A Forest Gathering: Part One of a Series on Four Feminine Archetypes
The Wondrous Child
Her small, cherubic hands rubbed against the long, velvety grass to frantically wipe off sap from the tree she pushed against. She peered across the meadow to an opening in the trunk of a massive tree. The tree created a canopy of pastel leaves across its branches and over a forest floor filled with yellow wildflowers. The Wondrous Child bounded across the grass, sunlight dappling on her dress as she went. Her excitement beamed in her smile and she laughed playfully as she slowed before the tree and the leaf-shaped opening in it’s bark. Her hesitation before entering the opening was not out of fear but anticipation and curiosity.
She had heard about the magical tiara and that she might find it there. Her eyes twinkled with the thought of wearing it while she danced with all her forest friends. After all, she loved to dance and sing and play imaginary games and have pretend tea parties where she was the hostess and star. She had no agenda — she just wanted it and clear about her desire. Her bare feet felt the crumbled dirt as she walked along the tree roots. She was a part of the earth, the flora around her, and a partner to the bugs on the ground and the birds in the air. This Wondrous Child finds beauty in all things. She was unaware that this connectedness to nature is part of being The Wondrous Child, the first of four feminine archetypes.
Wide-eyed with fascination, she tip-toed into the large tree, anxious to find the tiara. There was a soft light illuminating an area remarkable to the size of the tree but it was of no consequence to this girl of innocence and uncomplicated interest. She was light on her feet because she carried no baggage of the past and no expectations of the future. She is always and perennially in the present.
“Hello?”, she called out, her voice echoing off the tree walls. She looked about as she thought she heard singing. Indeed she did as she placed her ear close to the cool, damp woody wall. Louder now and stretching out surrounding her was a lilting, mellifluous woman’s singing. This voice seemed familiar to her, like a slightly older version of her own, and it reverberated from the ground to her feet and up her legs and hips. It made her want to dance and leap as she felt heat rise to her cheeks that began to blush. Just then she heard the aria clearly and felt the breath on her back so she twirled about to come face to face with the young, svelte woman who finished her crooning. Impetuously the precocious girl aspirated, “My I loved, just loved, your song! It made me want to dance! How did you learn to sing like that? Do you like to dance, too? I’m looking for a magic tiara. Have you seen it? I like your dress. So sparkly!”
“Ah, The Wondrous Child,” the young woman said. She continued, “Why thank you. Yes, I love to dance but selective of with who. And no, I have not seen the tiara and I’m looking for it, too.” Then, the girl said cheerfully and quickly, “We could look for it together!” She took everyone she met at face value, not expecting any intent ill or otherwise. Yet, she was curious and added, “How do you know me?” The young woman answered, “The Wondrous Child that you are, bring a freshness and beginner’s mind to all women. You provide pure inquiry without pre-judged notions. You access our sense of play and joy and make it easy for us to find the rainbows and silver linings. You catch our imagination, dreams, and fantasies in a butterfly net and only show excitement when they take flight. You’re a part of us that is exuberant and timeless. You are fast to find good in everyone and everything.”
The Wondrous Child curtseys and then asks, “Who are you?” The young woman pauses then claims, “I am The Siren and will go with you to find the tiara.”