The Late Bloomer

Volume Four of the Dangerous Old Woman Series with Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés

"What makes talent bloom? Ask what makes a tree blossom. They are the same. It is not unfathomable. It only takes concentration. Concentration of energies is what makes a tree flower. Not bigger, not faster, not taking up more space. Rather, less space. Density. Pressure in hard places. Often, in the dark. Relentlessly. Freely. For as long as it takes. Hold faith, a gestation can go long and for good reason, and nothing much shows above ground. But then, one day…" —Clarissa Pinkola Estés, PhD

Are you waiting for New Life, for your talents to bloom? With The Late Bloomer, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés presents volume four of her masterwork on the Wise Woman archetype, bringing you six sessions of original tales, stories from her ethnic families, poems, blessings, and psychological commentary exploring the cycles of "burgeoning, blooming New Life."

The Ultimate Blooming Takes TimeAlthough we are each created with countless gifts to share in this lifetime, no one is born in full development, begins Dr. Estés. The Late Bloomer—the one at the verge of tipping forward into her creative powers—speaks to all of us who sense within "great talent untapped … touchingly wondrous yet wounded or held back by fate in some way." Meet the wise old woman in the form of The Late Bloomer in her many guises, as she beckons us to ignite the creative fire of the interior life, to burst into bloom time and again.

Step Forward into Your True ShapeDr. Estés asks, "What is your reason for being here on earth? What are the promises you made to Creator before you came? That is your original shape—the holy shape of how you are meant to go in life, regardless of all crosswinds." The old woman as the wise Late Bloomer calls us to "step forward into our true shapes, and to step onto the open road and blue sky… where we can be born into New Life again."

Stories, Poems, and Blessings Include

The High Tea
• The Emperor's New Clothes
• The Maker of Pencils
• How To Animate The Life-Force
• La Danzanta-An Old Woman's Rules for Ever-Renewing Creative Jing
• The Fisherman's Wife
• The Woman Who Was Eaten by Her Relatives
• As a Woman Learns to Be Queen of Herself
• Words for Walking Back to the Strong House
• The Child in the Ice
• The Dream of Chac Ma
• The Dress
• The Hair-Curler Lady
• The Ritual of Marzana
• The Rose Tree Warrior
• The Smoke Tree Story