Opening Words:
"The very things we wish to avoid, reject, and flee from turn out to be the 'prima materia' from which all real growth comes."
— Andrew Harvey in Dialogues with a Modern Mystic
Check-in/Sharing
Topic:
Psychologist James Hillman can always be counted on to come up with a fresh image to make his points. In this excerpt from The Force of Character and the Lasting Life, he encourages us to deal with the shadow parts of ourselves:
"I like to imagine a person's psyche to be like a boardinghouse full of characters. The ones who show up regularly and who habitually follow the house rules may not have met other long-term residents who stay behind closed doors, or who only appear at night. An adequate theory of character must make room for character actors, for the stuntmen and animal handlers, for all the figures who play bit parts and produce unexpected acts. They often make the show fateful, or tragic, or farcically absurd."
For Reflection/Journaling:
Who are some of the characters in your psyche's boardinghouse? Are there any oddball ones you would like to introduce to the regulars?
Check-out/Likes and Wishes
Closing Words:
"To honor and accept one's own shadow is a profound spiritual discipline."
— Robert A. Johnson in Owning Your Own Shadow
To Practice This Thought: Whenever you come across people who are always demonizing their enemies, vow to take responsibility for your actions and accept your shadow self.
