"Know thyself." Socrates. (Inscribed over the entrance to the oracle at Delphi)In our search for the sacred, there is a common tendency to want blissful experiences, full of light and love, and to turn away from the mundane, the nasty, or what we judge as darkness or evil. This applies to what we see as the darkness in ourselves as well as in the rest of the world.
It is relatively easy to look at the wider world with all it's shadows and pain; much more difficult to turn the moving eye toward and see what dark shadows may lurk within ourselves. However, if we are to enter right relationship with others and the wider world, we must also embark upon that voyage of self-discovery to enter into right relationship with ourselves which includes both the light and the shadows.
Sometimes, what the ancients called "the dark night of the soul" may be a spiritual emergency that precipitates a deeper spiritual search. Many paths to source can potentially lead us into a recognition of our own darkness. We may be inclined to prefer the sweeter experiences, but when we see the darkness, it is important to remember that it, too, has teachings for us.
When the shadow is embraced and integrated, we become whole, healed and, paradoxically, more energy, not less, is available to us.Throughout the ages, in many spiritual teachings, from the Upanishads to the Bible, from the Sufi and Christian mystics of the middle ages to the modern-day Buddhist teachers such as Thich Nhat Nanh, the same message is conveyed that the light and dark exist in all things, both are part of the One/the Creator/God, and the union of the two forces through acceptance and compassion is a universal goal.
In becoming individuated, that same goal for each human being presents itself-to work not only with the light within ourselves, but also our shadow side.As joy and light are part of life, so are darkness and suffering. The struggle with the darker part of ourselves is well illustrated in countless mystical texts and other writings about the inner journey.
It forms part fo the typical hero's journey in popular culture both ancient and modern, from Persephone's journey into the underworld of Greek mythology to Luke Skywalker's struggle within himself in the Star Wars series. Such archetypes inform us of the nature of the endless human endevor to balance the light and drak in each of us.
This is beautifully illustrated not just in the stories of adult experiences, but by the daily trials of children as they come to terms with right and wrong, desires, guilt, ingratitude, lust, envy, anger, and so on. All the everyday tussles with the nine deadly sins and more, begin in our earliest awakenings in childhood.
At an early age, children exhibit a capacity to perceive the choices between "good" and "bad" that face them. Adults are often surprised and touched by the compassion of children (sometimes dismissed by the worldly wise as naive or unrealistic) and their ability to see the world and it's wrongs, and possible solutions, in uncluttered and obvious ways.
Ram Doss, in his many teachings, often tells the tale of his reflections and meditations upon the different, including the darker, parts of himself. As he observed each of them as seperate entities standing before him-the parts of him that were the friend, the professor, the son; the parts that showed lust, anger, despair, possessiveness, and so on- he suddenly became aware that, if they were all out there looking at him, then "who's minding the store?
" In other words, these elements of ourselves, our ego, our personalities, are not us. Something else, deeper and more mysteriously aware, is both involved with and stands apart from who we think we are.As we come to witness all those parts of us that we have created and that have been created for us down the years, we can begin to enter a new relationship with the world.
When we realise that we are not who we thought we were, we can come to understand the real "I" that exists beneath all those constructs and ties to the personality. When we can relate to the real "I" then the power of who we thought we were is diminished. We emerge chicken-like from an eggshell into a new perspective of who we really are.
All the darker parts of the self are but grist for the mill, teachers, things to work with as we follow the road that leads to deeper understanding of the self. However, so often we seek to bury our nastier side, attempting to hide it in the belief that if ignored it will go away, or at least lose it's influence over us.
The opposite seems to be the case. To do spiritual work, to discover the sacred within ourselves, we cannot bypass the emotional work. All the great spiritual teachers down through the ages sought not to bury their darker sides, but to work with them, suffer with them, and bring them into the light.
However, for most participants in the search, the darkness in ourselves, in the sense of what we see as as bad or undesireable, and in the sense of the unknown realm of the unconscious, has become something to avoid. I have attended many gatherings, meetings, and "New Age" events where everyone appears to be happy, shiney, and smiley.
However, the darkness could be sensed underneath all of it. The light is but a front, placed like a mask over the face. David Steindl-Ross writes of the New Age searchers for whom "The shadow has been in conspicuous by it's absence. Seekers are often led to believe that with the right teacher or the right practice, they can transcend to higher levels of awareness without dealing with the more petty vices or ugly emotional attachements.
" He cites on Colorado journalist Marc Barash, who says "Spirituality, as repackaged for the new age, is confection of love and light, purified of pilgramige and penance, of defeat and descent, oh harrowing and humility."This does not mean that we have to deliberately plunge ourselves into a pit of danger and dispair if we are to pursue our understanding of our spirituality.
Nevertheless, the path should be approached with care and caution. The Cloud of the Unknowing, believed to be a late midevil text on the spiritual journey by an unknown author, reminds us that we should "be careful in this matter, and do not overstrain yourself emotionally or beyond your own strength.
Work with eager enjoyment rather than brute force. The more eager you work, the more humble and spiritual it becomes." Jesus, in the Gospel of St. Thomas, urged "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over all.
"Making the "trouble" a source of learning seems to be the object lesson in confronting the shadow in ourselves. Thus we have become alchemists of the soul, transforming the lead into gold. In the shadow, there is hope and possibility.
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Into The Darkness
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