From The Daily Dialogue
From The Daily Dialogue
Broadcast of 11/28/98
Subject: [DailyDialogue #327] Hidden Love
"'Ah,' said the old woman, 'she no longer loves you; if she gets hold of you, she will tear you to shreds; her love is stored away in a remote place.'
-- From the Story of the Maiden King
Ivan, our hero, has set forth on a quest for a goddess. Nearly eaten by the Baba Yaga, he was rescued by the Firebird, flying high and free toward the waters. Upon reaching the edge of the great sea, the Firebird told him, "Now, Ivan, the merchant's son, the thrice tenth land lies beyond this sea. I am not strong enough to carry you to the other shore; get there as best you can."
After walking for a time, Ivan came to the house of the Crone, a wise old woman, who is more beneficent than Baba Yaga. After establishing that Ivan has come looking for the princess, the Crone tells Ivan the bad news: "She no longer loves you." and the good news, "But wait a bit! My daughter lives at the Maiden Tsar's palace and she is coming to visit me today; we may learn something from her."
The Crone's daughter reveals, "On this side of the ocean there stands an oak; in the oak their is a coffer; in the coffer there is a hare; in the hare there is a duck; in the duck there is an egg; and in the egg lies the Maiden Tsar's love."
The wounded goddess who no longer loves is a rare figure in fairy stories. She reminds us that wounds and hurts often lead us to close off and hide our vulnerable love away, even from those we once adored above all others. The good news is that the love is not dead; it lies deeply hidden and it can be freed once again, perhaps even yearns to be freed once again.
Experiment: Dialogue with your partner about some way in which you were hurt and how you are choosing to hide the fullness of your love.
Affirmation: Speaking our hurts and choices to hide our love is a first step towards expressing the fullness of our love.
The Daily Dialogue is published each day of 1998 by e-mail. Copyright 1998, Eddy Brame and Marty Crouch, All rights reserved.
