Ripening

Passed down through generations of women long before they were captured and prettified in books and film, fairy tales present us with characters and images that inspire. The heroines capture our hearts, and their journeys help us to imagine how change might be possible in our lives. But values and qualities of character that define a fairy-tale heroine are just as important today. There's always been war and danger, and there's always been love and community too. To be a heroine you need generosity, reciprocity, discipline, discernment, loyalty, kinship, hospitality, smarts and the determination to show up and own you own story... You need a sense of kinship with the natural world around you, and the other-than-humans who inhabit it. And a healthy dose of feistiness, and a recognition that being nice shouldn't necessarily be women's only life goal. Fairy tales show us how to take hold of our own dysfunctional personal stories and transform them into stories that might begin with trauma, but end with empowerment. They capture our imagination, offer us images of startling resonance and beauty, all while teaching us how to live well.