Lisa Marie Rankin [00:00:00]:

Today's episode is an invitation into something a little dangerous, but in the best possible way. We're talking about Eve, the outlaw archetype and the sacred act of disobedience. Not rebellion for rebellion's sake, but the kind of rule breaking that leads to awakening, wholeness and truth. Many of us were taught, either explicitly or more subtly, that goodness being good means being obedient, that safety comes from compliant. If we just do this and this, we will stay safe. And that being liked is more important than being true to yourself. But myth tells a different story, and it always does. Again and again, we see in myths and fairy tales that the women who awaken we can look at Eve, Psyche, Bluebeard's young wife, are the ones who disobey, the ones who don't do what they're told to do.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:00:54]:

They open the door, they light the lamp, they eat the fruit. This episode is for the woman who feels that quiet inner tension, the sense that something isn't working anymore and pretending otherwise is costing her more than she would like to give. So take a breath. Let yourself listen beyond morality and into myth. Because what if that voice you've been taught to silence is the only one who knows the way out? Let's dive in. Welcome back to the Goddess School podcast. I'm your host, Lisa Marie Rankin. I have to admit, I've always been a little bit of an outlaw.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:01:37]:

For most of my life, my motto has been better to ask forgiveness than to ask for permission. And I will say that I do try to board the plane before my zone is called because, you know, I want to make sure that I can get my luggage in the overhead. And I also will innocently sit in empty seats that might be better than the ones I have if I'm at a concert just waiting for their rightful owners to show up. These acts often annoy my children, who are quite the rue followers, and they haven't seemed to inherited this outlaw trait yet. I also left my marriage in my corporate career like I was fleeing a burning building. Because when I'm done, I'm done. Not all of my impulsive actions have been for the best. Some were just careless.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:02:27]:

Like the time in my 20s that I decided to leave this startup that I had helped get off the ground several months before the stock went public, simply because I wanted to spend the summer in Martha's Vineyard and bartend. Not one of my wisest decisions, and I'm sure I could think of many more. Still, I don't shy away from changing course or coloring outside the lines of societal norms. And yet there is still a part of me, and a pretty strong part at that, who wants to be liked, who wants to be perceived as smart and pretty and to avoid confrontation. And honestly, as I've been thinking about this, and I just turned 50 this summer, so going through perimenopause, it seems like it's act as a quickener that finally allowed me to thank the good girl for all of her efforts, but also let her know that she could take a break. And in her place, I've started to make room for these other aspects of myself, like the Dark Queen and the Outlaw, but hopefully with a little bit more discernment than I did in my 20s. And I do think that the decrease in estrogen is what has helped bring them online. And when we think of it as that, you know, in our culture, we have a culture that values youth to an extreme, and we can think of aging or going through perimenopause and menopause as decline, but when we get to see what becomes available to us, these different parts, these stronger, more powerful, sometimes more divisive parts, we can actually think of it as an awakening of power.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:04:11]:

And I definitely like that narrative a lot better because I do know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we need these parts. Parts like the Dark Queen, the trickster, the outlaw. We need them to be active and alive if we want to awaken as individuals. Now, many women in my community are students, followers of the teachings of Carl Jung. And that's often what we do. In many of my programs, we look at a lot of his work, whether it's archetypes, shadow work, working with the anima, animus and synchronicity. So Carl Jung is the famed Swiss psychoanalyst. I like to think of him as a Western mystic.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:04:51]:

He talked a lot about individuation, and that is the path to becoming whole. So to individuate, we must reclaim these lost and suppressed parts of ourselves and integrate them into our being. So he talked a lot about the shadow. And the shadow is simply our unconscious. And that is where we bury a lot of, again, I'll use that word, divisive parts, because they tend not to be the socially acceptable parts. And how this happens is that as we are growing up and we are trying to make our way through our family and through our school system, we pretty quickly learn which parts are well received and which parts aren't. So perhaps when we're angry, you know, our mother says, you know, don't be angry. You have nothing to be angry about.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:05:41]:

And we can see that she gets a little bit flustered or maybe if we're too quick witted, you know, we were told not to be such a smarty pants. So we start to recognize there's some aspects of that people like and there's others that they don't. So we tend to bury the parts that people don't like. And in a way that works because it helps us get along, maybe with our families or through in our school systems. But then often in midlife, we start to feel like something's missing and something is missing. It's all of these different parts of ourselves, these qualities, characteristics and superpowers that we have put away because we didn't think they were going to be that helpful to us. But actually that is where our magic lies. Being the good girl can only get us so far.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:06:28]:

There are for sure going to be times in your life you're going to need to call in the dark queen, the trickster, or today we're talking about the outlaw. And that's this part of individuation is reclaiming these parts, illuminating them from your unconscious, from the shadow, and reintegrating them. Now, an important point that I want to make, especially in our culture of social media and Instagram, where you go on and everybody's looking like they have these ideal lives and ideal relationships and health habits. Individuation isn't about creating this like, unflappable Persona or an identity based on what you might deem to be spiritual or ideal, whatever that even means. It's simply about becoming more of you, more of who you already are. So that could be more outspoken, more spontaneous, more quick witted or fearless, whatever you had locked away and is now pleading for a jailbreak. And if you've been in my programs, you know that I often quote Young pretty frequently. He has just, you know, so many beautiful words and teachings of wisdoms that I think are more applicable than ever today.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:07:46]:

But one of my favorite lines ever is I'd rather be whole than good. So think about that for a moment. Again, this is not about cultivating an air of perfection. It's about becoming whole. I'd rather be whole than good. And of course, that is easier said than done, right? For many women, this good girl conditioning runs so deep that we mistake obedience for virtue and compliance for safety. So we start to cultivate our identities built around being agreeable, following the rules, coloring inside societal lines, being helpful. But beneath that carefully managed exterior, that facade that we create lives another force, a more potent Force.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:08:37]:

Now, this force might be quiet for some, louder for others, but it's a spark that doesn't want to be extinguished. And you can hear this for us because often it might come as a whisper, like, this isn't working for me anymore, or I want more, better, different. It's this whisper that's telling you that something's not right. And it might look right from the outside, but it doesn't feel right. And you want something different. This is the outlaw archetype. She isn't the reckless rebel without a cause, though that's probably her shadow side. And I've definitely experienced that.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:09:18]:

Like I said, much of that in my 20s. But I like to think of the outlaw as the woman who knows deep in her bones when a rule has outlived its usefulness. And she has a desire, a strong desire, to know more, to see more, to be more. The outlaw values truth over approval, freedom over comfort, and most of all, her own needs and desires over the expectations of others. And I think that's really key, is that she understands what she wants, and it's not always going to be aligned with what others want. She stays true to herself, even when it means becoming an outcast. For many of us, the outlaw shows up in small ways, saying no without apology, choosing differently than expected, refusing to contort ourselves to fit into roles that no longer reflect the woman we are becoming. And sometimes the outlaw arrives in bigger, more destabilizing moments, like leaving a job, ending a marriage, or dismantling beliefs that you once accepted without scrutiny.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:10:33]:

And we see the outlaw throughout mythology, fairy tales, modern fiction. And it's interesting because it's not often labeled as the outlaw. Like, you know, we talk about archetypes like the lover, the warrior, the muse, the creatrix. We don't really talk about the outlaw, but if we look in myths and stories, she's always almost there, although she is often punished, exiled, or labeled dangerous. But when we look closely, it is the outlaw that is the catalyst for awakening. So I want to share a few different examples from myths and stories that I think you're going to be familiar with, because we talk about them a lot in my community or on the podcast. So let's look at a few of them now. So you can take the hunting tale of Bluebeard.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:11:21]:

Now, this is chapter two in Women who Run with the Wolves, this epic tome of women's wisdom by Claire Estes. And in Bluebeard, we have the youngest sister who ends up marrying Bluebeard. And again, you might remember, she Says his beard's not that blue. And she's told that she can go in any room in their great big mansion, except she can't go in the room that the smallest key is used to open. But of course, and maybe with a little prodding from her sisters, she does. She opens the forbidden door. Her curiosity reveals her husband's gruesome secrets, and it also ultimately saves her life. Or we could look at the Greek myth of Psyche and Eros.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:12:06]:

Eros commands Psyche that she must never, ever look at him. She must never see who he really is. And once again, curiosity gets the best of Psyche. She lights the lamp. She sees that he's actually the God of desire. And this initiates her journey of individuation and conscious love. So it's when these heroines, these characters, these archetypes, decide that they're actually not going to follow the rules. That is, when the journey actually begins.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:12:40]:

Not when they go along to get along, not when they're doing as they're told, but when they break free and decide to trust their own curiosity instead of the arbitrary rules that had been set for them. And, of course, there is Eve. Eve may be the most misunderstood feminine figure of all. She's cast as the original sinner, and she's blamed for humanity's fall from grace. But we can also interpret this very differently. Eve is the first woman to choose awareness over ignorance. And she followed her desires rather than just offer her blind obedience. So Eve eats from the tree of knowledge, and with that, she awakens, she becomes conscious.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:13:27]:

She realizes they are actually separate from God. And this kicks off the human existential dilemma. She makes us feel separate. She makes us understand our own mortality. But she also moves the plot forward. She gives our lives purpose. She helps us have that drive, that innate sense that we must reconnect with the divine, that we seek reunion. Her disobedience wasn't a sin, it was a necessity.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:13:55]:

I like to think of this as sacred disobedience. When we follow our instincts, our intuition and our curiosities, it's that inciting moment in a story. So we just look at all of the stories that I just shared. Bluebeard, Psyche and eras Adam and Eve, and there's many more. And it's when the story actually begins. And it isn't always smooth. In fact, I would say it's actually never smooth. It's never the easier path.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:14:24]:

But it is essential because it expands our consciousness and helps us reconnect with our own inner wisdom and who we are meant to be. Helps us tap into our unlimited potential. Because we're not going to be all that we can if we are just following an arbitrary set of rules. If we're trying to color inside the lines all the time, we can really think of that act of sacred disobedience as an initiation. And initiations are uncomfortable. They're often painful. They tend to cost us something like innocence, approval, certainty, or even belonging. So to awaken, to expand our consciousness, we do risk exile from systems, identities, and sometimes even relationships that depend on our compliance.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:15:16]:

And this is why we often repress the outlaw. It is easier to go along, to get along, easier to stay asleep, easier to be the good girl than to face the consequences of truth. But at some point, just like the young sister in Bluebeard, his wife, Psyche and Eve, there will be a call for you to wake up, for you to disobey. Unlock the door, light the lamp so that you can see reality as it truly is clearly with your own eyes. Sacred disobedience isn't about trouble for trouble's sake. It's about discerning which rules are keeping you compliant and uncertain. And I would even say which rules are keeping you dependent on the expertise of others. This is all about coming back to our our own innate inner wisdom and our own innate truth so that we can flourish.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:16:14]:

Bloom, individuate the outlaw questions arbitrary rules and rigid dogmas, and trust her own innate path. As I reflect on this archetype, I really believe the outlaw is essential for navigating today's polarized culture. We need her to ask probing questions, make difficult decisions, and choose paths less traveled. We need her to break free from group think, performative outrage, and unconscious obedience, because only then can we walk the path of individuation and discover the truest expression of ourselves, along with all of the magic that lives there. So when we individuate, when we fully express, that is when we get to tap into all of our superpowers, whether it's creativity, nurturing, joy, bliss. I hear many women say, bash the patriarchy, and talk about how the patriarchy is holding women back. And I agree, it does hold women back. But you can't bash it.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:17:25]:

It's not a vase you can just shatter on the kitchen floor. But what you can do is choose not to participate in it. And this is where we can call upon the outlaw archetype, because choosing not to participate in it is easier said than done. But here are a few ways you can reclaim your beauty. So rather than contort yourself to meet external standards or unrealistic societal ideals. You can reclaim your beauty for yourself and recognize your unique, always changing magnetism. You can also reclaim your time. So rather than rush from activity to activity or go full on and hustle culture, like wearing business like a badge of honor, you can slow it down, prioritize what's most important to you.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:18:18]:

You can also reclaim your capacity for critical thinking rather than be spoon fed beliefs through social media and sound bite. Really do the research. Trust your gut. Think about what you're being told, whether you actually believe it. Right now, you know, we are kind of in this weird vortex of social media where there's so much information that we almost don't know what to believe or what not to believe. So taking your time to do the research, but also trusting your gut. Because real change doesn't happen by fighting abstractions. It happens by shifting our consciousness and starting with our own, because that's really the only consciousness that we can shift.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:18:58]:

Shift. But I do believe that when we start to shift, when we start to expand, when we start stepping outside of societal norms, not participating in the patriarchy, that is how we change culture. And that requires outlaw energy. It will always be easier to comply, to stay palatable, to color inside the lines. But ease isn't the same as truth. And compliance is not going to lead you to wholeness. Most people definitely not. So I want you to consider, what if the voice that you've been taught to silence is the only one who knows the way out.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:19:34]:

So as we close, I want to leave you with this sacred. Disobedience isn't about being difficult. It's not about burning everything down or burning your bridges or rejecting responsibility. It's about discernment. It's about knowing which rules were meant to, to protect and sustain life and which were just designed to keep you compliant, quiet and small. Eve wasn't reckless. She was curious. Psyche wasn't sinful.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:20:01]:

She was seeking. And the outlaw within you isn't here to destroy your life and get you in trouble. She's here to wake you up. This is the work that I'm exploring more deeply inside my substack community. I know many of you are already inside and it's one of the threads that I'm weaving in this year. Being imagination as a pathway to awakening. So looking at these different parts of ourselves and helping to bring them online. So later this month, later in January, I'll be hosting a masterclass on sacred disobedience.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:20:34]:

And this is for my paid Substack subscribers. We're going to dive deep into these stories like Eve, Psyche and Eros and Bluebeard and looking at these archetypes as archetypes of initiation and why disobedience is often it's not a detour from the path, but it's the path itself. It's when things start to kick off, it's when we get on the path. I'm also releasing a guided active imagination practice to help you meet your own inner outlaw through imagery, dialogue and journaling so this work can move from concept into a more lived experience. And that's all inside my substack. So if this episode stir something in you, if you felt kind of an inner yes, or maybe even a little bit discomfort, you are warmly invited to join us there and the link to learn more is in the show notes. All right, beautiful ones, I hope you spend some time thinking about your inner outlaw, where she shows up in you, where you might need to call her online, and I look forward to connecting with you again soon. Be well.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:21:44]:

Thank you for joining me for this episode of the Goddess School podcast. I hope it sparked your imagination and expanded your vision for what's possible. If you're ready to explore these concepts more deeply, reclaim your personal myth and live with greater creativity and enchantment, I invite you to join me inside Enlivened my Divine Feminine Mystery School and Sacred community where we bring these teachings to life life through ritual, story coaching and of course, real world action. You can find the link to learn more in the show notes. And remember, the Goddess isn't a deity outside of yourself. She's an aspect of your highest self. You are the Goddess. Until next time.