"Welcome back home again, all you dear members of the Tribe of the Sacred Heart … The old woman is on her way overland as we speak. Soon she will be here … with us all. Join us at the fireside of the Dangerous Old Woman, for myths and stories of the Wise Woman archetype."—Clarissa Pinkola Estés, PhD
Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés's international bestseller Women Who Run With the Wolves empowered millions with its “saga of the gifted soul.” But that was only the beginning. Three decades in the making, The Dangerous Old Woman presents part one of her masterwork in a series of six on-demand sessions filled with her signature stories, myths, and poetry—many told for the first time.
Join us as we meet the Dangerous Old Woman from across world history and cultures, including La Anciana, the Ancient One; the Midwife Exemplar; La Tejadora, the Weavers of Fate; the Juggler Women; and many others. Each two-hour session includes Q&A with Dr. Estés, and her special prayers of blessing over our creative souls.
Dr. Estés on this landmark event: “Though I myself find perils and challenges of age to be true, we must disavow the old prejudices about women and age. The true vision of the wise woman is one of bounty of love and age and wisdom. As she gathers years, like an ancient tree, she grows ever more arms, even more flowers and fruits. She is more rooted, more vast, more sheltering—developing her callings to be throughout life, maiden mother, medium, crone, elder, healer, teacher, artist, knowing woman.”
Session Overviews
Session One: Revivir—Bringing Back to Life the Archetypes of the Wise and Wild
Stories and commentaries include:
- What is meant by “Dangerous”?
- The Silver-Lipped Ax
- The Truth About Women’s Giftedness as They Grow Older
- Notable Wise Old Women in Mythos
- The Crone: Getting True Wisdom Is Not What We Were Taught
- “Snow White,” Part One
A Q&A session with audience members follows Dr. Estés’s teachings, and we conclude with the blessing prayer “I Am Not Needed There.”
Session Two: Arbol De La Hoja Perenne—Woman as Indestructible Tree of Life
Stories and commentaries include:
-
La Anciana: The Two-Million Year Old Woman
- Wild Woman and Wise Woman Archetypes are Las Gemelas, Twins
- “Snow White,” Part Two
- The Symbolism of the Madrasta (stepmother) and the Mirror
- When This Tree Has Stood Winter
A Q&A session with audience members follows Dr. Estés’s teachings, and we conclude with the blessing prayer “One Day When I Was Old.”
Session Three: La Tejadora, The Weaver—Who Knocks at My Door with Tears and Treasure?
Stories and commentaries include:
- “The Sun-Daggered Treasure Tree No One Remembered”
- Why Old Women in Mythos Ever Companion the Young
- “Las Tres Osas, The Three Old Re-Weavers of Torn Lives”
- The Mad Knitter, Coming into One’s Own, the Spiritus Imaginal
-
El Destino Asignaturo, Ditching the Collective, Creating New Culture
A Q&A session with audience members follows Dr. Estés’s teachings, and we conclude with the blessing prayer “Hymn of Gratitude, for We Are Pleased by Dangerous Old Women and Their Wild and Wise Daughters.”
Session Four: La Mera Mera and La Anciana—The Ultimate Two-Million-Year-Old Woman
Stories and commentaries include:
- “The Man Who Hated Trees”
- “The 17 Aunts and the Flying Forest”
-
Unus Mundus, Old World Wisdom
- “The Jealous Girls and the Old Woman Under the Lake”
- The Old Woman’s Beautiful Legacies
After the blessing prayer “The Angelic Ten,” Dr. Estés answers questions, then we conclude with the blessing prayer “When a Good Mother Dies.”
Session Five: Relámpago! Lightning!—Crossing the Crone Line
Stories and commentaries include:
- “The Precious Museum Tree”
- “What Did You Dream? What Did You Dream?”
- “Learning to Juggle as a Pattern for Life”
- “The Crossing Shawl”
- “Los Cinco Espiritus, The Five Women Spirits”
A Q&A session with audience members follows Dr. Estés’s teachings, and we conclude with the blessing prayer “Five Fears to Fear, and Then No More.”
Session Six: Las Vatas Locas—Street Wisdom and Gentle, Tough Old Women
Stories and commentaries include:
- “The Pretty Poison Tree”
- “Rest Well, God Is Awake”
- “The Vashinger and the Return of the Vampires”
- “The Ruby Red Fox”
- “Seductions That Put Us to Sleep about Our Creative Lives”
A Q&A session with audience members follows Dr. Estés’s teachings, and we conclude with the blessing prayer “When I Peer Between the Worlds.”
