Embracing the love of Chaos
In my practice as Chaos Magickian, transformational coach, space holder and facilitator, I’ve been coming across a certain archetype of a person who seems to gravitate towards me very naturally. The Chaotic Edge-Dwellers, as I like to call them, find me both professionally and in my private life and I have a special place in my heart for them, as I resonate deeply with this archetype.
We can find Edge-Dwellers in many different niches and throughout different archetypes of Artists, Misfits, Black Sheeps, Criminals, Fools, Tricksters, Philosophers, Edgy Scientists, Writers, Third Culture Kids, Magickians, Witches, Hermits and Pranksters.
The inner wiring of The Chaotic Edge-Dweller is too divergent to fit the neat little boxes provided by our society and educational system. While most humans will adapt by censoring parts of themselves to fit in, be accepted and feel safe, the Chaotic Edge Dweller can not, and/or will not make this choice.
The nervous system wiring of the Chaotic Edge-Dwellers diverges from the mainstream in a way that makes it very difficult to operate by the standards of functioning in the structures of mainstream society. Most of them would be given the ADHD “DISORDER” label by the mental health system if they fail to function in expected ways and seek out diagnosis.
My own experience with this archetype has shown that many of these folks have access to higher functions of intelligence, including strong empathy and access to extra sensory experiencing. They possess high levels of creativity and influx from the collective unconscious, which can be at times chaotic and volatile, and often experience the feeling of being an alien on this planet. This experience in and of itself does make them quite unique and different from others. They experience the world in a way most cannot understand.
The experience of feeling not understood, invalidated, othered, of not belonging, and for some folks even being bullied when growing up, can brutally shock our system and without the ressources to integrate this shock, create trauma. The additional work needed to work through early life trauma adds to the incapacity to function as society would expect us to. With a mind that processes information so differently, the chaos of our thinking – also attracting chaos in our lives – increases the sense of alienation amongst people who apparently function as required.
The difficulty in navigating the given ORDER of our world has much to do with the chaotically shifting states of consciousness. For some of these neurodivergent folks, the awareness might rapidly shift from states of easy social navigation, to emotional overwhelm, to a spontaneous influx of creative disorder and artistic inspiration, to a state of scattered minds or nervous system activation into fight or flight response.
This makes it even more difficult to take the path of masking and apparently functioning, because it leaves them at the mercy of whatever state of consciousness they find themselves in and creating the environment conducive to a state of productivity becomes a difficult challenge.
The Chaotic Edge Dweller holds, I believe, a strategic advantage in times of a paradigm shift. When the structures of society crumble and dissolve, the stress and anxiety level of those who have gotten used to operating with the standard maps will skyrocket.
In these times of chaotic transitioning, where the old maps no longer fit the territory, the Chaotic Edge Dweller is less likely to be as intensely affected.
Chaotic Edge-Dwellers seem to thrive in more chaotic environments. Their systems gear up a notch and they can tap into more resources and creativity to surf the waves of chaos. They have ventured away from the well walked paths, in the search for their way. In doing so, they have gotten familiar with what it feels like to be navigating uncharted territory.
The Chaos in their minds makes them a bit more immune to the tendency to fall into group think and adopt popular narratives. Their capacity to shift between states of consciousness allows for a vision of the world taking up different perspectives and avoiding the traps of fixed reality tunnels.
For the transition we face, these qualities come as an asset. The out of the box thinking of the Chaotic Edge Dweller could offer great value in the creation of new structures. Having the capacity to adapt to shifting territory, the Chaotic Edge Dweller can play a much bigger role through the emergence of a new stage of civilization and human evolution, opening more space for innovation.
The challenge for the Chaotic Edge Dweller to overcome, in order to thrive, is to master their shifting states of consciousness at will. They must find the balance of ORDER and DISORDER in their own system, to stand firm on the board and surf the Waves of Chaos.
The time has come to embrace the beautiful chaos in your system, do the work to anchor your self-esteem, regulate your emotional responses, find the others and shine a light on all the different ways we can proceed on unchartered territory, building the new on the edges of a dying system.
I am Calling in my tribe of chaotic Edge-Dwellers for the love of Chaos and consciousness evolution!