Embrace the shadows

[SonjaRot]

I have always found it hard to balance these concepts. I always jump from sticky new age thinking to harsh and infernal thoughts.
So it goes something like this. To be in harmony you must be positive and think positive thoughts and so on... white light and whatever hippies believe in. Because negative emotions create negative circumstances within, it affects the magnetic field, from where the magnetic field affects the health and mental performance.
Meanwhile, everyone has a shadow side, it's all natural. In this realm, where everything is growing and nothing is complete or the best, everything grows and everyone learns to become better... So the shadow is the part of everything, you can not separate it. Pushing it away as a "negative thing", or ignoring it all together, one only creates tension and resistance within himself.

"The Shadow Self is an archetype that forms part of the unconscious mind and is composed of repressed ideas, instincts, impulses, weaknesses, desires, perversions and embarrassing fears."
(Source - lonerwolf.com)

So those are all those thoughts we don't want to accept. Thoughts that don't fit the expectations of our culture, or displeases our friends and family. Thoughts that are considered evil, selfish, weak etc.
I questioned, "How can I embrace my shadow/accept myself If that would create a negative environment within myself? and I don't want to be the bad guy..." at the same time I would rather take a bullet than admit that the love, unicorns and rainbows way of thinking is the answer and the path to enlightenment.


It's so obvious but only now (I think) I have really grasped the way it works.
The thing that causes a negative environment is the resistance. The hate behind the words, the fear that creates confusion and anxiety.
For example, I didn't want to accept my shadows because from childhood I have been taught what is good and what is bad. So I too began labelling things as GOOD and BAD. This is the separation that destroys the harmony in the first place.

I had to hide that I'm angry or sad. I just put on my zombie happy mask and with force tricked myself into thinking that I'm fine even though I wasn't, I was just scared shitless to think bad thoughts because I might become more depressed or angry or evil.
Belief Systems.

Another way to look at it is to imagine the "bad" thoughts as lightning. It will leave damage only on a surface that resists electricity, while if the lightning hits a material that conducts electricity, there will be no damage. The current will pass through and leave... somewhere... Sorry, I'm having trouble with explaining this in English. I think the main idea is understandable - what you resist persists.

One has to learn to stop seeing things as bad, evil. Learn to give up hate, to look at the reality as it is and instead of reacting to it, act on it with love and peace of mind.
This is a lot of work and will take time so just keep this in mind.
Embrace the shadows, yours and the worlds.

* * *

Some quotes that go along with this:

"One can not control the thoughts that come into his mind, but he can control the thoughts he dwells upon."

"A man without a shadow is the devil himself."

"Seeing the Negative for what it is, creates the ability to steel oneself against its harmful effects, and possibly even avert those effects entirely."

* * *

This is a long post. O.O If you got to the end, please, share your thought on this if you have any, or if you have anything to add

 

[lifetalkz]

Hello-my thought(s) is.....that the philosophy(s) that you're referring to has been around for decades. In the 80's the concept of the cyclical relationship between destruction and creation (as it pertains to human consciousness) was brought into the main stream vernacular by way of a book called The Dancing Wu Lee Masters by Gary Zukav. The book is essentially about peoples resistance to destruction (what you call the shadow) or dark side of consciousness when it shows its presence in their lives. If you've never read the book, you should. It describes what you're talking about very vividly. Thank you for sharing =)

 

[full]

So nothing is good or bad until filtered through the mind. Then we have intrinsic nature of all things and interaction of those based on their nature. Mind dwells and lives on concepts. If it goes beyond or adrift of the body and objects, the mental illness is created, fear, desires, comparisons... Bottom line I always come to is to be, present here and now. Only then harmony is in actual free flow.
If the the dark shadows are our thoughts ( I doubt any thoughts, good or bad, are ours), then they are not us but the movements of the mind created by interaction of the chemistry in our bodies and surroundings they are in. Therefore, we can accept their existance but do not have to identify with them and make a choice to let them pass by. This way we can explore them, and pretty much anything else without being overly identified or judgmental.

You summed it above nicely:

"One has to learn to stop seeing things as bad, evil. Learn to give up hate, to look at the reality as it is and instead of reacting to it, act on it with love and peace of mind."

 

[SonjaRot]

Hello-my thought(s) is.....that the philosophy(s) that you're referring to has been around for decades. In the 80's the concept of the cyclical relationship between destruction and creation (as it pertains to human consciousness) was brought into the main stream vernacular by way of a book called The Dancing Wu Lee Masters by Gary Zukav. The book is essentially about peoples resistance to destruction (what you call the shadow) or dark side of consciousness when it shows its presence in their lives. If you've never read the book, you should. It describes what you're talking about very vividly. Thank you for sharing =)

Oh i love this, Thank you, will check out the book :]

 

[gypsylee]

Oh goodie, I can contribute a song to this

 

[SonjaRot]

Oh, great song, thanks for sharing!

 

[Aurelia]

That's a very thoughtful and e enlightening outlook, and seemingly very true. I enjoyed reading it a lot. Just wish I knew how to apply those principles in the moment more often.

 

[SonjaRot]

That's a very thoughtful and e enlightening outlook, and seemingly very true. I enjoyed reading it a lot. Just wish I knew how to apply those principles in the moment more often.

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. ;]
I guess this is something you learn as you go through life, it takes time and discipline. Im not too good at this myself but i am better at this than I was two years ago.
Just do what you can and when you can, growth will follow

 

[Aurelia]

Yeah, I hear you. It helps to be self-aware when it comes to your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Self-awareness, I admit, comes easily to me usually. So I guess oftentimes it feels like, "Well, I know what I'm doing is wrong and I know what I should be doing instead, so why the hell is it so hard to actually do it?" And I also know the answer to that is that my emotions make it seem impossible to act certain ways in the moment because they're so intense and always telling me to do the opposite of what I know is logical. It's a journey, and it does get better with time if you keep at it. I too feel like I'm better with certain things than I was 8 years ago, but then other things seem to be at a standstill. Those are the ones that I suppose I feel the least motivated and the most afraid to change.