There is an old woman who lives in a hidden place that everyone knows but few have ever seen. . . . The sole work of La Loba, [the Wolf Woman], is the collecting of bones. She is known to collect and preserve especially that which is in danger of being lost creatures: the deer, the rattlesnake, the crow. But her specialty is said to be wolves.
She creeps and crawls and sifts throughout the montañas, mountains and arroyos, dry river beds, looking for wolf bones, and when she has assembled an entire skeleton, when the last bone is in place and the beautiful white sculplure of the creature is laid out before her, she sits by the fire and thinks about what song she will sing.
And when she is sure, she stands over the creatura, raises her arms over it, and sings out. That is when the rib bones and leg bones of the wolf begin to flesh out and the creature becomes furred. La Loba sings some more, and more of the creature comes into being; its tail curls upward, shaggy and strong.
And La Loba sings more and the wolf creature begins to breathe. And still La Loba sings so deeply that the floor of the desert shakes and as she sings, the wolf opens its eyes, leaps up, and runs away down the canyon.
—Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves
Women & Wolves
Last Thursday night, beneath the soft glow of candlelight and the warmth of shared presence, a circle of women came together to explore the opening chapters of Women Who Run With the Wolves. We delved into La Loba and Bluebeard, two powerful stories that stir something ancient in the bones—a call back to the wild, intuitive knowing that too many of us have forgotten.
As we shared our interpretations, something profound happened. The wisdom of these stories deepened, unfolding through the voices of each woman present. What I may have seen as one truth, another woman illuminated from a different angle, revealing new layers of meaning. This is the power of women’s circles—wisdom is not simply read; it is felt, lived, and reclaimed together.
La Loba: The Resurrection of the Wild Self
La Loba, the Wolf Woman, is the collector of bones. She wanders the deserts, gathering the remains of creatures long gone, piecing them back together with reverence. When her work is complete, she sings over the bones, and they begin to flesh out, to move, to breathe—to come back to life.
This story speaks to a deep spiritual truth: that within each of us, something ancient and wild is waiting to be remembered. The Wild Woman within us is never truly gone, but she may be buried beneath years of conditioning, neglect, or fear. La Loba calls us to gather the scattered pieces of our soul—the parts of ourselves we have abandoned or forgotten—and to sing them back into being.
In circle, we spoke of what our own “bones” are. What parts of ourselves have we lost or silenced? What truths have been buried beneath obligation or doubt? And what is the song that will bring us back to life?
Some women spoke of creativity, of art they long to create, of art left unfinished. Others spoke of voice—of speaking their truth after years of being quiet. We all saw in La Loba the promise that it is never too late to reclaim what is ours, to resurrect the wildness that is our birthright.
The Story of Bluebeard
Once, there was a wealthy man with a long, blue beard. Though he was rich and powerful, there was something eerie about him. His blue beard gave him a frightening appearance, and many women were afraid of him.
One day, Bluebeard came to visit a family with three daughters. He wished to marry one of them, but the sisters hesitated—there was something about him that made them uneasy. To win their favor, Bluebeard invited them to his grand castle, along with their mother and some friends, for a week of feasting and celebration. He was generous and charming, and by the end of the visit, the youngest sister agreed to be his wife.
After the wedding, Bluebeard told his new bride that he had to leave on business. Before departing, he handed her a set of keys and told her, “You may go anywhere in the castle, open any door you wish—except for one. This small key opens a room in the castle you must never enter. If you do, terrible consequences will follow.”
He left, and at first, the young woman enjoyed her new home. She wandered through the grand halls, opening doors with delight. Behind each door, she found rooms filled with treasure—gold, jewels, and fine silks.
But her curiosity kept returning to the forbidden room. Her sisters had come to visit, and they noticed her unease.
“Why do you seem troubled?” they asked.
She told them of the one locked room, the one she must not enter. The sisters, eager to know its secret, urged her to open it. “What could be in there? Surely, if it were something terrible, he would have removed it.”
