The Baba Yaga

Demand your due. Celebrate your fearsome side, your right to be uncompromising. Baba Yaga is a hard bargainer, known to eat those who didn’t fulfill their end of the agreement. We can learn from her resolve. There will always be people willing to take advantage of your compassion and understanding. When you feel someone is using your good nature against you, take a stand. Being fair to others should never mean being unfair to yourself.

Feed your passions. We all have them. And too often we’re willing to overlook what we need. Acknowledge your needs and hungers. What have you been dying to do for yourself, if only you had the time? What do you need from your partner or friends that you are not getting? Our hungers can be satiated. Looking after our own needs is not a selfish impulse. Remember, it is only when we’ve fed ourselves that we’re whole enough to support others.

Choose power. To be a Baba Yaga is to stop trying to please everyone. Stand for what you believe in and don’t be distracted by thoughts of others who may judge you. Such anxiety is not only a waste of energy; it inhibits your actions and keeps you from seeing the situation clearly. Trust your own judgement. Hideous to look upon, Baba Yaga is unconcerned with how she looks to others. It frees her to make decisions that are not weighed down by vanity or insecurity. When you liberate yourself from image and reputation, you give the power over your decisions back to yourself.

Celebrate wisdom. Without aging there would be no growth. Baba Yaga derives her power from her maturity and represents the freedom that accompanies the death of the ego. Young maidens come to her for help in situations they could not escape without wisdom and experience that only comes with age. Baba Yaga teaches us that youth and beauty are things to overcome. Look toward wisdom with anticipation, and know that you will only grow more powerful.

Help the deserving. Though her helpful nature is often overlooked, Baba Yaga was a great advisor to those she found deserving. What wisdom and power we gain is useless if not shared, and our experiences are far more valuable if everyone can benefit from them. Help others, but don’t feel guilty about being discerning. Time and energy dedicated to one problem cannot be spent on another. Choose carefully so that your gifts remain as valuable as possible.