By Denise Ryles
California, United States
THE TRUE SNOW WHITE’S DIARY
. . . or your princess. But you have to be ready. And I ask myself, “How does it start? How does it happen?”
One morning, I am cuddling, cooing and babbling with my infant nephews and nieces. And, merely closing my eyes for a brief moment, I find myself looking directly into the faces of bright young men and women, ready to take on the world, and turning to me to help answer all of life’s questions and guide them into adulthood.
As Master Elvwyn would say about young Snow White, “She’s got so much ahead of her and not much time for us.”
One question in particular is on the top of my oldest niece’s mind: how does one find a good relationship? Is there a prince for her in this life? Oh boy, how does an old aunt answer such honest queries in a world where the old ways of “courting” and the young man meeting his girlfriend’s father at the door, hoping to meet his approval, are hopelessly out of style, and many young adults are now introduced as “my baby’s daddy or momma?”
Are we, as a whole, okay with this? Has this become so commonplace that we just shrug and say, “Oh, well?” Have we gone so far with the Equal Rights Movement that we, both men and women, have lost many of the irreplaceable values that would enable us to find our true love – a partnership worthy of genuine commitment – instead of merely living together and hoping for a ring?
In Harald Walter Azmann’s The True Snow White, the ancient seven dwarves, once again, have a lesson for us, one I believe applies to everyone yearning for their prince or princess. In short, they assure Snow White that love will come once she is ready for it.
Snow White is an inexperienced preteen who is about to fall into the same chasms of victimization and sadness as her wicked Stepmother when the wise old dwarves welcome her into their dark forest home. And as Master Aenwyn says, “First of all, you’ve got to learn to stand on your own feet. Every day is a new day. You can always start over.”
He encourages Snow White in that her life was good, in spite of everything that happened, that the greatest things we sometimes dream of are reached with a lot of little steps, and to embrace and hold on to the positive aspects of her brief existence.
I feel that if many, both young and old, just learned this one lesson, they would be less inclined to look for physically unwholesome alternatives to keep them busy and numb the pain they feel.
Snow White’s deceased mother, the good Queen, validates this in a dream by asking, “How can your life be changed if you hold on to things that must be rearranged? Trust me, and get ready now!” And Aenwyn teaches Snow White to say yes to life, yes to love, yes to herself.
Following this step, the young princess is challenged by Master Tverwyn briefly turning himself into an image of her future husband. All of her pert self-confidence quickly fades in the presence of the sparkling illusion he creates while taking a bath with her at the forest waterfall, and Snow White, full of insecurities, hides and covers herself in the water.
“So you are dreaming about a very special someone,” the old dwarf grumbles. “But before he can find you, you first have to be a special woman, too. Or how else is he supposed to find you in this big, wide world, huh? And besides, I’m afraid whatever prince one day will love and take you to his kingdom, above all, and in the end, he will be human. That, in spite of all your dreams, you should never forget.”
With that said, Tverwyn hands Snow White an exquisite little mirror for her very own. And I just had what Oprah calls an “Ah ha moment!”
What I believe the mirror helps Snow White understand is that she must always look to her true self – and honest sense of completion, fulfillment and happiness – instead of relying on someone else. A grave mistake made by many in a doomed relationship, including Snow White’s evil Stepmother.
The True Snow White clearly suggests that it is because the Prince and Snow White approach each other as equals that their relationship will last: two fully developed halves forming the whole. Wherever there are cracks or imperfections, under intense and prolonged pressure it may break.
So, my dear nieces and nephews . . . your prince or princess will come once you are able to feel and think and communicate in an intelligent, mindful way, having freed yourself and let go of those painful aspects of the past that may tie you down, wholly saying “yes to life” at last, feeling secure and confident in all your gifts and talents and who you truly are, and always remembering that true fulfillment only comes from within.
Then YOU will be the special someone you have always been looking for, prepared to meet those special someones who complete you, and capable of living your very own “happily ever after.”
Read Denise Ryles’ comments on
The perfect Stepmother?
The Author
Tell Me Mirror
Christmas In New York
Life Is A Dance
Long Live The Queen!
I know I am not going to change the world, just myself. Harald Walter Azmann
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Some Day Your Prince Will Come by Denise Ryles, THE TRUE SNOW WHITE’S DIARY
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