"Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows anyone" --- Mark Twain
As a child, we all are born with that inner fear of being afraid of the dark. In some form or another, all children are afraid of the dark. Even with most adults, you will see this fear of what cannot be seen lurking in the shadows. For most people, it seems quite natural as we have no clue what may be waiting in those dark shadows just around the corner. While most people will eventually learn to overcome their fear of the darkness, most fail to ever come to terms with another form of darkness which remains constant.
Within each person lurks an inner darkness....the "dark side" if you will. Those aspects about yourself which you keep hidden from regular society....those urges or social taboos which have been quieted down over the years of civilization that have been cultivated in our world. Carl Gustav Jung called this particular aspect the "shadow" and went into great detail in regards to it's function in the human psyche.
"One of Jung’s most compelling ideas is the shadow. Jung describes the shadow as those inferior aspects of the psyche that we’re not too proud of.The shadow might be a desire frowned on by our conscience or peers. It could be a bizarre or unhealthy interest that the powers of civilization have apparently quelled.Shadow contents involve known and unknown aspects of the self, making the ego, the unconscious and the environment all play a role in its expression or repression.When confronted by the ego, the largely unconscious shadow can be integrated into consciousness. But for the most part the shadow lies beyond the threshold of awareness."
Jung explains the shadow through his concept of the archetype:
"When it [shadow] appears as an archetype…it is quite within the possibility for a man to recognize the relative evil of his nature, but it is a rare and shattering experience for him to gaze into the face of absolute evil."
Some people may say, why exactly do I wish to look at this "shadow" or "dark side" anyways? After all, what good can come out of messing with this sort of material?
The answer to that question is that it's a part of YOU!
Most people become caught up in the concept of going towards the light and embracing that aspect of themselves however this is not wholesome living which I will explain in a minute. As the great lecturer and alternative researcher, Michael Tsarion, states....too much light can be equally blinding as too much darkness. There are others who go the opposite end of the spectrum and become wholly embraced in the darkness. This is also unwholesome living for which I will explain.
Looking at the concept of Yin and Yang; one does not see an entirely white circle or an entirely black circle but rather aspects of both making the whole. Half and half of equal balance...this is telling you something. The concept of God and the Devil....this is the Christian archetype of yin and yang. The same can be said almost every single religion as the archetypes are not meant to be taken literally but rather to represent aspects of the darkness and light inside each of us. This is a fact that has been overlooked so many times by many people.
We see this same archetype of yin and yang pop up in movies as well:
Using the example of Star Wars, we see the transformation of Luke throughout the film from being very young and naive in the Force to a balanced individual. In "Return of the Jedi", we see Luke embrace his dark side at the end of the film and it is only through this action that he is able to defeat his father. This is just a few of the examples from this film but this same story can be found in other films as well.
The lesson to be learned is that through balance, we find our strength.
This dark side of each of us is much like the ego. We hear from people all the time about "losing your ego" however this typically leaves people flustered and confused. The ego is a part of you so how can you lose it? In a way, the human race owes much gratitude to the ego for the work that it has done. The problem is that the ego has been left unchecked for many years and is running wild. Once you start telling the ego just who is boss, it will get into line and work with you rather than control you. The same can be said for the dark side of you....we have to understand that this is a part of you and we must learn to live with it. Embrace it but do not let it embrace you. Remember, finding that balance between light and dark is where you find your strength.
Another important aspect that people don't think about is the exercising of the dark side.....yeah, for most this is probably quite creepy but let me explain. How many people in the world exercise their "light side" throughout their lives? We see people meditate, practice healing, pray and do all other sorts of "light" things to better that aspect of themselves. How much do you do to exercise that darkness inside you? I'm sure at this point people are saying "What the hell is he talking about" but I will explain.
There are ways to exercise this darkness. Maybe it's violent video games or maybe it's through role playing....whatever your choice may be. For me, as a martial artist, it comes from weapons training. While I am working with training weapons and practice on a dummy, I am deadly serious. I am envisioning every single stroke of the blade, pull of the trigger and swing of the stick along with the damage it is doing. The same goes for if I am shooting a gun or any other sort of work along this line. Once this darkness gets it's regular workout, it does not crave more.....it is appeased. Much like a dog who needs his walk or he's going to be wild....the same can be said for the psyche.
Much as the dog is calmed, the psyche is calmed as well. The mind becomes clear and the heart becomes less heavy. We cannot fear those aspects of ourselves but must learn to work with them and allow them to flourish inside each of us. The key is balance above all things. Once you have worked to attain this balance of the psyche....doors begin to open up and the curtain begins to lift. One will realize that they can control their emotions rather than allowing their emotions to control them.
As I tell people in regards to myself, I'm the type of person who can play a first person shooter game blowing people away at random and then turn it off to discuss the deeper aspects of philosophy regarding the essence of the human spirit. This is the essence of balance....don't fear the dark and don't fear the light....they are you and always have been.
Through the implementation of religious dogma, we have been taught to fear the darkness. We have been been fed archetypes for centuries that have led us to stay in the light(God, etc) and run away from the darkness(Devil, etc) but what does this typically lead too.....imbalance. We MUST begin to understand that these are archetypes of ourselves and only through finding this balance between the two can we be truly free.
You need to be the person that wants to have both Jesus and Beelzebub over for dinner to "patch things up" and hash out their differences.
Embrace your Light ---- It is a part of you
Embrace your Dark ---- It too is a part of you
Exercise them both to keep them healthy and working together.....fear neither for they are apart of you
Find your balance to find your strength for the battle that we all face before us each and every single day.
M.o.1
No comments:
Post a Comment