by Nicole Barton

A healthy woman is much like a wolf: robust, chock-full, strong life force, life-giving, territorially aware, inventive, loyal, roving

– Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves

So many of us – and especially magical women – innocently and unconsciously fear and shame our own inner wild wisdom, which can be expressed and understood through the archetype of the She-Wolf.

It makes sense. Wildness is not often valued in our mainstream culture, and traditionally, many of us magical ones have been taught that we must hide the wildness of our soul’s wisdom. When we think of witches being burned at the stake for serving their medicinal roles, we can see how we’ve learned to hold deep within our DNA the idea that our ‘wild truth’ – and our magic – must be watered down, hidden or pushed aside, lest we be rejected from society outright. This is how we have come to be so disconnected from our soul’s deeper, wilder purpose. Nowadays, we’re lucky that it doesn’t have to be that way. We can do deep shadow work to find and love all the parts of ourselves that fear our wild inner wolf-like magic and, along the way, truly step into our full divine feminine truth in order to express our power. We can work with particular energies to heal, reactivate and claim back these lost parts of our souls. As we reclaim those suppressed parts of ourselves and embody our wild inner selves, we become more magnetic to those we have soul relationships with.  As we move into the autumn – the season traditionally associated with the ‘wild woman’ phase of the year – it is the archetypal remedy of the She-Wolf (also known as ‘Lac lupaninum’) which offers the perfect medicine to reclaim our inner truth. In doing so we can become medicine – both for ourselves, and for the world at large.

Who is the She-Wolf?

Bone by bone, hair by hair, Wild Woman comes back. Through night dreams, through events half-understood and half-remembered...

– Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves

Before we dive into the She-Wolf archetype, it’s helpful to know that archetypal remedies work in two ways. Firstly, they offer a personality profile that we can use as a lens – a mirror – to hold up and analyse ourselves. This mirror invites us to look at where we are embodying shadow blocks (wounded expression) or golden qualities (healed expression) of that particular remedy.  Secondly, and much more magically, the archetypes are also spirits which can guide us and reveal that which needs to be shown. We can specifically call on or invoke an archetype to guide us, just as a spirit guide might.  The She-Wolf, then, is both a mirror to our psyche and a magical guide who will reveal our inner wild woman to us – Clarissa Pinkola Estés, psychoanalyst and author of Women Who Run with the Wolves, says that this happens  ‘bone by bone, hair by hair... through dreams and events half-understood and half-remembered’. The She-Wolf archetype is perfect for autumnal exploration – this time of year is all about the wildness that’s typically associated with wolves. It’s the time of year where nature shows us what it’s like when the protective summer layer of perfection and beauty is stripped back, and we begin to descend into the brutality of the wind and rain. Leaves are stripped off, and we return to the bare bones of who we are. She-Wolf is the archetypal wild woman, and wild wisdom is her magic. The She-Wolf is a female wolf – wild, truthful, instinctual and in tune with her nature. We can gain some insight into the themes surrounding the She-Wolf by investigating ancient mythology – in Roman myth, for example, a she-wolf is known to have nursed and sheltered the twins Romulus and Remus when they were abandoned in the wilderness: she can represent the ultimate motherly nurturer. So, how does the She-Wolf show up within us, both in shadow and in gold?

Shadow expression of the She-Wolf

The wounded She-Wolf expresses itself in the following ways. If you need to engage with this essence in shadow work, you might be manifesting some of the following blocks, which are symptoms of a She-Wolf in fear. You may have:

• A feeling of being trapped in a disconnected world, or a sense of chaos and rejection with regards to the modern world
• A sense of restriction and taming, or a sense of rebellion against restriction
• A feeling that you are inhibited and need to hide yourself, or a sense of shocking, wild expression that’s not really you
• A lack of confidence, or a sense of over-inflated confidence that does not feel authentic
• A fear of trusting your instincts, or an over-independence on only trusting your instincts and a fear of being taken advantage of
• A fear of speaking truth, or a harsh ‘wolf-bite’ reaction in communications
• A fear of honouring your boundaries, or an aggressive setting of boundaries that does not come from a place of love
• A fear of being ‘too wild’, or expressing wildness in a rebellious way that does not feel authentic
• A sense of disconnection from wild natural cycles, or a painful yearning for the wild
• A sense of people-pleasing, or a sense of disconnection from others

