Lisa Marie Rankin:

Welcome to The Goddess School Podcast, where Eastern wisdom meets Western mysticism. I'm your host, Lisa Marie Rankine, author, teacher, and Ayurvedic wellness coach, here to help you reclaim your feminine superpowers, and I am so glad you're here. Listen, women are magical. They are intuitive, creative, wise, and magnetic. However, in today's fast paced world, these gifts often get buried under a more masculine way of life. Together, we'll awaken those powers. In each episode, I'll take you through sacred teachings like Ayurveda, shadow work, and the mysteries of archetypes and rituals so you can live with more clarity, synchronicity, and joy in all realms of life, like relationships, health, money, and more. So let's dive in so you can make the most of your one mythic life, the veil is parting.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

Let's begin. Have you ever felt like things didn't really work out exactly the way you wanted them to, or maybe something that you thought would make your life easier or better actually brought you further away from what you truly desired or maybe from the woman you wanted to be? Well, today, we're gonna be diving deep into an old story that holds Mara up to this very faith. It's the story of The Handmaid's Tale, and it speaks to the poor bargains we make when we trade our feminine feeling for worldly success, convenience, or approval. This episode will uncover how this story is more relevant than ever and how we can reclaim the feminine parts of ourselves we've sacrificed along the way. Welcome back, beautiful women. So today, I want to share an old story and talk about a phenomena that many women face, and that is the poor bargain. When we make a trade, we make a deal, and we think it's going to bring more convenience, more success, or it's a quick fix to only later discover that we traded too much. We ended up feeling like we had the short end of the stick.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

Now the story I wanna tell you is an old story. I believe it was discovered by the Grimm Brothers and it is called the Handless Maiden. So let's begin with that. Now once upon a time, there was a poor miller. And even though he worked very hard, he didn't have a lot of money. So in desperation, he made a deal with the devil. The devil was going to provide the miller with wealth if the miller would just give the devil what was ever was behind the old shed. Now, at the time, the miller believed it was just an old apple tree.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

So all the wealth in the world for an old apple tree? Of course, Who wouldn't? Right? Well, it wasn't just the old apple tree that was behind the shed. There was also the miller's daughter. So the devil got to claim the daughter. Now when the devil came to collect her, the girl's purity prevented him from taking her, and he was so enraged that the devil made the miller cut off her hands. Can you believe that? The father had to cut off the daughter's hands. Now, out of fear for his own life, the miller obeyed. The girl's hands were severed. The father got his wealth, and feeling terrible about the fate that he had inflicted upon his daughter, he offered to take care of her, offering her all of the luxuries, all of the comforts in the world.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

Instead, however, this poor, handless maiden, she chose to wander in the forest and just trust her fate. Now despite her suffering, she remained pure of heart. She eventually finds herself in a royal orchard where peers are divinely being guided into her mouth, offering her the sense of nourishment and even a little bit of peace. Now this caught the attention of the king who came to meet her, and he was so moved by her beauty and purity. And despite her condition, she had no hands, he married her, and he gave her silver hands to replace the ones that she had lost. So for a time, the maiden lived happily with the king, and they had a child together. But the devil, who is still vengeful, was still tricking the handless maiden. He would send letters to the king's mother.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

And in these letters, the king was told that his wife was giving birth to a demon. The king's mother, unsure what to believe, was tricked further by more letters from the devil saying the queen and child must be killed. Now out of love, the king's mother couldn't follow through with the tarot culpable command, and she sent the queen and her child in the forest to hide. Now the handless maiden finds herself back in the forest, even though she had all of the luxuries and all of the comfort and she had her new silver hands. But she was enduring hardship and was eventually taken in by a kind and protective angel. Now over the years, she lived in isolation and continued to persevere through her various trials and tribulations. And eventually, her hands grew back as a symbol of her healing and spiritual restoration. Now, meanwhile, the king, upon returning home and discovering the devil's deception, set out to find his wife and child.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

And after a long search, the king finally found them in the forest. They were joyfully reunited, and the family returned to the kingdom where they lived in peace and happiness. Great story, Now in fairy tales and myths, we are not just the heroine of the story, as I know that we can probably all relate maybe to the handless maiden, but we're actually all of the characters. These stories are maps of our psyche. So, yes, you're the handless maiden, but you're also the father and you're the devil. Now this story really mirrors many of the sacrifices that women make today, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously. And we make these bargains, perhaps, when we prioritize our career, independence, or worldly measures of success over our own inner contentment, connection, and our emotional well-being. When we give away our failing state because we'll talk more about the symbolism, but that's really what the handless mating and losing of the hands represents.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

In exchange for material success or external validation, it's a poor bargain. We end up feeling disempowered, burnt out, and numb. We can't fail. Now this story, like many stories and fairy tales, is rich with symbolic meaning. So let's take a look at some of this. Now the miller's daughter symbolizes the feeling feminine. She's the maiden. She's the part of us that's creative, intuitive, optimistic, joyful.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

