I am writing for you, and probably for me, the individual known as the 'black sheep.' The one who embodies tales of paradox and rebirth, rejection and belonging.
I wish you to remember that your essence is imbued with the potential for deep healing and transformation that will ripple through the fabric of your lineage and society while simultaneously navigating the harsh seas of being misunderstood and marginalized.
You have been called by so many names across times and cultures; some might feel kind, some are harsh: The Free Spirit, The Trailblazer, The Pioneer, The Visionary, The Maverick, The Eccentric, The Nonconformist, The Freethinker, The Individualist, The Outlier, The Rebel, The Lone Wolf, The Radical, The Renegade, The Rogue, The Odd One Out, The Dissident, The Misfit, The Iconoclast, The Unorthodox, The Witch, The Crazy...
Historically, families have served as microcosms of society, holding dearly to cohesion and shared beliefs as the defining glue. Yet, when one dares to be different, when you dare to be different, exhibiting traits or philosophies that diverge from inherited norms, you will often be seen as a revolutionary who threatens the pillars that uphold familial structure and reputation.
With your beautiful, unique vibrancy, you, the black sheep, will be shamed and persecuted for disrupting these waters and challenging the undercurrents of tradition and expectation. In doing so and dropping the well-manicured masks of pretense, you may carry the heavy weight and embodiment of the family's unspoken fears and uncertainties, branded as a threat to the continuity of a well-manicured legacy.
Societal structures, too, subscribe to a narrative of what is considered 'normal,' erecting boundaries around the acceptable and the expected. We have a myriad of medical terms for people who are different, like ADHD, neuro-diverse, etc., but none for those the genuinely sick who, by their behavior, entertain wars, destroy Nature, and exclude the ones who are different, all for personal gain, greed, and power.
Your divergent colors—whether through innovative thought, belief, lifestyle, or silent rebellion—are often an earthquake in the foundations of the status quo. You are often perceived as the provocateur who unsettles the equilibrium, a disruptor met with resistance or even hostility from those who are staunch defenders of convention and so afraid of their world being shaken by hidden stories.
But let's be clear and hear me on this: Beneath this façade of adherence and uniformity lies a deep-seated fear. It is a fear steeped in the unknown, a resistance to losing control, and an aversion to the introspection that may expose the weaknesses and lies threaded within society and ancestry. When the black sheep stands against the relentless cycle of familial or societal dysfunctions, they invoke a mirror reflection—one that is often too piercing, honest, and candid for comfort, uncovering inner workings that, sadly, many prefer to keep in the darkness of oblivion.
Your departure from preordained roles and paths is not merely an act of difference but a test of the established order. Systemic power structures, designed to safeguard continuity and prevent disorder, are ill-equipped to accommodate the progressive Nature of the black sheep. Thus, when you refuse to be shackled to the notions of tradition and unresolved/unacknowledged trauma, you inadvertently become a catalyst for upheaval, disruptive conflict, and change.
In this world of contrasts and conformity, you, the black sheep, will often assume the role of the scapegoat, serving as the focal point for the unease and discord that percolates beneath the surface of collective consciousness. They will rush into name-calling to avoid the difficult self-inquiry that would lead to discovering a barely hidden widespread cancer of dysfunctions and avoided pain.
It is an easier verdict for a family or society to attribute its ills to one outlier rather than to confront the complex and ingrained malaise within its own structure. Solitary against a backdrop of sameness, your differences, and unique beauty will color the hidden shades of a monochromatic societal palette in radical and unexpected ways.
I am sorry you, like me, have had to carry persecution and awakening together in each of our breaths and steps.
Yet, within the holistic and ancient practices of shamanism, in the ancient and wise traditional animist cultures, your destiny and role as the black sheep is revered and held in high regard as essential to collective evolution. You are the catalyst to bring the illness to the surface, to trigger the body and mind purges for the sickness to find its healing path.
The challenges and persecutions you face are not mere signs of adversity but affirmations of your important role. Your path, too often laden with personal sacrifices, immense despair, and heartbreak, symbolizes a precious opportunity to instigate meaningful change, heal the wounds of the past, and shift cultural and generational narratives for the betterment of all.
Embarking on this journey imbues your life story with profound resilience and an untapped potential for influence. I know you can and will break the chains of malignant cycles and pioneer a new legacy through persistence and courage. I know it because you have always changed the world's paradigms and broke the family karmic cycles of pain since the dawn of time.
I also know that you often did not have any choice in the departure, as to stay would have meant the death of your beautiful flame and the refusal of all you believe in. I know the precious calling of your soul will keep awakening you at night until it pushes you into the raging river no one has dared to enter. And for that, I bow to you.
I also wish for you to remember that in the spirit of shamanic tradition and ancient (timeless) wisdom, you, the black sheep, are not relegated to the shadows of an outcast but celebrated as the harbinger of awakening. This beacon reinvents and leads toward a future rich in diversity, knowledge, and the quintessential freedom for authentic existence and our belonging in a genuinely authentic and diverse tapestry.
Your presence as the black sheep is the brightest flame in the familial and societal lantern, promising a new lineage of enlightenment and empowerment. You conquering the dark territories of the world is the beacon of Light we desperately need to evolve and remember our true Nature.
Through the mosaic of your experiences, you demonstrate that this title is not one of dishonor but of leadership, leadership from and for the edges, from and for the outcasts, and from and for the foreign places and avoided discussions in every family dynamic and part of society.
You are a crucial and essential call inspiring those around you to join in the dawn of awakened purpose and collective emancipation.
With those good prayers and my attempt to use deeply felt words of reverence, I wish that the term 'black sheep' be transcended in your mind and reality; May it become in your heart synonymous with visionaries and change-makers, spell breakers and spell makers, and help you bear the burning torch of transformation in your darkest nights, guiding the way to a more embracing and liberated collective reality.
Angell Deer
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