Your Essential Reading List for Reclaiming Your Untamed Self
The wild woman is stirring. She’s been sleeping under layers of societal expectations, workplace politeness, and the exhausting performance of being “nice.” But she’s waking up now, stretching her limbs, remembering what it feels like to run barefoot through forests and howl at the moon.
These five books are invitations back to yourself. Back to the woman who knew her power before the world told her to dim it. Back to the fierce, intuitive, earth-connected being you were born to be.
Click on the images to find out more about the books…
The Foundation: “Women Who Run with the Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
This book is the bible of wild woman reclamation. Estés, a Jungian psychoanalyst and storyteller, weaves together ancient folktales to reveal the instinctual nature that lives within every woman. Through stories of La Loba, Bluebeard, and the Handless Maiden, she shows us how to find our way back to our essential wildness.
The wild woman archetype isn’t about literally living in the wilderness—though you might want to after reading this. She’s about trusting your instincts, honoring your cycles, and refusing to shrink yourself to fit into boxes that were never meant for you. Estés calls her the “one who knows,” the part of you that can smell lies from a mile away and doesn’t need external validation to know her worth.
This book will make you remember dreams you thought you’d forgotten and give you permission to howl when you need to. Consider it your initiation into the wild woman tribe. Start reading today.
The Celtic Connection: “If Women Rose Rooted” by Sharon Blackie
Sharon Blackie takes the wild woman archetype and roots it deeply in Celtic mythology and landscape. This book is a love letter to the ancient feminine wisdom that once guided our ancestors and a roadmap for how to reclaim it in our modern lives.
Blackie argues that women have become disconnected from the land, from our stories, and from each other—and that this disconnection is killing us spiritually. Through Irish and Scottish folklore, she shows us how to remember our roles as wisdom keepers, storytellers, and guardians of the earth.
The book weaves together memoir, mythology, and ecological wisdom in a way that feels like sitting around a fire with your wisest grandmother. Blackie doesn’t just tell you to connect with nature; she shows you how ancient women did it and why it matters more than ever in our climate-ravaged world. Root yourself by reading Blackie’s groundbreaking book here!
The Indigenous Wisdom: “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Robin Wall Kimmerer bridges the gap between indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge in this breathtaking exploration of our relationship with the natural world. As both a botanist and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Kimmerer offers a perspective that modern wild women desperately need.
The book teaches us to see plants and animals not as resources to be consumed, but as teachers and relatives to be honored. Kimmerer’s concept of the “grammar of animacy” changes how you see everything—suddenly, the maple trees in your yard become ancestors, and the moss on your fence becomes a mentor. This book is a must-read and probably my personal favourite. Read it here.
Wild women understand reciprocity. We know that taking without giving back is the colonial mindset that got us into this mess. Kimmerer shows us how to live in right relationship with the earth, offering practical ways to honor the land that sustains us.
The Visionary Path: “The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible” by Charles Eisenstein
Charles Eisenstein’s work might seem like an unexpected addition to a wild woman reading list, but his vision of interconnectedness and his critique of separation consciousness are essential for any woman reclaiming her wildness.
Wild women don’t just heal themselves—they heal the world. Eisenstein’s book provides the philosophical framework for understanding how personal transformation connects to planetary healing. He dismantles the myth that we’re separate from each other and from nature, showing how the same mindset that oppresses women also destroys ecosystems.
The book offers hope without toxic positivity. Eisenstein acknowledges the darkness of our current moment while holding space for the possibility of transformation. For wild women who feel the weight of the world’s pain, this book provides both comfort and direction. Find out more.
The Practical Magic: “Speaking With Nature” by Sandra Ingerman and Llyn Roberts
Sandra Ingerman and Llyn Roberts offer practical guidance for developing a conversational relationship with the natural world. This book is less philosophical and more hands-on, providing exercises and practices for connecting with the spirits of place, weather patterns, and animal guides.
The authors come from shamanic backgrounds and share techniques for listening to the wisdom that surrounds us constantly. They teach you how to sit with trees until you can hear their stories, how to read the messages in cloud formations, and how to honor the spirits that inhabit your local landscape.
Wild women know that magic is real and available to anyone willing to slow down and pay attention. This book gives you the tools to develop that attention and to trust what you receive. Find it here.
Living the Wild Woman Path:
These books work together to create a complete picture of what it means to be a wild woman in the modern world. They’ll teach you to trust your instincts, honor your connection to the earth, and remember that you’re part of something much larger than the small stories our culture tells about women’s roles and capabilities.
Reading them won’t just change your perspective—it will change your life. You’ll find yourself making different choices, seeking different environments, and listening to different voices. You’ll remember that your wildness isn’t something to be tamed or ashamed of, but something to be celebrated and shared.
The wild woman path isn’t always easy. It requires you to say no to things that drain you, to trust your intuition even when others question it, and to honor your needs even when they’re inconvenient for others. But it’s the path back to yourself, back to your power, and back to the earth that needs your particular medicine.
Start with any of these books and let them guide you home to the wild woman who’s been waiting for you all along. She has stories to tell, wisdom to share, and a world to heal.
Hi ♥️, I’m Gisele Stein, author of feel-good novels with a little magic and places like characters, which i craft from my cosy cabin on Wadandi Boodja in Western Australia. Have a look at my books here. I’m also podcasting as The Earthy Writer, to document my rewilding year: Every new moon, I set a new rewilding intention for the month, and every full moon I share my learnings with you…