We have that part within all of us, and it deeply connected to our innate inner knowing. And, again, she's the maiden. She's our curiosity, our optimism, our joy. But the father, he represents the immature masculine. So what does this mean? It means he's looking for these outward measures of success, but he wants it the easy way. He doesn't want to put in all of the work. So instead, he sacrificed the daughter's hands. We can think again.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

The joy, creativity, optimism. Now without hands, she can't hold, create, or even tend to her own well-being. And we can think of the devil as a metaphor for the quick fix or empty materialism, that idea of more is better, I need to have more, I need to look a certain way, I need to have a certain job title, I need to make a certain amount of money. So in exchange for this bargain, so these bargains that we make, a woman is often left fractured and probably feeling like she's given too much. And I don't know if you've ever felt that way, but you finally get what you want, and there's still a little bit of emptiness inside. You still feel handless. But here is the good part. Here's where the story gets interesting.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

And, of course, there is always an opportunity for redemption in stories just as there are in real life. After her hands are taken, the maiden, she doesn't remain a victim. She doesn't stay in the father's care where she could get all of the comforts. She actually takes a stand. She decides to embark by herself into a journey of healing and reclamation, and she enters the forest now. The forest is also often a symbol of spirituality, of growth, of the divine, and self discovery. So she's deep in the forest where she reconnects with herself, the natural world, and her hands begin to grow back. So this transformation really highlights our ability to reclaim these parts of ourselves that we may have traded away at different points by connecting to our inner world, connecting to nature, mama Earth, and reclaiming what it is that we've lost.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

So what does this story have to do with the modern woman today? Well, let me ask you. Have you ever felt like you made a poor bargain? I know I have, and I will share a poor bargain. There have been many that I have made in just a little bit. And here's some examples. We often sacrifice feminine feeling for the sake of what we think our society values, whether whether it's productivity, busyness, looking a certain way, convenience. And think about it. I mean, how many of us have put career advancement or, like, material success over our children and families? How often do we choose fast food, screens and distractions over what actually nourishes our soul? And, like, when do we seek pills and quick medical fixes instead of taking the time to cook nutritious meals and move our bodies? So, again, the devil is kind of like, what's the easy way out? What can I get, like, the fastest and quickest way? And, of course, when we do that, we're actually bypassing our ability to feel, our ability to create. Now as women, I truly believe that we've been sold this idea that we can have it all.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

We can have the c level job or we can work. We can have money. We can have the family. We can have the great body. We can have it all. But truly an exhausting illusion, there are choices that we're going to have to make. So we're gonna have to prioritize what it is that we want and at what cost. So in the end, when we try to have it all, most women find themselves burnt out, depressed and disconnected, feeling that they've lost their failing state in the pursuit of having more, which leaves us feeling a little bit numb.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

Has anyone ever felt that way before? So let me tell you a little bit about my story. And, again, this isn't about casting blame or shame. Like, in those examples that I have just given, I've actually made every single one of those poor bargains. So it's not about, like, oh, how could I have done that? We do that because that's what our society and that's what our culture teaches us to do. It's what we are taught that we wanted. And then we wonder why we feel disconnected, anxious, and depressed after what we after we have gotten what we said that we wanted. So this isn't about, again, casting blame or shame, but it's about recognizing these trade offs and remembering if we are failing handless to come back for our inner maiden, to bring her back to life. And, yes, she can be brought to life.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

So one particular time that I had given up my hands, I remember, is when I was pregnant with my first child. So I believe I was, like, 29 or 30 around that time, and I worked full time as a designer at a software company. So I had a great job and it was actually pretty flexible where I could work from home, so it wasn't terribly stressful. But at that time, I decided it would be a good time to open up a retail store with my ex husband. And this retail store was a pet grocery, and it was a self serve dog wash. And we were opening it up from scratch. And this was no small feat. So we were working with commercial realtors.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

We oversaw the build out. We had to purchase the tubs, the inventory, manage employees, set up the software system, find a groomer. It was really daunting. And even though I was very proud of it, it actually didn't last long. It was only in business for about 3 years, but I was very proud of what we created. I can't help but look back. Like, even just talking about it, almost sends a little bit of anxiety through me saying, why couldn't I have just enjoyed my pregnancy? Why couldn't I have just enjoyed the time with my daughter? Like, why did I think then was a great time to embark on this, like, really humongous task of opening up a retail store because it's time that I can't get back. And, again, there's no blame or shame.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

I'm not punishing myself for it. But I am noticing when I have a tendency maybe to prioritize something else, something that I should want over something that I really do want, like time with my family. And it's no surprise that at the time that I felt that way because in our culture, we're told that more is better. Right? We can't be still. We gotta keep producing faster, quicker, more, more, more. And, honestly, I can still find myself sometimes in that cycle caught up in that mania trying to exchange being for doing. But I'm getting better at noticing when I'm making these poor bargains, and I'm getting better at knowing what it is that I truly desire and what's truly important to me so I can come back quicker if I abandon the feminine. Now, as you remember in the story, the handless maiden, she was able to grow back her hands.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

