In a world that often celebrates the climb, the conquest, and outward displays of strength and individual “resilience,” many women feel a quieter call—one that pulls inward, downward, and toward something older, wilder, and more aligned with our deepest selves.
This is the journey of the sacred feminine. The wild feminine. The heroine's journey.
It is not a quest for perfection or power as it's been defined by others. It is a return. A reweaving. A remembering.
This guide is for women who feel that call. Whether you are at the beginning, the threshold, or in the messy middle, these resources can support you as you reclaim your inner voice, reconnect with the natural world, and rise into deeper authenticity.
A gentle note: This work often involves exploring personal and ancestral trauma, confronting systemic oppression, and questioning deeply held beliefs. Please practice self-care and seek support when needed.
What Is the Heroine's Journey?
The heroine's journey is often described as a spiral rather than a straight line. Maureen Murdock, renowned author of The Heroine's Journey, envisions it as a descent and return—away from externally defined roles and toward a more integrated, soulful self.
Where Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey centers on aspirational notions of victory through adversity, the heroine's journey emphasizes wholeness. It explores the wounds of disconnection from the feminine—both internal and cultural—and the healing that comes from reclaiming intuitive wisdom, embodiment, and relational power. It is rooted in interconnection.
The sacred feminine path invites us to shed false selves, confront inner and ancestral pain, and reforge our identities on our own terms.
Reflection Questions:
- What roles or expectations feel heavy or inauthentic in your life right now?
- When do you feel most connected to your intuitive wisdom?
- What would it mean to trust your inner knowing more deeply?
Getting Started: Your First Steps Into the Sacred
If you're completely new to this work, the abundance of resources can feel overwhelming. Here's a gentle sequence to begin:
Week 1-2: Create Sacred Space
- Set up a small altar or special corner with objects that bring joy, awe, wonder, comfort, or calm. These can be natural elements (stones, plants), mementos (pictures of loved ones, trinkets), or items that nourish the senses (candles, soft plush)
- Begin a daily 3-5 minute practice of sitting in silence with your hand on your heart
- Start a journal dedicated to this journey
Week 3-4: Ground in Story
- Choose one book from the beginner-friendly (★) list below
- Read slowly, letting passages marinate rather than rushing through
Month 2: Embody the Work
- Add one embodiment practice (intuitive movement, breathwork, or nature walks)
- Try one creative ritual (moon gazing, creating with your hands, or ancestral honoring)
Month 3: Find Your People
- Research local women's circles or online communities (Sacred Sister circles are a great place to start)
- Consider reaching out to one person who might share this interest
Remember: There's no timeline. Some spend years in one phase, others move quickly through several. Trust your own rhythm.
Books That Speak to the Wild and Sacred Feminine
These texts have guided generations of women back to themselves. Each holds its own key to a different door:
Beginner-Friendly (★)
- Circle of Women by Judith Duerk ★ — Gentle meditations that remind women of their interconnectedness and ancient wisdom
- The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd ★ — A memoir of spiritual awakening and reclaiming the sacred feminine
- Belonging by Toko-pa Turner ★ — A lyrical reflection on exile, homecoming, and ancestral healing
Foundational Texts
- Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés — A timeless collection of stories and interpretations that awaken the instinctual self
- The Heroine's Journey by Maureen Murdock — A foundational map of the feminine path
- Goddesses in Everywoman by Jean Shinoda Bolen — A Jungian approach to understanding the archetypes that shape us
Deeper Work
- If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie — A deeply rooted exploration of myth, place, and belonging
- The Wisdom of Your Body by Hillary McBride — Trauma-informed embodiment and healing
Diverse & Global Perspectives
- The Spirit of Intimacy by Sobonfu Somé — African wisdom on relationships and community
- Jambalaya by Luisah Teish — African-American spiritual traditions and goddess wisdom
- Woman Who Glows in the Dark by Elena Avila — Curandera traditions and healing
- Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde — Essays on identity, power, and the erotic as power
- Radical Dharma by Rev. angel Kyodo williams — Buddhism through a lens of social justice
Indigenous Wisdom (Seek works by Indigenous authors when exploring these traditions)
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer — Indigenous wisdom and reciprocity with nature
- Original Instructions edited by Melissa K. Nelson — Indigenous teachings for a sustainable world
You don't need to read them all. Start with the one that draws you in, and let it lead you to the next.
