It’s essential to face our shadows, explore our childhood wounds, and unravel the intergenerational trauma that we’ve inherited.
Don’t get me wrong.
But shadow work is a layered process. It starts with you, but it doesn’t end with you. Most crucially, it is also familial, societal, cultural, and global. And to truly dive deep, we have to keep going and peel back the layers of junk we’ve unconsciously absorbed.
In a nutshell, if we are interested in authentically embodying our true nature – our Heart and Soul – we need to also examine how we have internalized the racism, sexism, homophobia, speciesism, and other Collective Shadows that permeate all of society.
And to do that, we need to courageously and compassionately dismantle the toxic spiritual ideologies that we are conditioned to believe (more on that soon).
But first …
Table of contents
- What is the Collective Shadow?
- Collective Shadow Work: Our Biggest Blindspot
- How Modern Spirituality Denies and Contributes to the Collective Shadow
- 5 Ways to Deepen Your Shadow Work
- Download FREE Collective Shadow Worksheets!
- 1. Listen to those who lead different lives and have a different context from you
- 2. Observe your ingrained prejudice and negative conditioning
- 3. Ask yourself, “In what way am I othering that person or group of people?”
- 4. Take responsibility and practice humility
- 5. Connect with your heart and be proactive
- Final Words
What is the Collective Shadow?
The Collective Shadow is humanity’s dark side. It is the sum total of past and present atrocities, cruelties, tragedies, and horrors perpetrated by humankind and stored at a deep, unconscious, cellular level.
This darkness is not always glaringly apparent as it is so ancient and so ingrained into the fibers of our societies. But regardless of whether it is blatant or subtle, the Collective Shadow appears everywhere and in all groups of people.
Examples of the Collective Shadow include religious discrimination, racism, ageism, ableism, homophobia, and anything that “others” or condemns, rejects, or diminishes certain individuals/groups.
By the way, if you’d prefer to listen to the rest of this article, you can do that here:
Collective Shadow Work: Our Biggest Blindspot
At some point during our spiritual paths, we’ll be exposed to the idea of shadow work. There are so many teachers, mentors, and other spiritually-inclined folks out there who will encourage you to take a good, firm look at yourself and what’s lurking in the unconscious depths.
That’s great …
But there is a silence filling the spiritual community, and it is deafening. And that silence surrounds the importance of Collective Shadow Work.
Up until a few years ago, this was my blindspot too – I totally overlooked the importance and essential need to examine Collective Shadows such as ingrained racism and ableism. I didn’t connect the dots between what was going on in my internal world and in the society around me. So I’ll stand up, own this ignorance, and take self-responsibility. I’m striving to include these vital issues in my shadow work exploration now, although I’m not an expert on anything I’m diving into and I’ve definitely got a lot to learn.
And then, I looked around me and saw that this collective silence wasn’t just endemic to me, but a pandemic infiltrating most of the spiritual, wellness, and self-transformation circles.
No one was talking about it. (Or at least, apart from a very few rare and exceptional individuals.)
No one was talking about how our spiritual practice helps or hinders racial equality or justice. No one was talking about issues like ageism, ableism, transphobia, homophobia, and other ways of rejecting and diminishing our brothers, sisters, and fellow souls.
Yes, I could see a lot of feminist and goddess-type focus, but it was usually centered around rich, white women with enough cash and time to invest in expensive mala beads, yoga classes, and smoothie cleanses.
Not only that, but I discovered not just a total neglect of exploring the Collective Shadow (again, apart from a rare few exceptions), but also a flat-out denial of it.
How Modern Spirituality Denies and Contributes to the Collective Shadow
Let’s take a moment to breathe deeply, ground ourselves, and connect with our hearts.
My goal in this article is to come from a place of care, concern, and humility, acknowledging my ignorance, knowing that I have a lot to learn, unpack, and process – and always will.
I know it can be hard to read articles like this as they challenge us in a deep, visceral way.
But please know that this is done with compassion. It’s normal to feel ashamed, guilty, angry at ourselves, disgusted at others, reactive, and defensive when being challenged. So just be aware of these tendencies, reconnect with your heart, and keep going. Let the layers be stripped back with gentle surrender.
Here are some ways that modern spirituality denies and also contributes to the Collective Shadow:
- “Focus only on the positive” – The problem with this idea: it denies reality and shames those who have legitimate issues that need space and compassion.