Golden expression of the She-Wolf

The healed She-Wolf expresses itself in the following ways. If you work with She-Wolf for deep healing alchemy, she can help you to reclaim all of her positive character attributes in your own life. You may find that you:

• Become in tune with your wild body, listening to and honouring its messages
• Feel energised and whole in your deepest, most authentic expression
• Trust your inner wisdom and follow your wild instincts
• Reclaim the wild natural wisdom you were born with
• Restore your natural attunement to life’s rhythms 
• Unleash your free spirit and reclaim your inner wildness and sense of freedom
• Harness your creative power
• Love yourself and others more deeply from a wild, vulnerable, open heart
• Find deep union with your wild soul and experience its nurturing, healing medicine

The She-Wolf’s themes, overall, concern the reclamation of our wisdom: trusting ourselves and our wildness. It can sometimes appear that external factors hinder the full expression of our wildness, yet the power is always in our hands. The She-Wolf is already calling you into a full, powerful mode of expression so that you can discover that part of yourself which is already inside, awaiting your activation.

Archetypical embodiment practice

Here are some shadow work enquiries that you can use to begin working with the She-Wolf. It is recommended to create a wild sacred space – you might like to gather some organic material, include wild images that resonate with you, or burn some musky incense. Once you’ve set up a sacred space, spend some time with the following contemplations:

• Where do I resonate with the shadow side of the She-Wolf?
• Where do you resonate with the golden expression of the She-Wolf? 
• Is the She-Wolf’s golden expression something you wish to embody yourself? If so, which particular aspects do you desire?
• What are the costs and benefits of embarking on that journey? Consider the hidden pleasures you might get from being in the shadow expression of the She-Wolf. Is it easier, for example, to metaphorically bite people’s heads off than it is to express yourself vulnerably, from an open and loving heart?
• Will you choose to devote yourself to your wild expression?

These questions should help you to arrive at a fully conscious choice as to whether you desire to take She-Wolf’s medicine. If you do desire to devote yourself to this remedy, you are invited to move into an archetypal embodiment practice to begin to harness your inner wild wolf. The She-Wolf calls us into our bodies and wild rhythms, so it is good to begin by creating a weekly practice of going outside at night and connecting to the moon. You should plan to maintain this practice for at least one month, but you can do it wherever feels comfortable, whether it be in your garden or at a local nature spot you feel particularly drawn to. 1. When darkness falls, set your intention to connect to your inner She-Wolf and to embody her energy 2. Let yourself go for a wild wander. Be drawn by your naval – the seat of your natural instincts – as to deciding where to go 3. Find a sitting spot under the light of the moon, and ground yourself into the earth. Allow yourself to lie and be bathed in the moon’s energy for around five minutes, or for however long feels right to you 4. When your body feels still and grounded, let your body move freely. Have the intention of moving like a wolf, but do whatever feels right. This might feel strange and unnatural at first, but the more you do it, the more natural it will become   5. Notice what is being revealed each time you practise this movement. How does your body feel in each different moon phase? How does it feel at the new moon compared to the full moon, for example? Reflect on your body’s wild wisdom and all it has to share with you You might be surprised by what shows up if you stay open to learning from your inner She-Wolf. This is a potent energetic practice, so notice what’s revealed – it can be useful to keep a journal of your thoughts, feelings, and any revelations that might occur. Finally, I’d highly recommend letting out a howl to the moon every once in a while in order to connect more deeply to the She-Wolf energy – if you dare to fully express your inner wildness, that is. About the author: Nicole Barton is a witch on a mission to help fiery, sensitive women - who have all the trappings of ‘outer success’, yet on the inside feel overwhelmed, numb and trapped in chaotic, drama-fuelled mundane lives - to heal their fear of judgment and open to their healing gifts so they can create more magical lives.  She helps these women stop shaming themselves, open to self-love and and have the courage to open their hearts to a more soul-led life of magic, meaning and purpose, so they can reclaim the unapologetically magical lives they were destined for as healers, teachers and guides (before society told them to play small and conform). Nicole is a Soul Guide and Magical Teacher who guides women she describes as “Secret Witches” - aka women who have a sense they are here for *more* power and magic - into opening their hearts to their deeper purpose, owning their Feminine power, magic and full soul expression.  She does this via her unique Archetypal Apothecary™ Mystery School - which helps women to heal their souls, discover and embody their healing gifts and express them into the world as a business - and she also hosts her popular podcast - the Secret Witch Show. Find out more at secretwitch.co.uk.