woman needs to feel the wind blowing through her hair, soothing and caressing her mind to go beyond self-made and culture-made restrictions, to find meaning where none seems to exists.
I read a story a long time ago that stirred a restlessness in my mind and to this day it sings a song of resurrection within the core of my being. The story was called La Loba or Bone Woman. It has been said that there is an old woman who lives in a hidden place and waits for lost or wondering people and seekers to come to her place. She is always fat, often hairy, and wishes to evade most people. She is a cracker and crower, making more animal sounds than human sounds.
La Loba’s sole purpose is to collect bones, mostly the collection and preserving of bones that are in danger of being lost to the world. Her cave is full of all types of desert creatures: the deer, the rattlesnake, and the crow but her specialty is the collecting of wolf bones. She crawls and sifts through the mountains and dry river beds looking for wolf bones. Once she finds a complete skeleton, she lays it out in her cave and sits by the fire thinking of the perfect song to sing.
When the old woman is sure, she stands over the bones, raises her arms and sings. She sings as the bones begin to grow flesh and the creature becomes furred, she sings as the tail curls upward, she sings as the wolf creature begins to breathe, and still she sings as the desert floor shakes and the wolf opens its eyes, leaps up and runs out of the cave and down the desert canyon.
At some point in the wolf’s running, whether it be because of splashing its way across a river, or by rays of sunshine or moonlight hitting the wolf in its side, the wolf is suddenly transformed into a laughing woman running towards the horizon.
It has been said that if you are lost and wandering across a desert and it’s near sundown, then you are lucky, for La Loba may take a liking to you and show you something long forgotten, something of your soul.
This story has its foundation in many cultures and has been passed down from woman to women. Its meaning goes beyond logical thinking and propels those seeking knowledge and wisdom into there own wild, instinctive nature. There are many myths and stories that unlock the mystery of the wild woman archetype when examined as a metaphor for self-awareness. I chose the wolf for my logo to remind me that wisdom can only be shared, for without the sharing there is no wisdom.
My first design was done using a wolf as a symbol of my wild nature howling at the moon (another female symbol) with a woman dreaming of what she can become. I did the sketch of the woman a long time ago. When I decided to use the name Wild Mind for this blog I knew I wanted a wolf and a female image to represent or define its purpose. I put the two images together and liked the outcome. It was a reminder to my creative self, the one who runs wild in the moonlight and dreams the dream of new beginnings, that I can become whatever I can imaging myself to be.
Now I’ve redesigned this blog with a new image. As I write this I’m discovering that I have changed since I first setup and designed this blog. Even though I still used the same symbols, there meaning has changed. I’m no longer dreaming of becoming and the wolf is no longer howling. They are both peering into the world, though still hidden behind lavish green foliage or perhaps they’re stalking their prey, waiting for the right moment to reveal themselves. There’s a sensuality to the design or possibly a promise of sensual pleasures. There is a desire to be fully engaged in the world with all of my senses and yes, there is some fear. How much of my wild nature will I allow other to see? Apparently not much, at least not yet. I’ve surrounded my symbols in lush green that represents health and nurturing, that is promising. Perhaps the dreaming has now become a promise …. the promise of running wild through my own creative landscape.
For those who might be interested in more information on the wild woman archetype and the power of storytelling, I recommend the book “Women Who Run With the Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D.