- “Good vibes only” – The problem with this mantra: it denies the importance of anything going on around us that is “low vibe” and encourages us to escape into a spiritual dreamworld.
- “You attracted that situation” – The problem with this belief: this notion suggests that those, for instance, who get discriminated against due to the color of their skin, sexuality, age, mental/physical ability, etc. “brought it on themselves” – imagine how sociopathic that sounds when you say it to someone who is suffering.
- “That’s your karma” – The problem with this saying: such a saying is used as another way of brushing over and dismissing someone’s pain by attributing it to some kind of retributive cosmic force.
- “You manifest your reality” – The problem with this notion: such an expression is another way of saying that basically “it’s too bad you’re suffering, but it’s your fault” which is essentially a form of victim-blaming.
- “Everything is an illusion” – The problem with this idea: on an absolute level “everything is an illusion” may be true, but we’re also operating from a human level and that needs to be respected, acknowledged, and lived. To say that everything is an illusion is bypassing the importance of facing issues that are happening within ourselves and society.
- “Everything is love” – The problem with this saying: again, on an absolute level “everything is love” may be true, but from a human level we need to be careful not to discount the reality of our/other people’s pain – that itself is not love but avoidance.
- “Society is evil/unconscious” – The problem with this notion: this is a common philosophy held by many spiritual folks who use it as an unconscious excuse, ironically, to close their hearts and ignore the suffering of the world in order to make their lives easier to live by “avoiding society.”
- “I’m a lightworker, I don’t ____” – The problem with this expression: this excuse and belief is used by modern spiritual seekers who believe that Shadow Work in no way fits into their mission – that it’s all about spreading light and love. However, by denying the Shadow either personally and/or Collectively, they are paradoxically living in and perpetuating darkness.
- “Spirituality and whatever is going on in society don’t mix” – The problem with this belief: this definition of spirituality focuses on compartmentalizing and elevating spirituality above daily life. However, what use is spirituality if it doesn’t help us to deal with the realities of the world we live in? That is flat out spiritual bypassing and spiritual escapism.
I’m sure there are many other beliefs, philosophies, and sayings out there – so if I’ve missed any, feel free to share them below in the comments. Let’s educate each other!
5 Ways to Deepen Your Shadow Work
As Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist who first popularized the concept of the Shadow Self, once wrote:
None of us stands outside of humanity’s black collective shadow.
You heard it. None of us.
We all carry the Collective Shadow inside of us and it’s our responsibility to unravel it.
In fact, the more lost in self-righteous spiritual labels, philosophies, and delusions we are, the more likely we are to spread and reinforce not just the personal but also the Collective Shadow.
We see examples of this shadow behavior in spiritual and self-growth spheres that culturally appropriate indigenous practices, exclude BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of color) from their groups, unknowingly perpetuate heteronormative standards, encourage sexism, price all their services at unreasonable rates that exclude the financially disadvantaged, and more.
Download FREE Collective Shadow Worksheets!
Go deeper with a Collective Shadow journaling prompt + printable meditation mandala!
So how can we tackle the huge beast that is the Collective Shadow?
Firstly, we need to realize that whatever has been internalized inside of us is ancient. We are never going to fully undo or purge all of it. The Collective Shadow is literally the sum total of all the darkness and all the atrocities that have ever been experienced and committed by humanity.
However, what we can do is start this work and keep at it. The benefits are many: doing this work keeps us humble, open, and willing to learn and grow. When we believe we’re somehow “perfect” or beyond this work, that’s where stagnancy and egotism set in. That’s where the darkness multiplies.
With that being said, here are five ways to begin incorporating Collective Shadow Work into your spiritual practice:
1. Listen to those who lead different lives and have a different context from you
Expand the bubble of your awareness. Put down the mic, move your attention to how others feel (and away from centering everything around yourself), and be receptive.
Listen to the stories of black and indigenous folk and what they undergo each and every day. Listen to those whose lives have suffered as a result of their sexual preference or identity. Listen to those who are neurodiverse. Listen to people with disabilities. Listen, listen, listen.
There are many ways of doing this – youtube is the first place that comes to mind. You can also listen to podcasts or if you’re a book lover, expand your book repertoire. If you have the chance and opportunity, strike up a conversation with someone who leads a different experience from you in your life. Doing so will enrich your mind, your perspective, and open your heart.
