Do you remember the first fairy tales you heard? Always beginning with Once upon a time……

Well, once upon a time there was a beautiful princess who lived only with her father. He was so fearful of losing her he built a tower for her and locked her in it. And she agreed!!!

Does it remind you of anyone???

So, you can imagine her lack of development as a woman being locked up – knowing herself only through her father’s eyes. She has not learnt to think her own thoughts.

Fairy tales are written in symbolic language so we need to look at the symbols.

The tower was circular – a symbol of wholeness. And because she is by herself she has to confront her own nature – learn about her sensation, intuition, thinking and feeling – represented by the four elements of earth, air, fire and water.

She is encased in an EARTH tower – down below dark and damp, up higher a couple of windows. All women need some earth qualities especially the ability to SENSE what IS, just as a tree needs earth to keep it in the ground.

But too much earth??

She is earthbound – plodding, heavy – yet this girl needed to connect to her earth mother and learn how to nourish her own body.

AIR was at the top of the tower and through her little windows she could see horizons. The Arabic word for ait is breath of the spirit.

Are you a woman whose thoughts and ideas flow freely – open to new ideas, discriminating for yourself? Are you receptive to new ideas – able to wait for the right moment?

Too much air and you can be puffed up, inflated. Our woman in the tower opens herself to the air element and has a third window cut in her tower to open her horizons more.

Her enraged father races to the tower and throws her out the window. “How dare you” You can’t do it”. Voices we all know.

The story tells us she is caught and taken down without harm – similar to the story of the god Amor who rescues Psyche and takes her to earth gently.

She is now well and truly in touch with her FEELING – her WATERY side – as she gets in touch with her anger and rage and betrayal and the tears become tears of transformation leading to healing and more growth as she uses all her inner resources to flow with what is happening to her.

Now she needs FIRE – to be aware of the flame burning within her, claim her own individuality.

And again, the angry collective masculine tries to stop her as her father finds her, judges her and has her head chopped off.

Look at the wonderful symbolism there – she is freed from the voices of others dominating her thoughts, dictating who she must be – she is now one in herself, united with her own inner masculine energy.

Once upon a time…… ahhhhh!!

There is so much more to this beautiful fairy tale that enables us as women to understand our own journey to wholeness, especially as we move into the afternoon life.

If you want to learn more head over to my website and watch for the upcoming webinars on fairy tales that symbolise the journey each of us as women that we need to take in order to be liberated within and grow in wisdom and age.