Practices That Nourish the Feminine
Reading is only one part of the journey. The wild feminine lives in the body, the senses, and the land. These practices help ground your exploration:
For Structure-Loving Souls
- Daily ritual sequences — Create morning or evening practices with consistent elements
- Moon cycle tracking — Chart your energy, emotions, and insights through lunar phases
- Seasonal ceremonies — Mark solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter days with intention
For Free-Spirit Souls
- Intuitive movement — Dance without mirrors, let your body lead
- Stream-of-consciousness journaling — Write without stopping for 10-20 minutes
- Wandering meditation — Walk without destination, following curiosity
Universal Practices
- Tarot and Oracle Cards — Tools for reflection and intuition. Consider The Wild Unknown, Sacred Rebels, or The Motherpeace Tarot
- Embodiment Practices — Somatic breathwork, trauma-informed yoga, or body-based therapy
- Creative Ritual — Create altars with natural elements, write poetry, work with cycles, or tend ancestral stories
- Nature Immersion — Slow walks, barefoot moments, and breath awareness help you remember you belong
Seasonal Invitations
- Spring: Plant seeds (literal or metaphorical), work with new beginnings, fertility rituals
- Summer: Celebrate fullness, practice visibility, honor your creative fire
- Autumn: Release what no longer serves, ancestor honoring, wisdom-gathering
- Winter: Rest, dream, go inward, commune with the dark feminine
Try one practice that feels completely different from how you normally engage with spirituality or self-care. Have fun, be playful, and experiment until you find the practices that serve and support your well-being.
Listen and Watch: Soulful Media
Sometimes a voice or a story can stir something that words alone cannot.
Podcasts
- On Being with Krista Tippett — Conversations with poets, mystics, and philosophers
- For the Wild with Ayana Young — A blend of ecology, grief, and renewal
- The Soul's Calling — Explorations of personal transformation
- She Podcasts — Women's stories across cultures and experiences
- Therapy for Black Girls — Mental health through a culturally affirming lens
Films and Documentaries
- Whale Rider — A powerful story of feminine strength within tradition
- Wild — A modern pilgrimage into grief and self-discovery
- The Red Tent — Based on the novel by Anita Diamant, a window into matrilineal community
- Daughters of the Dust — Julie Dash's poetic exploration of Gullah culture
- The Janes — Documentary about women providing illegal abortions before Roe v. Wade
Talks and Teachings
- Brené Brown on vulnerability and shame resilience
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on the power of storytelling
- Elizabeth Gilbert on creativity and fear
- adrienne maree brown on emergent strategy and pleasure activism
- Pema Chödrön on working with difficult emotions
Communities and Circles
The heroine's journey is not meant to be walked alone. Resilience is relational, and we heal and grow best when we root ourselves in community. While solitude has its place, connection brings healing. You don't have to join until you’re ready, just see what's available.
Local Connections
- Women's Circles — Search Facebook, Meetup, or community centers for "women's circles," "goddess groups," or "sacred feminine"
- The Red Tent Movement — Spaces for intergenerational wisdom and menstrual sovereignty (see At the Well)
- Unitarian Universalist congregations — Often host women's spirituality groups
- Local metaphysical shops — Bulletin boards with circle announcements
Online Communities
- Gather the Women — A global network of feminine-centered community
- Facebook Groups: "Sacred Feminine Rising," "Women Supporting Women Spiritually," or location-specific groups
- Reddit: r/WitchesVsPatriarchy, r/Feminism, or r/TwoXChromosomes for broader community
- Discord servers — Search for "sacred feminine," "women's spirituality," or "goddess worship"
- Apps: Circle (for video circles), Insight Timer (meditation groups)
Professional Support
- Spiritual Direction or Soul-Based Coaching — Especially with practitioners who honor the sacred feminine or Indigenous wisdom traditions
- Therapy with feminist or somatic therapists — Particularly those trained in trauma, women's issues, or body-based healing
- Retreat centers — Look for women-only or sacred feminine retreats
Navigating Resistance: When the Path Gets Rocky
As you step into this work, you may encounter resistance—from others and from within yourself. This is normal and often signals you're moving in the right direction.