2. Observe your ingrained prejudice and negative conditioning
In what ways are you perpetuating old and unhealthy ideas and beliefs? Look at the people you listen to and follow, the products you buy, the people you financially support, the friends you have, the feelings you have toward certain groups, and any other area of life that feels contracted.
It’s extremely helpful to keep a journal when doing any kind of Shadow Work – and especially Collective Shadow Work. By keeping a journal, you’ll be able to refer back to moments in time where you observed the Collective Shadow emerge in your thinking or behavior. This will help you to learn and grow. Learn more about how to journal.
3. Ask yourself, “In what way am I othering that person or group of people?”
‘Othering’ is a term used in sociology that means treating another person or group as essentially alien and reducing them to a socially inferior stance to us. Essentially, othering is about creating an “in-group” (of which we are part of) and an “out-group” (of which they are part).
Often, othering involves projecting negative and ugly qualities onto “the other group” of people. For example, one country may project qualities of savagery, deceptiveness, and evil onto another country – and so these two countries eventually go to war. The same goes for many societies that value and elevate whiteness, for example, and devalue and debase blackness.
The problem with othering is that it comes from a place of pure ego. It is a way of separating the world that elevates us and diminishes other people. It causes us to disconnect from our hearts and mistreat/alienate others because, on some level, we believe that they essentially “deserve it.”
4. Take responsibility and practice humility
When doing any form of Collective Shadow Work – that is, exploring how we have unconsciously internalized parts of the Collective Shadow – we need to be aware that we’re going to mess up. We’re going to make mistakes. We might offend someone or be unpopular. That’s okay. It’s okay to be imperfect. It’s okay to say the wrong thing. What matters is what you do after you learn that you’ve made a mistake. Do you totally shut off and stop doing this vital work? Do you react and get aggressive? Or do you practice humility, apologize, and take sincere steps to open your heart and mind even more?
Taking personal responsibility is crucial. It’s easy to point the finger at others. But it’s much harder to put the mirror up to ourselves. Remember that all changes, whether personal or collective, start from inside.
5. Connect with your heart and be proactive
When we connect with our hearts and do this work from a heart-centered place, that’s when it’s the most impactful. That’s when we can be the most proactive.
Do you need to go to every protest rally out there? No, not necessarily. Your Collective Shadow Work could mean a hundred different things. You might choose to amplify the voices of BIPOC creators on your social media platform. You might speak up against homophobia in your social circle. You might make your business more accessible to people with disabilities. You might journal or create art about the Collective Shadow. You might donate to and support movements such as Black Lives Matter and LGBTQIA+ rights. You might read books, buy workshops, or listen to songs about these issues. You might honor the land you’re on and pay respect to the original indigenous landowners. There are so many avenues.
The important thing is to do something – because if your Shadow Work doesn’t also extend to the down-to-earth realities of everyday life, what the f*ck is it for anyway? (I say this with love.)
Shadow Work Journal:
Go on a journey through the deepest and darkest corners of your psyche. Embrace your inner demons, uncover your hidden gifts, and reach the next level of your spiritual growth. This is deep and powerful work!
Final Words
I’m not an authority on any of the issues I speak about in this article, just an observer.
I’m a traveler, a flawed human being, just as you are, just as we all are. While I am indeed a spiritual being having a human experience, I recognize that I am also a white, able-bodied, cisgender, middle-class woman living on the stolen land of the Whadjuk Noongar people. The fact that I’m even able to write these words and get them out to an audience that is willing to listen is due to my privilege – and due to the Collective Shadow that I unknowingly contribute to, participate in, suffer as a result of, and benefit from.
I hope this article has inspired you to dive deeper into your Shadow Work. It’s not easy, but it is so crucial, so powerful, and so important. I cannot stress that enough.
To conclude, here are some beautiful, meaningful, uplifting words by Jeff Foster:
Every single day, all over the world, violence beyond comprehension. How to hold the world’s pain in your fragile heart? Ignore it? Deny it? Pass it off as “mere illusion”? Tell yourself, “It’s their problem, not mine”? Label others as “evil” and separate yourself from them? Close your heart even more? Was it not closed hearts and quick judgments that caused this devastation in the first place? Seeing the daily “realities” of this planet, you may be tempted to give up entirely. Give up on healing, give up on change, give up on humanity itself. What’s the point? There’s just too much hatred out there. Too much ignorance. Too much evil. We have passed the point of no return, you may say. A fair conclusion. Better to build our walls even higher.
