Fitting In, Belonging, and Betrayal

Welcome to Powerful BE-Longing - formerly known as Prairie Visionary Soul.

While most of us balk at the thought of conformity or changing ourselves to be more like another person or a group of people,  most of us also spend a good deal of time feeling verrry uncomfortable and exposed when we don't fit in to a social group we either have to be in (even when it's our family of origin) or want to be in.

We talk a lot about being our self, and how silly our inhibitions are...after all, it's not like someone will kill us for being different, right?

And yet people have been ostracized, cast out, persecuted  - and yes, harmed and killed - for being different since the beginning of time. That's a huge generational inheritance for us to carry, even if we have the privilege of living in a fairly liberal and tolerant society. No wonder we get angsty about social occasions and (secretly, at least) fantasize about life as a hermit.

And no wonder we may find ourselves trying to assimilate in order to fit in. No matter how savvy we might be, we are built to adapt for our own safety.

In this show, I talk about that adaptation skill, and unpack the difference between "fitting in" and "belonging." They're not the same thing; we can "fit in" in all the ways that count, and yet still believe we don't belong. And we can experience a beautiful sense of belonging even when nothing about us is congruent with what's around us.

Belonging is it's own thing, and the reason the name of this podcast is Be-Longing is because the way I understand belonging is through our powerful longing to simply BE. Ourselves. No masks, no acting or faking, feeling no pressure from the external, critical gaze.

That longing can never completely be eased long-term, and the hardship of believing that we've finally found our belonging, only to find that that blissful acceptance can only ever be temporary and may even have been delusional in the first place, can feel like the a cruel betrayal.

That heartbreak is the province of the Orphan, an archetype we all carry - some far more than others. In next week's show, I'll begin introducing you more officially to the the Orphan, because that energy within us needs to be brought to light and to love through us so that it isn't driving us continually. Today's show gives some keys to beginning to locate how the Orphan lives within you.

I hope you enjoy, and I hope if you have questions or anything you want to share with me about this show, you'll reach out. I so welcome you!

PS - My  Sunday Muse emai on 8/14/22  is about betrayal too.  Subscribe here.


PPS - At the end  I give a loving and  unsolicited plug to the work of one of my favorite teachers and practitioners, Karen (KJ) Hawkwood, whose teaching and work have deeply enhanced my life. and work.

Her most current offering is the Mermaid Adventure, happening in late August 2022, where you can take a deep dive (pun intended) into this mysterious, incredibly impactful, beautiful and also heartbreaking archetype in late that, although not the same thing as the Orphan, is a close blood relative. Her website is karenhawkwood.com



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