De Mulieribus Claris

Anyone close to a woman is in fact in the presence of two women; an outer being and an interior criatura, one who lives in the topside world, one who lives in the world not so easily seeable.

The originality of Mary’s stance is that it gave women entry into the hallowed hallways of literature, precisely because they had not received a classical education. Women’s lack of book learning, far from being a disadvantage, freed them to be closer to Nature.

In this sense, fairy tales and mythos are initiators; they are the wise ones who teach those who have come after.

Animus can best be understood as a force that assists women in acting in their own behalf in the outer world.

This is done by descending into the deepest mood of great love and feeling, till one’s desire for relationship with the wildish Self overflows,