As I walked home tonight, I was thinking about what to say. Ch 2 and 3 brought up some dark stuff for me.
Quick note on the Bluebeard thing: Does anyone out there remember the scene in "9 1/2 Weeks" where the guy phones the woman who's in his apt. alone and asks her if she's been a "nosy parker"? He wants to know if she's gone through his stuff while he's been gone. She says no - but when he comes home he punishes her - by raping her.
This came up for me while reading Ch 2. Also, my evil ex came up. He seemed like an ok person - an AIDS activist, and good looking. But then as I got to know him, I realized that he had misdirected anger that he let out at protests - and that he would eventually let out at me. Everyone else around me - even my parents - seemed to think he was good for me. They even bought us furniture for our apt.
It's kind of reversed - everyone got fooled and remained fooled by him, except for me. Then I saw my escape and moved out - 6 months later. I am still haunted by him. Whenever I see someone who vaguely looks like my ex, I shiver.
Ch 3 - I just read this line "In her guts a woman knows there is a deadliness in being the too-sweet self for too long." I was the too sweet perfect daughter with good grades and always behaved well. When I decided to be who I really was - and was honest with my parents because I thought it was the right thing to do, they disowned me. But I had my integrity above all else.
When I grew a backbone and stood up for who I was, what I believed in, I became the prodigal daughter. I was the black sheep. My brother became the good son with the normal life when he was once the screwup. We switched places. He probably resented me for a long time because everyone had always compared him to me. I suppose he must have been relieved. I don't resent him now. I think he deserves to get the attention and the spotlight.
Vasalisa reminds me so much of Cinderella - I don't know if Estes mentions that in this chapter. When Cinderella decides to come into her own - to become who she truly is - she is laughed at by her evil stepmother and sisters. The glass slipper is so much more than that which leads her to the Prince's heart - it is the key to her freedom. It is like Vasalisa's torch, which will guide her through the darkness.
One more thing about intuition - i always used to second guess myself but once I knew I was doing the right thing for me, it became a lot easier to trust it. I'm still in the learning process of this.
Quick note on the Bluebeard thing: Does anyone out there remember the scene in "9 1/2 Weeks" where the guy phones the woman who's in his apt. alone and asks her if she's been a "nosy parker"? He wants to know if she's gone through his stuff while he's been gone. She says no - but when he comes home he punishes her - by raping her.
This came up for me while reading Ch 2. Also, my evil ex came up. He seemed like an ok person - an AIDS activist, and good looking. But then as I got to know him, I realized that he had misdirected anger that he let out at protests - and that he would eventually let out at me. Everyone else around me - even my parents - seemed to think he was good for me. They even bought us furniture for our apt.
It's kind of reversed - everyone got fooled and remained fooled by him, except for me. Then I saw my escape and moved out - 6 months later. I am still haunted by him. Whenever I see someone who vaguely looks like my ex, I shiver.
Ch 3 - I just read this line "In her guts a woman knows there is a deadliness in being the too-sweet self for too long." I was the too sweet perfect daughter with good grades and always behaved well. When I decided to be who I really was - and was honest with my parents because I thought it was the right thing to do, they disowned me. But I had my integrity above all else.
When I grew a backbone and stood up for who I was, what I believed in, I became the prodigal daughter. I was the black sheep. My brother became the good son with the normal life when he was once the screwup. We switched places. He probably resented me for a long time because everyone had always compared him to me. I suppose he must have been relieved. I don't resent him now. I think he deserves to get the attention and the spotlight.
Vasalisa reminds me so much of Cinderella - I don't know if Estes mentions that in this chapter. When Cinderella decides to come into her own - to become who she truly is - she is laughed at by her evil stepmother and sisters. The glass slipper is so much more than that which leads her to the Prince's heart - it is the key to her freedom. It is like Vasalisa's torch, which will guide her through the darkness.
One more thing about intuition - i always used to second guess myself but once I knew I was doing the right thing for me, it became a lot easier to trust it. I'm still in the learning process of this.