YOU ARE THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT.

image: with thanks via Maarten Appel

The nature of the human shadow is sickness: it is a complaint, a hunger, an emptiness that seeks to be filled. 

This sickness knows its own remedy.  Its remedy is light - the light of consciousness.  The shadow knows it can only be dispelled by light so like a thirsty person who is drawn to water, or a hungry person drawn to food, the shadow tries to emerge to the surface of consciousness.  And spiritual practices facilitate this emergence.  

The forms in which the shadow appears induce fear, shame and horror in the conscious self, so the one who has embarked on a spiritual path has to be courageous and look at the shadow’s manifestations, at what emerges from the sub and unconscious no matter how painful or difficult or ugly.

The degree to which the self is in denial of its shadow is the degree to which it is a slave to its shadow.  Such a self can lie, cheat, maim or murder and justify it on the basis of others’ behaviour or life’s circumstances.  

A life dedicated to the inner struggle for the sake of Allah can produce a transformative, healing consciousness.  All that is required is that the shadow be allowed to come into the light of such a consciousness. No denial, repression, justification, indulgence, judgment, explanation, attachment or resistance. Just acknowledgement:  this is what happened, this is how I feel, this is what I want.  Just allowing yourself to become fully aware of the denied and repressed feeling or experience, no matter how distressing to acknowledge. That is all. Then and only then can you become free of that feeling and experience. 

This process of acknowledgment has to be done carefully so that it does not damage you or anyone else.  It has to be done with the right intention and under correct guidance.  A fine balance has to be struck so that you do not deny or repress, but neither do you get sucked into self-pity or fly into a rage and hurt anyone.  

This process of acknowledgment also has to be done with as much detachment as possible.  A (growing) piece of consciousness has to be the detached seer, who is here just to see. Who is not identified with the feelings, thoughts and experiences.  But is only the one who sees, understands, learns, grows and moves on.

Otherwise, the sickness lingers, the shadow poisons everything, and the hunger, the thirst are never filled. You keep trying to run away from yourself and seek fulfilment and comfort here and there, with this one, in that activity. But nothing provides lasting relief. Because both the sickness and the remedy are inside. Both the shadow and the light are inside.  

You are the shadow and the light. 

image with thanks via Maarten Appel on facebook