At first, she refused, but their insistence grew, and at last, trembling, she took the small key and unlocked the door.
Inside, the room was dark and still. As her eyes adjusted, she gasped in horror—there, in the chamber, lay the bodies of Bluebeard’s previous wives. They had been murdered, their blood staining the floor.
In terror, she tried to flee, but the small key had fallen into a pool of blood. She picked it up and wiped it clean, but the blood would not come off. No matter how she scrubbed it, the stain remained.
That evening, Bluebeard returned. Seeing her pale face, he immediately asked, “Did you open the forbidden door?”
She tried to lie, but he saw the bloodstained key in her hand. His face darkened. “Now you, too, must die,” he said.
The young woman fell to her knees, begging for her life. “Please, allow me a moment to prepare for death,” she pleaded.
Bluebeard granted her a short reprieve, and she ran to the highest tower, where her sisters waited. “Sisters, please, call our brothers! Signal them to come at once!”
Her sisters ran to the windows and waved to their brothers, who were riding in the distance. They shouted for them to hurry, for time was running out.
Bluebeard called from below, growing impatient. “Come down at once! Your time is up!”
“One moment more!” she cried.
He stormed up the stairs. She screamed again for her brothers. Just as Bluebeard reached her, the door burst open, and her brothers rushed in with swords drawn. They struck down Bluebeard, ending his reign of terror.
Bluebeard: The Predator Within
If La Loba is the healer, Bluebeard is the warning. This tale speaks of a young woman who marries a strange and powerful man, despite her unease. He gives her a key and tells her she may enter any room except one. But curiosity leads her to the forbidden chamber, where she finds the bodies of his previous wives—women who listened their intuition and paid the price.
Bluebeard is a story of inner and outer predators, of the forces that seek to suppress, control, or even destroy the Wild Woman within us. These forces can be external—abusive relationships, oppressive systems, societal expectations—but they can also be internal: self-doubt, shame, the inner voice that tells us to stay small, to obey, to not ask questions.
As we discussed this story, we shared our own experiences of ignoring intuition, of moments when we felt a quiet knowing but dismissed it. Each of us had, in some way, encountered our own Bluebeard. But the story also gives us the way forward: the key. The young woman’s curiosity saves her. Though her discovery is terrifying, it is also her liberation. She sees the truth, and in doing so, finds a way to escape.
We asked ourselves:
When have I ignored my intuition?
How can I learn to trust my inner knowing?
Where is my power, and how do I reclaim it?
The conversation was raw, honest, and empowering. The more we spoke, the more we realised that every woman carries wisdom, and when we listen to each other, we begin to remember our own.
Journaling Prompts for Deeper Reflection
If you wish to explore these themes further, here are some journaling prompts inspired by our circle:
La Loba’s Bones – What are the “bones” of your wild self? What parts of you have been buried or forgotten? How can you begin to sing them back to life?
The Voice of Intuition – Write about a time when you felt an intuitive knowing. Did you follow it? If not, what happened? If yes, what did it teach you?
Recognising Bluebeard – What are the inner or outer forces that have tried to silence your wildness? How can you free yourself from them?
The Song of the Wild Woman – If you were to sing yourself back to life, what would your song be about? What words, images, or feelings arise when you imagine your soul’s true expression?
The Power of Gathering
Thursday night's circle reminded me why these stories matter, and why reading them in community is so powerful. When women come together, we remember truths that have been buried. We see ourselves reflected in one another. We witness, and in doing so, we heal.
Women Who Run With the Wolves is not just a book—it is an awakening, a path back to ourselves. And when we walk that path together, it is all the more powerful.
If you are feeling the call of the Wild Woman, let this be a sign: she is within you, waiting. Gather your bones. Find your voice. Open the forbidden door. And, most of all, remember—you are not alone.
With love,
Lauren xxx
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