The true work of art is but a shadow of Divine perfection - Michelangelo
It is much easier to identify another’s triggered responses and notice the unconscious matter they may be projecting on to us or the world around them. The challenge is to ask ourselves this: what is the ratio between how often I am able to successfully identify other’s projections and how often I am able to identify my own? When we are experiencing a triggering event, how often do we pause to observe ourselves; our own unconscious motivations, or thoughts and feelings when we are provoked into pain and discomfort while relating to another? How often are we able to practice this internal observation before we react or respond?
The one who triggers or irritates us the most is our greatest teacher…a key to unlock and face our shadow….if we know how to apply the Work.
Rarely do we look within, and instead, we externalize, indulge in and justify our triggered reactions and projections with our self-importance, making up stories in our heads.
Essentially we give our power away when engaging in these automated mechanical reactions with zero self-awareness, self-reflection and self-observation.
We are trapped in identification. Identified with the feelings, thoughts, projections, sensations, and stories we lose our Self.
At the same time, there are hidden forces who take advantage of our unconscious reactions, tempt us with more triggers to feed off all the psychic projected emotional loosh, playing humans like puppets on strings, keeping them under the illusion of “free will” in a prison of their own making.
I’ve encountered many people who say they do, in fact, pause and internally reflect. Myself included, I also notice that even when we’re in awareness of the trigger and work to internally tease out our own stories from the facts, the authentic material becomes blocked because we enter into this practice with good intentions yet are already weighted to one side in our desires. These are the unconscious motivations that allow the ego to take control, and it shows up as the desire or need to be right, however it is more accurately the unconscious desire to avoid something else which drives our need to affirm our own acquired narratives and “be right”. So the deeper question becomes: what are we avoiding, or not claiming in ourselves? Herein lies the positive shadow.
Adapted and modified from David Richo's
Shadow Work is the name of the game during this ongoing upheaval. The more unconscious you are, the less free will you have, the more you are the playing field for other [hostile] forces working through you.
In Health,
Happiness,
Freedom & Truth
Sara Gustafson PhD, HLC
Wait! Before you go there's more.
Sara's Gratuitous Weekly Resources
The Earth Has a Soul: CG Jung on Nature, Technology & Modern Life
Carl Jung shares a lot in this book, but one of my favorite takeaways is this thought I will leave you to ponder on:
"nature is not concerned with winning because it is impossible for nature to lose, and because we (man) are in fact part of and one with nature; the more we attempt to conquer IT, the greater it becomes and thus we (man) become conquered."
Favorite Podcasts
Paul Levy on Living4D with Paul Chek, episode 181
Author and wounded healer Paul Levy returns to discuss the mind-virus that is wetiko, his latest book and how we can take back our agency in this warm and loving Living 4D conversation.
It’s Time You Took NFTs and Crypto Seriously With Aleks Rybchinskiy
Are you still questioning the validity of crypto, NFTs, DeFi, and more?
If so, it’s not too late. In fact, you’re still early…
Listen in to this week's episode with Aleks Rybchinskiy to discover why it’s finally time you took decentralized currencies seriously.
