From the Gaian Tarot, Strength; from the Goddess Oracle, Baba Yaga:
We must reject not only the stereotypes that others hold of us, but also the stereotypes that we hold of ourselves. —Shirley Chisholm
If you're a young girl in the Deep South, it's likely you've heard all your life: "Be a good girl. Act like a lady." And from the church: "Be submissive to men." The inner beast that provides us with courage and strength is starved and abandoned if we act on such directives from others. Yet this woman has embraced her passion, her instincts and her wildness - not loosing them indiscriminately, but making friends with them. These are the things that will make her whole and help her to thrive. The Slavic goddess Baba Yaga reiterates this in her quote from the oracle companion book :
I freely express my vitality
my sheer exuberant joyfulness
to please myself because it is natural
Trying to please others rather than being who we are is self-destructive. It is time to change the things we cannot accept. In the words of Michelle Obama, “Am I good enough? Yes, I am.”
I used to get Jack and Jill magazine when I was a kid, and they often had Baba Yaga stories in them. When I was 14 I bought a book of Russian folk tales with lots of Baba Yaga stories. I lost the book but managed to buy a used copy when I was in my 50s. Maybe I should draw some chicken legs? (Judy)
ReplyDeleteYes to chicken legs, :D.
DeleteForgot to mention that it is the “shiny happy people” vibe of this deck that put me off buying it. Maybe if it was the “shiny happy people reclusively hiding behind doors” deck I might have been able to relate to it. (Judy, not one of the touchy-feely crowd)
DeleteYep, I get that. :)
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