My last blog was not the kind that I thought that I would write, but it felt good to of finally found a breakthrough in seeing myself heralding in a breakthrough. I wrote of metaphor.
Metaphors are essential in enabling us to analyse a situation or issue that we may be going through. Through visualising one can begin to see the path one is on, & perhaps do something about changing the outcome, or leaving well alone & continue along the path to assured success. Carl Jung advocated the use of the metaphor, as did many of the leaders of the psychoanalytical movement of the 1950s & 60s.
I myself find it absolutely essential to visualise metaphor to explain one`s journey. It assists me in being able to assess where I am at one stage. My apparitions bring about my success, along the journey. I once used a technique that saw me take off my own head & put in its place the person that I aspired to. This brought about good results, & know I use it a lot whenever I need a boost in a chosen field. The sub-conscious mind is the architect of our success, so why not allow it to speak up & do its essential work ?
When was the last time that you utilised such a technique yourself ? It is a shame that many people do not think more along the lines of this subject. In my eyes, the mind is like a wonderful dense jungle, forbidden, formidable & uncharted, & at times, in deep trouble. Because of this I would take trips at times &, like the conquistador, would venture off & make a clearing, in some place or another, to find space. At times I would come across all sorts of things, monsters, wandering orphans, naked women riding unicorns, & many other strange, comical, & upsetting things. Sometimes I would find nothing but places where ones eyes are of little use, much the same way they would be if one was caught up in a load of cotton wool, but always I gave them credence, just the way I give you credence & respect for reading my blog. For this is just another aspect of my clearing, as are you reading it, so I am finding more peace inside of myself. You help me too. So it is imperative to utilise as many forms of medium as is possible to bring about integration. Nothing is easy, but knowing I am assisting myself in this fantastical land, helps me.
It has been a minefield for me over the years. I would for hours on end try to find ways to ease the pressure that was building up in me. I was young & I was confused, so did not have an idea how to get results through the sub-conscious mind. I wanted to take responsibility for myself so kept persevering. I was up against a far more formidable power than I. It was full of the same energy & power as an atomic bomb is, it was in charge. All I had been doing was controlling myself, holding this internal pressure back, just as one does, I guess, when trying to hold onto a wild horse to stop it getting away from the holder. Pitiful & useless. The only way forward for me was to reason with it, talk with it, & see what my shadow wanted.
This was what Jung called the Shadow, the vast region of us that is pretty much in control of until we can find the courage to confront it & begin a dialogue. This is the essential first part, because we suppress just about everything into the vast recesses of our mind that we find even the least bit uncomfortable, & it is this that the shadow feeds off & slowly grows in structure shadow. How many times have you done, or said something that you wish you had not of done ? Or stayed stuck in an abusive or destructive relationship when all around you is in despair, & the bruises grow in depth ? This shadows formidable power keeping you locked to degradation, futility & shame. The shadow is a child that has been banished to a dark room, locked up & forgotten about. It thinks it is putrid, disgusting & of no use or benefit to anyone, so it is angry, & becomes worse the more you ignore him/her. The only way it knows how to gain your attention is by shoving you into these awful degrading situations. The overweight man who cannot shift weight, but hopelessly clings to the kinder more reasonable logic that he has bad bowels, or gland problems. For it is shadow that causes the anxiety & ego- conflict that goes onto cause cancers, bone problems, & all the rest of it. I am sure that you would not do this to your own child or loved one, but sadly, we do it to ourselves, all the time. I am included here, of course. In fact, I remember one evening a few months ago, sitting in my lounge listening to Jazz, when just to the right side of my vision, in came through the closed door, a dark figure, all black, smooth, & without hair. It looked just like one would expect as one would expect a person in a black all in one body suit to look like. In he came, silent & forbidden, lots of limb movement, very intimidating. He then curled up & sat at my feet. He was there for a long time. You can imagine how upsetting & frightening this was for me. He then got up, after an hour or so, & walked straight through the fireplace, he has been around since, but only very fleetingly. I had never seen this thing before, but I have no doubt that he is my shadow, & as Jung would say, a projection of my internal entity. This is shadow. The density of all our oppressed fears, angers, stuff. What to do ?
