{"id":205,"date":"2015-01-11T14:38:35","date_gmt":"2015-01-11T19:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetwaves.net\/cosmophilia\/?page_id=205"},"modified":"2015-01-19T21:33:13","modified_gmt":"2015-01-20T02:33:13","slug":"where-outsiders-belong","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/cosmophilia\/featured-articles-2015\/where-outsiders-belong","title":{"rendered":"Where Outsiders Belong"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Dale O\u2019Brien<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear Kindred Spirits,<\/p>\n

Dear Prudence, greet the brand-new day!
\nThe Sun is up, the sky is blue,
\nIt\u2019s beautiful, and so are you!
\nDear Prudence, won\u2019t you come out to play?
\n…The birds will sing that you are part of everything\u2026
\nLook around, \u2018round \u2026 (Lennon\/McCartney)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Do you, like me, ever feel like you don\u2019t belong in this ever-increasingly insane, intolerant, wickedly cruel and violently destructive society? We all need to belong to something bigger than ourselves, but we can\u2019t belong to any group unless that group accepts each of us as who we are.<\/p>\n

\"Photo

Photo by Eric Francis<\/p><\/div>\n

The voice that astrology calls Saturn is the \u2018bouncer\u2019 at the door who won\u2019t let anyone in who isn\u2019t acceptable according to his rules. That bouncer Saturn also throws out <\/i>anyone inside<\/i> who doesn\u2019t accept and obey Saturn\u2019s rules. So where does that leave someone like you or me? Saturn\u2019s rejection leaves us outside,<\/i> but that\u2019s not a bad place to be.<\/p>\n

Everything orbiting beyond Saturn is invisible to the naked eye. In astrology these objects are called \u2018outer<\/i> planets\u2019, and each corresponds in different ways to the \u2018outsider\u2019 part of each of us. The first object out from Saturn is Chiron, whose multifaceted mythic story tells us where unseen and unacceptable outsiders<\/i> belong.<\/p>\n

As astrology\u2019s and Greco-Roman mythology\u2019s first Divine\/animal hybrid, Chiron, unwanted bastard son of Saturn, does not fit neatly into any ‘either\/or’ judgment. Unlike most of astrology\u2019s mythological high-and-mighty Olympian V.I.P.s, Chiron was said to live simply and humbly outside in Nature<\/i> in the last Greek stronghold region of shamanism — ‘wild’ even into the twentieth century.<\/p>\n

Cultural anthropologist Robinette Kennedy<\/a>, during one of her Trance Postures experiential workshops, said that various peoples around the world lived in tribal and shamanistic communities for at least 25,000 years, if not perhaps ten times that long. Even the most conservative time estimate of the length of the shamanistic era is far longer than \u2018civilization\u2019s\u2019 recorded history. In tribal\/shamanic\/indigenous cultures, \u2018Ch-ironically\u2019, everyone and everything in Nature was seen as related to everyone and everything else. Everyone and everything had a unique role to play. Clearly, holism and ecology are nothing new!<\/p>\n

The wise purveyor of such truths was the shaman (male or female) who lived just outside<\/i> the community, even closer to Nature than other members of the tribe. Of course the shaman healer-and-more played an essential role in such a culture. Similarly, at the other end of the modern spectrum of experience, any apparent \u2018victim\u2019 of illness or wounding was considered to be playing out a role for the tribe. However, in original holistic communities, each member of the tribe and all species nearby were also involved in the wounding and healing process.<\/p>\n

A shaman was often chosen for the role by virtue of being remarkably different — an outsider. For instance, such a person might be physically lame, blind, what would now be called epileptic, etc. What modern people now see as disabilities would then have been seen as indicators of shamanic abilities. The shaman-in-training then apprenticed with an elder shaman, significantly apart from their ordinary peers. Shamans were extreme outsiders<\/i>, and yet (Ch)ironically absolutely and essentially belonged <\/i>to the community.<\/p>\n

In our current era, most of what passes for Western astrology is the astrology of empires — Greek, Roman, British and American — since the astrology of vanquished indigenous peoples is all but eradicated, thrown out.<\/i> Not only do the victors write \u2018we\u2019re the good guys\u2019 history, similarly their Saturnine astrologers tend to, albeit unintentionally, leave a lot out<\/i> — like the true shamanic perspective.<\/p>\n

When Mahatma Gandhi was asked what he thought of Western Civilization, he said, \u201cIt would be a good idea.\u201d Similarly, in his best-selling book, The Alphabet Versus the Goddess (The Conflict Between Word and Image)<\/i>, author Leonard Shlain reveals that historically modern literate cultures are far more violent and intolerant than those Nature-based cultures before them.<\/p>\n

When a male Inuit shaman went inside<\/i> into imaginative shamanic initiation, a fierce force tore his body apart; but then the same creature, now a Spirit helper, put him back together. Dismemberment — devastating, messy, extremely painful and \u2018un-together\u2019 — is followed by re-membering.<\/i> The shaman returned to Nature outside<\/i> even more fully aware and present.<\/p>\n

Now more than ever, society could benefit from its outsiders<\/i>, but we outsiders<\/i> need to \u2018re-member\u2019 who we are, to get ourselves together and to know where our souls belong — outdoors! Those outdoors are waiting for us to interact with them, and them with us. Centaur Chiron was\/is part humanoid god, but half horse. This tells us that, ideally, we outsiders need to spend half our lives in our animal bodies outdoors<\/i>. Hardly any of us do that right now, but that\u2019s where we outsiders belong as close to half the time as possible.<\/p>\n

