Mirror Mirror on the Wall?
The transformation of the wicked Queen
Anne Maria Clarke
Moving into middle age is tricky. We are no longer Snow Whites' with hair as black as ebony, skin as white as snow and lips as red as blood....no longer Cinderallas' or all the other sweet heroine's with their impossibly tiny feet and innocent hearts.
Finding a way forward within the unfolding drama of life is hard when beauty fades. Yet as always the trusty fairytale helps by setting out the various routes before us.
Finding a way forward within the unfolding drama of life is hard when beauty fades. Yet as always the trusty fairytale helps by setting out the various routes before us.
"Mirror Mirror on the Wall," demands the jealous Queen.
"Who is the fairest of them all?"
You O Queen are fair 'tis true,
but Snow White is fairer far than you!
And so the descent into madness begins and the 'wicked' stepmother sets out to kill the youthful, beautiful Snow White.
There are many such tales of maladjusted Queens wringing their aging hands and hatching elaborate plots to maintain their positions as the lovliest, most loved and admired of all. Poor things! But in the end, after all the schemes, the poisoned apples, the deathly sleep spells and the like, the young pretenders always survive these jealous, insecure Queens.
There are many such tales of maladjusted Queens wringing their aging hands and hatching elaborate plots to maintain their positions as the lovliest, most loved and admired of all. Poor things! But in the end, after all the schemes, the poisoned apples, the deathly sleep spells and the like, the young pretenders always survive these jealous, insecure Queens.
The mirror never lies you see and nature cannot be checked. But there are other roles, other parts to inhabit and to thrive within, other routes to take not predicated upon the illusion of eternal physical beauty, routes based upon the nurturance of grace and surrender. This is not to say that older women cannot look good, of course not, but we must learn how to move aside when the young ones bloom around us instead of feeling wretched. We must shift, change and transmute or forever be unhappy and bitter and cold like these fairytale Queens' who despite all their efforts end up creating the exact opposite of what they intend.
Paradoxically you see, coming to terms with nature enhances beauty. Jealousy, hanging on, not letting go, fighting the seasons, refusing change is corrosive and this is partly what the faithful mirror reflects back to us.
Age appropriate behaviour on the other hand generates an altogether different kind of woman - one that is easy on herself. In fairytale and myth such characters are not hard to find. In the tale of Cinderella for example there is a kindly soul that all young girls grow up loving: the fairy god mother who magically appears when all seems lost and helps Cinderella realise her dream of going to the ball and dancing until midnight with her handsome prince.
Paradoxically you see, coming to terms with nature enhances beauty. Jealousy, hanging on, not letting go, fighting the seasons, refusing change is corrosive and this is partly what the faithful mirror reflects back to us.
Age appropriate behaviour on the other hand generates an altogether different kind of woman - one that is easy on herself. In fairytale and myth such characters are not hard to find. In the tale of Cinderella for example there is a kindly soul that all young girls grow up loving: the fairy god mother who magically appears when all seems lost and helps Cinderella realise her dream of going to the ball and dancing until midnight with her handsome prince.
This character's prime quality is kindness. She understands the unfolding drama in ways that the wicked, embittered Queen can never do. She stands aside you see - a pre-requisite of wisdom. She views the story as a whole, with all it's twists and turns and shifting and switching of places and thus behaves with clarity and integrity. No longer the central character of the tale as once she surely was - as perhaps we all were - she has evolved into this most magical of roles.
Appearing when all hope is lost, free from personal desire to help Cinderella escape her life of drudgery and attain her true destiny. With a wiggle of her magic wand she moves the tale toward it's Happy Ending. A humble pumpkin is changed into a fairy coach, six white mice become horses, a seventh a footman and Cinderella's rags are transformed into the most beautiful ball gown ever imagined.
This is mothering in it's highest octave. A most worthy state to which we can all aspire with enthusiasm.
The rewards are great for all concerned - for by these ways - even the most distressed wicked Queen can be redeemed so that when next she looks into the mirror of her soul it can reply most joyously.
Appearing when all hope is lost, free from personal desire to help Cinderella escape her life of drudgery and attain her true destiny. With a wiggle of her magic wand she moves the tale toward it's Happy Ending. A humble pumpkin is changed into a fairy coach, six white mice become horses, a seventh a footman and Cinderella's rags are transformed into the most beautiful ball gown ever imagined.
This is mothering in it's highest octave. A most worthy state to which we can all aspire with enthusiasm.
The rewards are great for all concerned - for by these ways - even the most distressed wicked Queen can be redeemed so that when next she looks into the mirror of her soul it can reply most joyously.
"Snow White is still fairer by far than thee.
Yet you, Oh Queen have changed,
the lines of bitterness have softened on your face.
Your heart is at ease.
You have become kind!"
Anne Maria Clarke
x x x
x x x
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Anne Maria Clarke
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http://www.youtube.com/c/annemariaclarke
More fairy-stories, myths, legends and books by
Anne Maria Clarke
http://www.archivepublishing.co.uk /Transpersonal Books - Transpersonal Psychology. Understanding the Soul - Expanding Consciousness
www.annemariaclarke.net
http://www.annemariaclarke.net/blog
www.annemariaclarke.net