I believe it essential to become acquainted with our shadow. Try & find out who he or she is. Because when something is denser & covered up, it will undoubtedly cause problems, for it is so much heavier. The same analogy can be utilised to show how the aggressive man behaves in a relationship with his partner, forever attacking one way or another, maintaining oppression & fear. Or when the neurotic mother inflicts her will upon her child, just so as not to feel depressed. She transfers & projects her shadow onto the child causing confusion hurt, & many more serious problems for the child. The mother projects her shadow which then causes an obstruction, & as the child grows up with horrific emotional ailments, the shadow is suppressed. Later through dysfunctional behaviours the child, now an adult, if they are able will begin the dialogue with their shadow. Usually this type of habitual behaviour, that sadly gets handed down by a process of osmosis, becomes denigrated to the bin of ones internal structure, the shadow, whilst all the time growing in power. It is then it becomes a serious problem, either causing a breakdown, & then one can eventually begin to re-build oneself, or one dies. Death in this context can come in many guises, such as addictions, alcoholism, neediness & abusive relationships. Sometimes it is of course more practical than the examples I have chosen, & one flat-lines, simple.
Whilst the shadow is ignored at its peril, it remains an enemy. But it does not have to be this way. It wants to be friends, it wants to communicate & let you know what you are doing to it each day. The process of integration, if it does not kill a person, is all about getting to know your shadow. It takes a very unique & special person to begin a dialogue with their shadow, not because it is laudable work, which it obviously is, but because the shadow contains so many riches & is munificent in it`s generosity that one would be a fool not to communicate with it.
Seek & you will find.
As we thin out our density by communicating with our shadow we become closer to progression & success. We thin out ourselves so that we do not sink, literally, into an abyss, of false desires that keep us from authentically, & honestly, seeing who we really are. There is a theory that we are all at different levels of maturity within our souls. And this would make sense as many people that would rather not look internally & stay in ignorance, or who cannot find a level of depth & love that would enable them to travel internally to begin a communication, will stay on the peripheries of all genuine love & expression. Preferring to stay safe in ignorance & materialism. Once one has reached such levels of emotional maturity, that I am discussing here, then they can go on to love & worship themselves, & their partners. The material success the ignorant person works so hard to hang onto, comes naturally, simply as a by-product of functioning on this most prolific level. For the person that can communicate effectively with their shadow attracts to them the best of everything; the best positions at work, the best love & soul partner, material wealth, & on & on, but most importantly, they do not attract the ignorant & weak either. The trickster stays away from the wise because they are afraid, intimidated by their authenticity. It is this alone that makes it all the more worth doing, in my eyes.
I would suggest that a person who denies any of this is not wrong, but missing the point by ignoring the essay. We all have our choices, but this is fundamental, & essential work. And perhaps more importantly than anything, it is shows greatness of character, as it is responsible towards others to do such work on oneself. One that does this level of work does not evoke suspicion in others for they can be trusted & others are naturally attracted to them. They are leaders, in every sense of the word.
I have tried to be as general in my synopsis of how I see shadow in my life, but I cant help hearing voices in my ear telling me that they would rather deny all of this, & that none of this applies to them, well it does, for reason already mentioned. But most of all it is self-respectful to want to do it. However the voice that does ring louder than the other plastic voices is the single voice, calling from afar. This single voice speaks louder in its integrity than the chorus of fools that mock, & show hostility, at the mere suggestion of changing their attitudes. Yes, this voice is the voice of authenticity, integrity & love. I hear it as it grows louder & stronger for their own entitled authenticity. This voice wants change, transformation, & love to enter their life, needing more, because they know that they deserve it. That is the voice of strength & real power. It is your voice that I hear, & it is your basic right to want more in your life.
I wish you every success in beginning your great work.
Come together in the morning.
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