Page 28 - January 2023

to see yourself. As the Rev. J. Pittman that thought I knew who I was — which
McGehee says in his book, The Paradox was my persona or my mask. I remember

of Love, “I alone must become myself, feeling a lot of guilt and asking myself
but I cannot become myself alone.” what I could have done differently. It was

a dark night-of-the-soul experience going
Love for others and for ourselves into my unconscious for an entire week. I
transforms and heals. We need them to wondered if I would ever feel normal

show us our projections, and we help again. Gradually I came out of it and my
each other by being vulnerable and inner Self said, “You are all of this and you

honest in order to take those projections are also the opposite.” As painful as this
back. Jung says, “Becoming whole is work is, it’s necessary to our wholeness.
an intrapsychic process which depends

essentially on the relation of one individual Our ego strength grows in proportion to
to another.” Without the mirror others seeing who we really are and to holding

provide us, there is no recognition of our the awareness of our destructive side
shadow. Jung says: consciously without acting it out. This in
itself is the ever-present challenge: to hold

“The meaning of ‘whole’ or ‘wholeness’ is the tension in the psyche of our opposites
to make holy or to heal. The descent into and not lean too much to either side.

the depths will bring healing. It is the way
to the total being, to the treasure which The Taoists called this the path of the
suffering mankind is forever seeking, which middle way. As the Greeks inscribed on

is hidden in the place guarded by terrible the temple at Delphi, “Know thyself” and
danger. This is the place of primordial “Nothing in excess.” These two very wise

unconsciousness and at the same time the statements, made long ago, can help us
place of healing and redemption, because today, but trust me, I am still working
it contains the jewel of wholeness. It is the on this. It does not happen overnight

cave where the dragon of chaos lives and it is for anyone. Just know that you are doing
also the indestructible city, the magic circle the work, and keep on keeping on when

or temenos, the sacred precinct where all the you fail or allow yourself to become one
split-off parts of the personality are united.” extreme or another. Pick yourself up and
keep going. At least, you will begin to

When I first started doing shadow work, know when you are out of balance. That
I remember how sad I felt. It was very in itself is pretty awesome.

painful, almost like a grieving process. It’s
definitely not easy to own your shadow, An important thing to remember about
and, as Jung says, it takes time. I felt as our ego is that nobody knows what

if a part of me was dying, the part of me is unconscious. We only know what
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