The pelt in this story is not so much an article as the representation of a feeling state and a state of being – one that is cohesive, soulful and of the wildish female nature. When a woman is in this state, she feels entirely in and of herself instead of out of herself and wondering if she is doing right, acting right, thinking well.” – Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D. Women Who Run With the Wolves
Although it is a bit early for this, I have been thinking a lot about what my word for 2011 will be. Knowing that resolutions don’t do it for me, for the past few years I have hopped on the blogger bandwagon and chosen a word – a theme – for my year ahead. I started looking at words like joy and home, but nothing fit until I read this post by the remarkable Pixie Cambell and felt a stirring deep in my soul for more. Wanting to read the story of Baba Yaga again, I pulled my copy of Women Who Run With the Wolves out and instead of searching, let the book open in my hands. Instead of Baba, there waited the story Sealskin, Soulskin, and I found my word: pelt.
According to Dr. Estes, when we lose our pelt, our soulskin, we must return home.
While home was going to be my word for this year, pelt takes it one step further. Pelt is finding the soul-home within myself so that I can feel at home in the world. Pelt is taking care of my body and the Wild Woman within by feeding it with real and whole foods. Pelt is getting quiet and listening to my inner knowing again, feeling when the hairs on my arms stand up when I feel or sense something and knowing what to do then. Pelt is moving the muscles under my skin and feeling strong and agile and beautiful again. Pelt is putting my instincts back into use, learning to engage with and understand my fears and to live in the world knowing that I can deal with whatever comes my way. Pelt is the home I have been longing for and the grown woman I’ve been hearing roar in my heart for a long, long time. Pelt is my own uniqueness and my own beauty and my own life.
So there it is – my word and my theme and my focus for 2011: pelt. I hope that you will join me here in this place and let me know (with a link if you like!) what word you have chosen.
xoox