Imagine a horse in a windowless cubicle, hooves clicking little bits of unnatural man-made stuff. Most of what passes for modern life and work are truly unnatural acts.<\/p>\n

Now imagine you work for minimum wage in a windowless Amazon warehouse for some billionaire who doesn\u2019t know or care who you are. You feel like you need to piss like a racehorse, but Bouncer Saturn says that you can\u2019t take a bathroom break anytime your body wants to. Don\u2019t even think about pissing on the floor. He\u2019d throw you out<\/i> in a heartbeat for that. The bouncer serves a heartless, soulless, body-less corporate person.<\/p>\n

There are other shut-ins elsewhere who are waiting hours or even days inside<\/i> their boxes for Amazon boxes to arrive. Other workers are waiting to get into this country and into a warehouse. Can\u2019t you see that modern America is the \u2018in\u2019 <\/i>place to be?<\/p>\n

An apartment is the place where you live \u2018apart\u2019, and you do your part, obeying Saturn\u2019s \u2018thou shalt and thou shalt not’, rules. Not only are your \u2018belong-ings\u2019 locked up in your \u2018apart-ment\u2019, but you may also find that your longing to be<\/i> is locked inside as well.<\/p>\n

You Can Go Where You Can Use Your Outside Voice<\/b><\/p>\n

The Outsider\u2019s<\/i> power <\/i>is strongest outdoors. <\/i>Outside, Nature has us surrounded. If you surrender to Her, everyone wins. Besides, we human animals don\u2019t thrive or breed well in captivity. Right now is always an opportunity to come out<\/i> in any way that you choose. For instance, you can come out<\/i> of the closet and be where you belong. Join the Gay Pride parade outdoors.<\/i> The most powerful shamans were gay or at least contra-sexual.<\/p>\n

Gay or nay, please come out <\/i>and protest fracking and other atrocities against Nature. Hooves-clicking email petitions just ain\u2019t enough. Occupy outside<\/i> Wall Street while greedy insider trading goes on inside. Meanwhile, outsider <\/i>trading is exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen, a ‘win-win’ equation.<\/p>\n

If you can, shop at an outdoor <\/i>farmers\u2019 market. Remember, the best vegetables and fruit are outsiders<\/i>. You are what you eat. How free can you really be if your pork, beef and chicken never lived free range outside?<\/i> Did you know that studies show that more \u2018strangers\u2019 have far more conversations with each other at outdoor farmers\u2019 markets than indoor supermarkets?<\/p>\n

Are you disgusted and let down by \u2018humans\u2019? Get an equally rejected dog and go walking together outside, <\/i>every day. Maybe you\u2019ll go to a dog park and make friends as your dog does, too. Free your blessed-be body from the tortured gerbil treadmill and walk or run outside,<\/i> no matter what the weather. Nature charges no monetary fees.<\/p>\n

Eat lunch outside. <\/i>Twitter less and listen to real, three-dimensional birds actually twitter instead. If you have a willing lover, hold hands, kiss, and maybe make love outdoors.<\/i><\/p>\n

When you wait for public transportation, you can observe nature around. That dog\u2019s wagging tail or squirrel\u2019s swishing tail is just one way that Gaia-Pachamama-Mother Earth ‘planet waves’<\/i> at you. You\u2019ll never notice or really appreciate this while you text or \u2018serf\u2019 the net, ears plugged with cyber-Borg ‘blue tooth’ biting your head. Maybe you can ride a skateboard, bike, or ‘iron horse’ or drop the ragtop on that old convertible. If you must drive a cage, can you dare to drive with your car windows open?<\/p>\n

When you must be inside, you can at least look out <\/i>your window onto Nature. Open windows if you can. You might try to get another job and\/or another place to live if you don\u2019t even have a window to look out<\/i> into Nature.<\/p>\n

If your skin is brown like the color of fertile Earth and you are locked up in a windowless cell for having a little bit of a natural herb in your possession, may the Angel of Dreams<\/a> bring you oh-so-real dreams of Nature.<\/p>\n

Even with window views of Nature, I\u2019ve spent enough time inside writing this, so now I\u2019m headed outside where I belong.<\/p>\n

Chironically,<\/p>\n

Dale<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since 1991, Dale O’Brien has been a full-time Nature-based mythic astrologer and Certified Astro*Carto*Graphy Interpreter. Dale is available for consultation by phone or in person from his sky-lit, windowed yurt office in ‘green’ Eugene, Oregon.
\n<\/em>Phone:541-485-9772
\n<\/em>chironguy@pacinfo.com<\/a>
\nwww.chironsouljourneytruth.com\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Dale O\u2019Brien Dear Kindred Spirits, Dear Prudence, greet the brand-new day! The Sun is up, the sky is blue, It\u2019s beautiful, and so are you! Dear Prudence, won\u2019t you come out to play? …The birds will sing that you … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":18,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/cosmophilia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/205"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/cosmophilia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/cosmophilia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/cosmophilia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/cosmophilia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/cosmophilia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":501,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/cosmophilia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/205\/revisions\/501"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/cosmophilia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/cosmophilia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}