Page 51 - Waterfall Issue 8 2021

3. Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.
Maya Angelou said, “Everyone who can read should read this book.” Enough said.
This is not an easy read. The author’s writing style is very rich and mature,
much like the feeling you get when indulging in a beautifully cooked lamb
shank with a velvety red wine jus. It is a remarkable book though.

She unpacks and rewrites fables and folklores that different cultures have kept
alive through storytelling over generations with their children and grandchildren.
Many of these stories, heard in our younger years, are so entrenched in our
belief system that they have become a part of who we are. What I have found
most intriguing is how these stories have dictated the way we view women,
love and power. Just think of all the old Disney princess movies.

If you have the appetite for magic and medicine, this one is a must!

4. Educated by Tara Westover.
This is an extraordinary memoir of the life of a girl, born in rural Idaho, to parents
who, for lack of a better description, were doomsdays prophets. They believed
the FBI and government were watching their every move. They refused to send
their children to school, get medical care or associate with people who were not
stockpiling food for the coming end-of-days. As shocking and sad as her story is, she
compensates for it with her exquisite writing style. This book will appeal to anyone
who has experienced any form of childhood trauma (so basically everyone).

It is not a sad book per se, but rather an astonishing account of how far a person can
come and what they can accomplish despite an imperfect upbringing. This one is for
the bubble bath!

5. The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.
Now obviously, that is not the author’s real name. It was a name given to her by Native
American elders and means one who likes to push the edge and can help others to do the
same. The best way to describe this book is to give you a tiny taste of it.

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you
ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking
like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have
touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or
have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you
can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning
us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

The book starts with this poem, of which there are seven more stanzas, each one
as profound as the previous. They are unpacked further in the chapters that follow.
This book is real, raw, unfiltered, practical, complex, honest and beautiful.

Happy Women’s Month!

Contact Michelle via her website for coaching and well-being resources
https://www.michellelraymond.com/

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