[Passionaria]

Originally Posted by AtLastHome

An article I came across had a few things about organized religion (especially related to many feelings I have about the right-wing Christian zealots today) that are interesting.

http://epages.wordpress.com/2009/04/...nswer-to-evil/

This was a really interesting Article, AL Home (((HOMEY))). I am pretty sure that understanding my shadow side has been the theme of the past ten years of my life. And I can giggle over the fact that it is a subject that has gone from fear, to intrigue.

In my experience how we view our shadow self is cultural, as well as religion based. In some cultures the shadow self is common knowledge and rituals and teachings are handed down to integrate and understand both the dark and the light within us.

As an American and a Christian, I was taught to fear evil. Fear it to the point where I tried very hard to do only good, and could not bear to believe that evil was inside of me. And yet, darkness came looking for me anyway, shattering my world view, leaving me to dance with the Devil. (Metaphorical he, Devil, I just need to be able to visualize it to understand the experience.)It is too long of a story to bore you all with here but in short "he" used my own self righteous beliefs to mirror my darkness, and enjoyed watching my beliefs crack. He's really a bit comical, and holds his own compassion and wisdom. Coyote medicine, Elegua. And it was funny to see my own hypocrisy, all I could do is laugh and shake my head. Laugh at the audacity of my own belief system, telling me I was not subject to the laws of the universe. Humbling. Now it appears that good and evil are opposite ends of the same continuum. They can't exist without one another. That is what yin and yang are, opposites ends of a thread, the tension of opposites interacting that dances the universe alive. I think this experience in a way reflects what you quoted from the article.

"Jungians also tend to imply that the spirituality of organized religion only goes as deep as the persona,³ where individuals play a superficial role of holiness for the sake of appearances and to feel good about themselves. (or to alleviate their own fear)

What a gift to be freed from the fear of my own darkness, I can now find ways of honest expression, and see the darkness as a friend, rather than something to run from. One of the things I love about Taoism, is the acceptance of the nature of the Universe, without judgment. It just is.....yet I still crave to share kindness.

Pashi