Why We Need Fairy Tales Now — with Sharon Blackie

Sharon Blackie is one of our foremost fairy tale interpreters.  In her new book, “Ripening: Why Women Need Fairy Tales Now,” she reclaims the subversive fairy tale heroines of the past.  Not passive, well-behaved princesses — think Tatterhood instead of Cinderella, the Fox Wife instead of Sleeping Beauty — figures from centuries-old European folk tales that were whispered over hearths and spinning wheels, and handed down from one generation of women to the next, not as children’s entertainment but a blueprint for survival, maps for soul retrieval and cultural regeneration. 

The brave, smart heroines and wise old women in these tales offer us an alternative, “post-heroic” model of psychological development, Blackie says. A code of ethics based on kinship with the more-than-human world of animals and plants, and a celebration of old-fashioned virtues like compassion, kindness and reciprocity. Fairy tale heroines, Blackie says, don’t slay dragons — they make them part of the team. 

Fairy tales are part of our collective unconscious, a storehouse of archetypes and images that predate the modern world.  There's a bridge back to the enchanted landscapes and animist sensibilities of our ancestors — a gateway to wonder.  In this conversation, Blackie shows us how to unlock their power and find our way back the imaginal world. 

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• Website
• "The Art of Enchantment" Substack 
• "Ripening: Why Women Need Fairy Tales Now" 
• The Nostos Institute
• Sharon’s other books

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0:00 Introduction
2:25 Why Fairy Tales Are Survival Stories
12:25 Beyond the Hero's Journey
27:05 Jung, Hillman, and the Imaginal World
41:45 Active Imagination and Closing Thanks

Wonder Cabinet is hosted by Anne Strainchamps and Steve Paulson. Find out more about the show at https://wondercabinetproductions.com, where you can subscribe to the podcast and our newsletter.