The gift is in the wound. Be weird. Let your freak flag fly.

Today I’m reflecting on the Greek mythological character, Chiron. There’s a total solar eclipse in the U.S. tomorrow and the planet Chiron is conjunct this cosmic event at the exact degree. Kind of wild, weird, and exciting. To get a backdrop to this letter, watch this 1:50 video. 

So, who is Chiron? And why am I reflecting on him?

A (brief and simplified) story of Chiron:
Chiron was a centaur – half horse, half man. The son of Kronos and Philyra, he was the first centaur. I want to pause on that. He was the first of his kind. The first. Before him, there were no centaurs.

He was rejected by his mother because of his strangeness. Apollo later found him and taught him the art of music, medicine, art, archery, and prophecy. He became a gifted healer, teacher, mentor, warrior, and seer. Pausing again. Chiron is the son of Kronos. He’s much older than Apollo. Now, I haven’t researched Chiron’s life before Apollo came along but there’s a lot of time between his abandonment and his mentorship by Apollo.

From the rejection of his mother and tutelage by Apollo, Chiron represents our deepest emotional and spiritual wounds. His primary teaching is the gift is in the wound. Without the abandonment of his mother, he wouldn’t have been trained by Apollo. He wouldn’t have become the great healer and teacher of heroes that he became.

Why I’m reflecting on him:
I’m soothed by Chiron’s story. When I’m exploring my deepest wounds, his story gives me courage, strength, and hope to keep going. To keep doing the work that ultimately gives me access to the liberation that comes from finding the gift in the wound.
I’m inspired by Chiron. He’s the ultimate mentor/healer/coach.

But there’s something else about Chiron that really draws me to him. As the first centaur, he’s weird! He’s edgy. His animal and human natures co-exist and make a special and gifted being. Someone who all these millennia later is still impacting the human psyche. So much so, that when the planet that’s now named Chiron was given that name it was because of its “eccentric” orbit. It’s like he’s telling us through time and space:

“Your gifts are in the places where you don’t fit in. Walk your own path and walk it for the good of all. Let your freak flag fly!”
I confess, for me, that’s easier said than done. I hide my healing gifts. Because they’re weird! They’re born of my deepest wound. And here’s Chiron, strong, capable, proud, and wounded, traveling the world healing with his words, his medicine, his presence. Traveling his eccentric orbit. Letting his freak flag fly. Encouraging me to persist in doing the same.

How does this story strike you? Let’s play with this a little bit. Are there places where:

• You feel weird and wounded?
• You would feel more whole as a human if you let that weird part of yourself out?
• You hold back for fear of not fitting in?
• You hide from others, or even yourself?
• Your desires don’t match the vision that was given to you by your places of origin?

What if you were to run your freak flag up your flagpole just a little bit? Enough for you to see your weird self with fresh eyes. How would life be for you? And a little bit more? And more? What’s life like from here? Are you drawn to it? Are you freer? Do you feel slightly afraid? Have you found that combination of freedom and fear that tells you you’re alive? What’s one small step that you can take in your life to let your weird self out?

Now, I’m not encouraging you to burn your life to the ground and restart as your weird self. I’m encouraging you to do what Chiron did, heal your wounds as best you can. Share your gifts before you’re healed. Take care. Be gentle and kind to yourself. Know your worth. Be the strong, proud, capable, and eccentric person that you are.

Here's what I know about you:

• ​You are more creative than you realize.
• Your spirit lights up a room.
• That mischievous twinkle I sometimes see in your eye, I’d love to see that more.
• Your gifts are weird.
• Welcome to the Weird Gift Association! Dedicated to encouraging our members to learn to share their weird gifts to create the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible. Here we see a future where your quiet reserve, your smart brain, your wise body, and your weird wild self get to be as one and expressed in the world.

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So, my friend, where does that leave us? If you would like to get support and have one-on-one conversations that create your best weird life, book a chat with me. Let’s talk.

If you’re in a place where you know you’re on track and are fully supported in your best, weird-life journey, know that I’m cheering you on. And I always love to catch up to hear how you’re doing. You can book a chat with me here.

Either way, report back to me. What did you learn from Chiron today? You can reply to this letter or do me a favor and leave a comment on the Intrinsic Potential blog here.

Until next time, let your freak flag fly.
​Lots of love,
Kate