Step Outside of Culture
Into the cave. Out to the cliff.
When was the last time you stepped out of culture?
What did it look like? More importantly, what did it feel like?
Let’s start here: what do I mean by “stepping out of culture”?
My friend and colleague
offered this idea when she was on KnotWork Storytelling.We were talking about Cessair, the granddaughter of Noah who wasn’t invited on the ark. Knowing that the floods were coming, this young woman didn’t wait to drown where she stood, but called on 150 women and 3 men to build three boats and set off to find a new home in the islands of the North Atlantic. She would be the first person to set foot on Irish soil.
Carmen interpreted Cessair as someone who was unafraid to step outside of culture and make her own way. (And, as a true heroine, Cessair practiced the “do it together” ethos because real success is communal, not individual.)
So, what about you, when was the last time you stepped outside of culture?
Obviously Cessair’s is the most extreme example possible. According to the Biblical tale, there were two options: drown or be one of the chosen few on the ark. She built her own boats, and floated so far outside of culture there are few outside the circle of Irish studies geeks who even know her name.
Stepping outside of culture can look like refusing to get swept up in the latest fad or ignoring the latest celebrity gossip that everyone’s speculating about.
It’s about the way we educate our kids (or at least how we talk with them about how to navigate the public education system). It’s how we nourish ourselves, adorn our bodies, and decorate our home, both in terms of taste and fashion, and in terms of the true cost to the earth.
Stepping outside of culture can look like choosing to study mythology and listening for the whispers of the ancestors rather than binge watching another forgettable show.
It can look like weaving your own stories and delving into your own depths rather than consuming the dominant narrative and getting lost in the endless noise.
Step out of culture.
Step into the cave or onto the cliff.
I teach about four different imaginal landscapes that help writers access their own voice and find the story they’re meant to tell.
The Cave is the space of the mystic. It’s where you dive deep and ask your words to reveal the secrets of the soul.
The Cliff is the space of the activist or visionary. It’s where you find the words that wake people up and shake up the system.
The Castle is the space of influence. It’s where you craft the words that create trust and wealth.
The Cottage is the space of pleasure. It’s where you weave the words that enchant readers with tales that change lives and help pass rainy afternoons.
Certainly those first two, the Cave and the Castle are about stepping outside of culture and exploring the realms beneath and beyond everyday awareness. I think it’s a creative imperative that we explore the wilds and take up residence in the otherworld (at least some of the time).
As for the Castle and the Cottage? Often these are the places where culture is made, but more importantly, could be remade.
There’s something to be said for developing the power to to embody the energy of the Castle and the Cottage. When you accept this challenge, to face a set of broken systems and systems that were designed to oppress and appropriate, then you really can do something radical.
When you can be “in the world but not of the world,” you can potentially remake culture so that your society is a place you actually feel welcome.
What did you encounter, what did you create last time you stepped outside of culture?
We cannot create enduring, meaningful art when we’re constantly conforming to the overculture1 and performing for the crowd. (Though there are Instagram reels and TikTok videos that really can convey the magic, those rare beasts are born of original creative source and then translated into the digital medium. We don’t make enduring, meaningful art when the. entire goal is to “create content.”)
No matter which imaginal landscape ultimately inspires you, the real work you’re here to do starts in the depths and on the margins. In the hidden places inside of you and beyond the edges of what’s common knowledge or acceptable thought.
Even just a whisper of that outside voice can make a piece of writing come alive.
Visit the Cave, the Cliff, the Castle, and the Cottage with Us
In the Writers’ Knot, my long-running, global community of creative, we’ll be exploring these imaginal landscapes together.
Our five month journey begins on January 22.
What can you expect when you join the Writers’ Knot?
Weekly writing practice sessions with carefully crafted prompts
Opportunities to build community and connect with other writers devoted to truly getting to know the territory
Join us because you’re ready to plumb the depths, seek the edges, stand on the ramparts, and settle in by the fire.
Thanks to Clarissa Pinkola-Estes for the gift of this term. Here’s to working underground and beyond the grasp of the cultural overlords!
What a beautiful concept! When was the last time I strpped out of culture? I suppose you could say it was when I shut down all of my social media, with the exception of Insta. Or maybe it goes back to my childhood, when in single digits, I became interested in the lives of people who had lived centuries before me. Recently, in returning to the land and the restoration of nature and supporting native plants and creatures. I know so many people are doing this, but most are not. So yes, a stepping out of culture, but maybe also stepping back into one. Good luck with this writing course. I am not yet ready to commit to something long term, but I think it sounds wonderful! 💕
LOVE THIS!