Lisa Marie Rankin [00:00:00]:

We all have villains in our lives. The ones who poke at our insecurities, drain our energy, or just make everything more complicated. But what if I told you they're not just annoying, they're initiatory. In today's episode, I'm diving into what real life antagonists can teach us about our shadow, our sovereignty, and our energy field. So whether you're dealing with a manipulative co worker, a dramatic family member, or a full blown soul sucking Venin, I'll help you reframe the narrative and reclaim your power. Because you don't always need to slay the villain. Sometimes you just need to stop feeding them. Let's dive in.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:00:46]:

Welcome to the Goddess School podcast, a space for women who want to reclaim their story, awaken their archetypal power, and live mythically. I'm Lisa Marie Rankine, author, teacher, and your mythic guide. I help women step beyond self help and into soul work by weaving together Jungian psychology, storytelling, ritual and feminine wisdom traditions. In each episode, you'll find personal reflections, mythic frameworks, and soul stirring conversations designed to help you re enchant your everyday life and become the heroine of your next chapter. This isn't about fixing yourself. It's about becoming the woman you are meant to be. The veil is parting. The ship is setting sail.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:01:33]:

Let's begin. Hello, beautiful listeners. Over the next few weeks here on the God of School podcast, I'm exploring romantasy, archetypes, symbols and tropes. Because art mirrors the collective unconscious. And yes, that's your psyche too. In these, modern myths offer us surprisingly creative strategies for navigating conflict and becoming the heroine of your own mythic life. Okay, so can we just admit something? There's probably someone in your life right now that you cannot stand. He or she gets under your skin.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:02:12]:

They say that thing. They bring drama wherever they go. And you swear they must have been sent here to test you. And spoiler alert, they probably were. So today I want to talk about villains. Not just the ones in fantasy novels, though maybe we'll reference a few. But the real life ones. The people who activate you, drain you.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:02:34]:

Or maybe reflect something you'd rather not see. Because whether they're mirrors, monsters or messengers, villains can actually help you become more powerful. They can help you step into that next best version of yourself. So in today's episode, I'll share three different ways to view your real life antagonist so you can stop reacting and start responding like the heroine that you truly are. First, we all have villains in our lives. There's the co worker or boss who undermines you, the friend who talks behind your back, the parent who never quite see you clearly the family member who causes everyone to be at their worst during the holidays. And yes, even the frenemy with whom you feel you compete. But here's the thing.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:03:23]:

Villains aren't just nuisances. They're necessary. They keep the plot moving and the story interesting. They also offer us valuable information about ourselves. Now, of course, you might think you'd be happier if they just disappeared and you never needed to see or deal with them again. But in many ways, villains are our teachers. They challenge us to look inward. They give us opportunities to clarify boundaries.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:03:52]:

And they are exc. Target practice for learning to wield our power wisely. Now, I think the most important thing to remember when dealing with villains is that it's often not what this person does that causes you the most harm. It's how you react that really causes the destruction. Villains amplify our existing emotions. That could be rage, fear, insecurity. Until we lash out, shut down, and sometimes lose ourselves. They're like lighter fuel on a fire, causing you to be a moth to a flame, since it's your reaction that's the problem.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:04:32]:

This is why training becomes so important. Not just physical training to defend your body, but mental and emotional training so you can respond with power and not panic. So today, I'm going to offer you three ways to understand and work with the real life villains. At first glance, some of these perspectives may seem contradictory. But however, as Carl Jung taught, psychological maturity requires holding the tension of opposites. Two things can be true at once. So let's dive in. The first way is to look at the villain as a mirror.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:05:11]:

Now, this one can be a little bit of a tough pill to swallow. But hear me out. Anything that deeply annoys you about another person is a clue, a breadcrumb from your unconscious. Because what we react to most strongly in often reflects what we've suppressed or repressed in ourselves. For example, maybe you can't stand how someone always flies off the handle. Ask yourself, what is my relationship to anger? Do I allow myself to feel it, express it? Or do I stuff it down, then secretly resent people who let it out? I've often been triggered by a woman whom I see as manipulative, entitled and lacking in humility. And she really gets under my skin. But I have to stop and ask myself, why? Why are these qualities so annoying to me? And the truth is that I can embody those traits too.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:06:11]:

And if I'm Being really honest, part of me probably wishes I had access to those traits. Even more consciously, I wish that I could have the ability to claim more space and ask for what I wanted. Be a little bit more bold. Bold and audacious in my desires. So when we look at these villains as mirrors, the people who have these qualities that really annoy us, part of that work is to look inward and say, do I need a little bit more of that? Do I want a little bit more of that? What is my relationship? Because again, this journey that we are on is not to suppress or repress, but it's actually to illuminate, to look at these different parts of ourselves and to reintegrate them. The villains in our lives often represent the disowned aspects of our psyche. And until we reclaim them within ourselves, we're just gonna keep attracting them externally. As a reminder.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:07:08]:

But not all villains are mirrors. Some are just Venin. This is the second way that we can look to work with our real life antagonist. In Rebecca Yarrow's fourth Wing series so amazing romantasy novel with dragons and shadow daddies and Venin. Let me explain what Venin are. Venin are soulless priestesses and priests who steal energy from the earth to amplify their own power. In doing so, they sacrifice their soul. They become husk of humans driven by hunger, power and destruction.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:07:45]:

You might have encountered real life Venin. This could be the boss who gaslights you, the ex who tries to weaponize your empathy, or the person in your life who feeds off of conflict and drama, leaving you drained. Trying to reason with a Venin is like arguing with a zombie because there's nothing there. This is important for us to recognize so that we don't waste time explaining ourselves to people who aren't in their right mind or who have long since forfeited their soul or for control. Again, your need to be right or win these people over is going to say more about you than it does about them. I like to think of venin as NPCs. So this is a term used in gamer language, non player characters. I actually learned it from my 16 year old son who plays Fortnite.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:08:36]:

Now the thing about NPCs, they're not here for growth. They're here to prevent yours. Their role is to test whether you'll get pulled off your path or stay rooted in your truth. And that's where energy mastery comes in. You don't need to fight them, you just need to protect your fail. Refuse to let them bait you into roles You've outgrown. Don't waste time rehearsing conversations or trying to prove your point. The best thing to do with a Venin is.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:09:08]:

Is absolutely nothing. Of course, this is easier said than done. I have a Venin in my life, and literally all I need to do is nothing, and everything would be fine. But I get so riled up that my reaction becomes over the top. She creates absolute havoc in my generally peaceful existence. She takes my energy because she doesn't have any. It feeds her, and when I let this happen, she wins. So stop trying to wake the Venin.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:09:36]:

The energy vampires, the NPCs in your life up. There's nothing there. Don't give them the energy that they need to survive. That's your strategy. Protect your energy field and stop feeding theirs. There's a third way villains can serve you. Sometimes they're here to show you your weaknesses. Where your armor has gaps, where your strength still wavers, the villain arrives as a crash course in boundaries, discernment, and strength.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:10:08]:

Perhaps there's an area in your life where you've been too trusting, too accommodating, or too hesitant to confront a wrong. Villains come to expose these vulnerabilities, not to destroy you, but to initiate you into your next level of sovereignty so you can become the woman that you were meant to become. Because, let's face it, when life is easy and pleasant, we don't always stretch ourselves. We don't always grow. We don't build the skills we need for our next chapter. In every Romantasy novel, the heroine doesn't just awaken to her powers overnight. She trains daily, mentally, physically, and spiritually. She learns to protect herself, both body and mind.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:10:54]:

To confront, which scares her. To stop being prey, you need to do the same thing. And the villains that appear in your life give you the space to practice. So the villain might not be a reflection or an energy vampire. They might simply be the one who shows you it's time to level up. So when you consider your real life villains, maybe they're here to destroy you, maybe not. But it doesn't matter. Drop the narrative, put on your fighting leathers, and get ready for the challenge.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:11:28]:

Villains will always offer you a choice. To react unconsciously and play right into their hands, or to respond as a warrior and become the heroine of your story. Which will you choose? All right, let's recap how to approach real life villains. First, some villains are mirrors. They show you the parts of yourself that you've disowned. This could be your anger, your entitlement, your desire to take up space. And until you reclaim those parts, you're going to keep meeting them in villains. Externally, they're there to remind you.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:12:07]:

Second, other villains are simply venin energy vampires who have nothing left of their soul and feed off of your reaction. The lesson here is to don't engage. Protect your energy field. Walk away. Let your energy be sacred. And finally, some villains are target practice. Not because you're failing, but because you're training. They highlight the cracks in your armor so you can grow stronger, braver and more skillful.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:12:38]:

The truth is, life needs a little tension to move the story forward and offer you opportunities for growth. So instead of resenting the villain, use them. Let them sharpen your sword, clarify your values, and remind you of who you are becoming. So until next time, my sister, protect your energy, trust your instincts, and remember, you're not here to fight every battle. You're here to win the ones that matter. And if you want to go deeper into these themes, I invite you to come join me on Substack. That's where I explore modern myths, archetypal wisdom and romantasy tropes through journal, active imagination and monthly live gatherings. It's a space where the mythic meets the practical and you get to enchant your life from the inside out.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:13:26]:

The link is in the show notes and I'll see you there. Be well, my friend. 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 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.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:14:10]:

She's an aspect of your highest self. You are the Goddess. Until.