And in fact, there is another version that has the handless maiden. She's in the forest with her silver hands when her baby falls into a river. And without thinking, she reaches in to grab the baby. And you would think the silver hands wouldn't really be able to hold and catch, but that act, she starts to grow back her hands and she gets her baby. She saves her baby. So our hands can, our metaphorical hands, can grow back when we start to tune inward to our desires, to what is important to us, and to how we truly want to show up and experience the world. And there are ways that we can start to grow our hands back. So if you feel that you've lost your hands somewhere along the way, not to worry.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

All is not lost. So I wanted to share some ways that I can think can help you get back that feminine feeling, your ability to create, to intuit, to trust your innate wisdom? Well, the first way is solitude and time alone. And I think this is a really important part of anyone who is doing work with the feminine is, again, the feminine is an inner experience where the masculine we can think of as the outer experience, which is very much what our society values today. The feminine is about really getting to know our inner journey and our psyche. So spend time alone. So just like the handless maiden went into the forest to hail, we also have to retreat from the busyness of life. And often, it can be getting out in nature and really considering what it is that you want and, again, how you want to show up. The second way is to prioritize pleasure and joy.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

And, you know, I really don't like that phrase, no pain, no gain, because I think we really have to reeducate ourselves on just being able to call in pleasure to experience joy and making that part of our self care or spiritual practice. So what does bring you pleasure? And let's think about physical pleasure as well, too. Like, what feels good on your body or what can you experience through your senses? Maybe it's dancing or art or just taking time to enjoy a beautiful sunset, but really reconnecting with the moments that return us to our failing state. Again, that's part of this journey that we're on as we look to reclaim the feminine, is to get out of the mind, place behind our eyes, and really back into our body and to be able to call in more pleasure and joy. The third way is to slow down. Now, truth be told, this is one that I am working on. I tend to like to try to get a lot of things done and fit a lot in the day, but I am learning and I am learning to slow down. Because, again, we live in the society that glorifies the sense of busyness.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

It's often we talk about our to do list and how busy we are and how much we have to do and how many groceries we were able to purchase as if it was a badge of honor. But what if it wasn't? What if you, instead of trying to get as much done as you could, you gave yourself permission to rest, to breathe, to listen to music, to do the things that you want to do? The 4th way, listen to your body. So our bodies are wise. And, again, our bodies can be our guide, our spiritual teacher. But many of us have learned to ignore them. And, in fact, when we think of the poor bargain, it's often our bodies that we are exchanging more to do. Right? We work at these long jobs. We don't take time to eat healthy or to move our body or we always think that there's something more important to do.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

And I will tell you that there is not. You've been given this gift while you are here in this earthly realm, so it's our divine duty to take good care of it. And I really encourage you to think of your symptoms, so anything that you may be experiencing, as your body's way of inviting you to approach life in a new way. So really listen to your body. And if you go back to episode 6, I share exactly how to do this. I have a whole episode on this. And then the 5th way is to set boundaries. So really think about what it is that is important to you, what you desire, what you want to protect.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

And boundaries are important. Sometimes we have to say no to others so we can say yes to ourselves, and you can check out episode 5 for a new perspective on boundaries. So there are ways that we can start to pivot when we notice that we have gone off course, that we've made a poor bargain so that we can throw back our hands. The handlancemaiden story really reminds us that we don't want to sacrifice our failing state for material gain, convenience, or external approval. Because if we do, we're gonna be left numb and disconnected. Now, once you notice the poor bargain and we've all made them and probably will all continue to make them as well, too, we can change course and we can come back to wholeness. We can rewrite our narrative, reclaim our failing state, and choose differently. Now, just remember, this journey back to ourselves is a sacred one, and I would even think that this is the point.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

So Carl Jung would talk about individuation, which is all about reclaiming the lost parts of ourselves. It's about becoming whole. And I love how he says, I would rather be whole than good. So it's really discovering all aspects of ourselves. So thank you for joining me today, and may you take time to slow down, prioritize pleasure, and consider your poor bargains and how you want to come back to a state of wholeness. Now, the handless maiden is a story from the book Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Now, if you wanna read this book with an fantastic community of women and me, I invite you to join us in my guided book study. So we explore a woman's psyche, so concepts such as this, the poor bargain, through stories and archetypes, and I would absolutely love for you to join us.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

The link is in the show notes. So until next time, my sister. Be well. Thanks for tuning in to The Goddess School Podcast. I hope today's episode inspired you to reclaim your feminine magic. Now, don't forget to subscribe to the show. And if you've enjoyed the podcast, please leave us a review on Apple. If you wanna dive deeper into divine feminine archetypes and reconnect with your power, check out my book, The Goddess Solution.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

It's packed with ancient goddess wisdom for the modern woman. You can find the book on Amazon, and the link is in the show notes. And if you are ready to embrace these practices alongside a global sisterhood, I invite you to join my Divine Feminine Mystery School, Enlivend. It's a supportive space to embody these teachings with a fantastic community of like minded women. You'll find the link in the show notes. Remember, the goddess isn't a deity outside of you. She's an aspect of your highest self. You are the Goddess.

Lisa Marie Rankin:

Until next time, my friend.