External Resistance
- From family or partners: They may feel threatened by your changes. Sometimes this is unconscious and manifests in behavior that signals pushback or even direct requests for you to change back to old patterns or your more recognizable former self. Set gentle boundaries and remember you don't need permission to grow
- From religious communities: If your spiritual exploration conflicts with previous beliefs, find supportive communities or individuals within your current community that honor your journe. Cut-off is not necessarily always the best choice, and you will know best how to weave your existing and desired communities together.
- From society: Patriarchal systems benefit from women staying small, quiet, and palatable. Your expansion is inherently political. Intersectional feminist communities and resources offer beacons for challenging norms and messaging that no longer serves you.
Internal Resistance
- Imposter syndrome: "Who am I to claim this wisdom?" Remember: You belong to this lineage simply by being born. There is no “right way” to embark on this journey. You are drawing the map as you journey onward.
- Fear of being "too much": The world needs your full expression, not the diminished version. Every person has the power to change the world, and the power of your full, embodied presence may be just what’s needed in your community to generate powerful change.
- Guilt about prioritizing yourself: Self-care is not selfish. You are a finite resource in this world, and it’s appropriate for you to protect your own needs and limitations to you can show up fully for others on your own terms.
Working Through Resistance
- Start small and build gradually
- Find one person who supports your journey
- Journal about your fears without trying to fix them (see reflection questions below)
- Remember that resistance often guards what matters most. It’s ok to feel self-protective. Nurture and validate fear, but don’t let it deter you from your journey.
Reflection Questions:
- What resistance are you experiencing right now?
- Who in your life supports your authentic expression?
- What would you do if you knew you were worthy of this healing?
The Feminine Is Also Fierce
This path is a tender one, but it is not soft in the way the world defines softness. Reclaiming the sacred feminine means confronting the systems that have silenced it: patriarchy, colonialism, white supremacy, ableism, and heteronormativity.
It's about remembering that the personal is political. That embodiment is resistance. That listening to your body, your ancestors, and your truth is a radical act. It conjures new wounds and picks at old scabs and scars. It can be profoundly empowering, but it’s a journey that is inevitably wrought with pain.
But the sacred feminine encompasses rage as much as tenderness. It’s important to listen to these signals and to be generous and patient with yourself. These feelings and sensations do not have to be mutually exclusive, and they often appear in tandem in confusing and perplexing ways.
Many societies and cultures around the world have also taught women that anger and rage are unacceptable to experience and display. I’m here to tell you this is patently false. All human beings are born with the ability to feel anger. Misogynistic and racialized messages about being an angry woman are designed to deter women from realizing and embodying righteous rage.
Begin Again, Right Where You Are
There is no wrong place to start. No single book, ritual, or community will unlock everything. But one thread at a time, you begin to reweave.
- You might start by sitting in silence for five minutes
- By placing your hand over your heart each morning and voicing a nurturing affirmation
- By reading one poem by Mary Oliver or Lucille Clifton (my personal favorites are Oliver’s “The Journey” and Clifton’s “a poem in praise of menstruation)
- By dancing in your kitchen
- By saying no to something that drains you
- By saying yes to something that feeds your soul
Your Next Three Steps
- Choose one resource from this guide that calls to you most strongly
- Identify one person you can share this journey with (even if it's future you in your journal or a letter you tuck away to reread a year from now)
- Commit to one small daily practice for the next week
Remember: This work isn't about becoming someone new. It's about remembering who you've always been beneath the layers of conditioning and compromise.
The path spirals. You'll circle back to familiar territory at deeper levels. You'll have seasons of expansion and seasons of rest. You'll stumble and rise and stumble again.
All of this is sacred. All of this is the work.
May this guide be a touchstone as you walk deeper into your own remembering. May you trust the wisdom that lives in your bones. May you remember that you are both the seeker and the sought, the question and the answer, the journey and the destination.
Welcome home to yourself.