And yet. And yet. Many have suffered the most outrageous injustices and carried on. Many have carried on, and grown, and healed, and transformed, and brought their transformation to others, and broken down walls. There are heartbreaking stories of unconditional love shining in even the most impenetrable regions of night.
Focus on what’s “wrong” with the world, and you may feel afraid, paralyzed, helpless, full of rage. Focus on what’s “right” with the world, and you may just be burying your head in the sand.
Beyond right and wrong, there is a field of indescribable light. Focus on the field. Focus on the light … Even a tiny candle can begin to illuminate a vast cavern.
If you have anything to share or add to this article, I’d love to hear it below in the comments. What are your thoughts, feelings, and opinions? Do you have any resources you’d like to recommend?
Such an excellent article on shadow work, thank you. I realize I’ve been doing shadow work for years on my own, without knowing it. Reading about it helped me understand a bit more.
I’m a fiction writer and I write in the fantasy genre (Paranormal, supernatural, etc.). Now, to become proactive, I decided to incorporate shadow work in my stories and hope to spark some light in the collective shadows and the readers’ personal ones.
Thank you for exploring a topic that so many spiritual leaders avoid. There is no doubt that shadow work, and working with the collective shadow, is important. I agree with you that awareness and personal responsibility are key components of restoring balance to our world. However, I think it would also be helpful to look at how our attempts to “fix” ourselves and the language we use around that adds to the shame, guilt and blame we heap upon ourselves; and the density of our personal shadow and our contribution to the collective.
There is nothing wrong with any of us. Nothing that needs to be fixed. We shame ourselves when we think we are “broken”, or less than, or lacking. We are life living and evolving in it’s endless dance. Essentially, each one of us is learning to live, evolving and discovering kinder and more collaborative ways to BE in this world. When we focus on being imperfect, or victims of internalized thoughts or societal conditioning, we invite shame and self-judgement to cloud our vision of who we are and who we could be. And, our actions, intentions and motivations are muddled.
I think that the key to shadow work lies in discovering and exploring what parts of the self we have been denying, hiding in the shadow, with curiosity and kindness, And, be ok with whatever we find. Then, we can begin to reflect on the beliefs which created and support our shadows and choose whether or not they serve us, or the collective, any longer.
Everything we experience in life is another opportunity for awareness and growth. It is our choice to choose the direction and the quality of the lives we wish to lead.
Thank you Rayne, I couldn’t agree more. We don’t need to fix anything. We just need to be curious and gentle with our dark side and see what beliefs that need to be seen through and dissolved. We need to realize that there is no other.
This was fantastic!
You should have seen my “Hurts-So-Good” Face
*mouth puckered, eyes squinted, forehead tilted down, cool inhale*
Oddly enough, I enjoy Shadow Work. I want To KNOW … that’s how we get better!
Some of the ways I support shadow work is …
A) Say or have others repeat the word “We” when speaking of others.
B) Imagine how freed Darkness will feel once released from
Shadow Work Prison.
C)When it becomes too much to bear and something triggers me to the point of being judgmental, I say so out loud …
“I’m being judgmental.
‘The fat, old, Middle Eastern man that lives across the street,
who lives like a hoarder is disgusting to me … Grrrooosssss.
Please forgive me!”
Then I try to figure out why that is so disgusting to me.
or I’ll end a sentence with “cleverly disguised as a Child of God” when speaking of some a-hole.
I LOVED this article & I LOVED getting dirty.
Thank you for The Illumination!
Hahaha, this comment is gold! I love it. :)
Thank you for sharing these unique practices Friday!
Intergenerational trauma
Beautiful. I will use this. Haha.
Transgenerational trauma means it happened to your parents so it happens to you. And so on until the “curse” is broken.
I wish I could read right now, but my light went bright when the sun went down.. And now the sun is rising again.. Oi. I’m off to bed.. Chirp chirp
This article helped so much. I just felt,while on my journey, so much pain and anguish just from being a black womanly in America. This article helped me see that I have a lot more and deeper work to do. The collective soul I’ve felt weigh on me for quite awhile. I didn’t know how or if I should address what kept coming up in my journals. This helped me a lot and thank you so much. For taking your time to address the issues. I guess in a way it felt like an apology and I think it was enough to forgive myself for being born in a society that hates me just for my complexion. I need to hear/read this. Thank you on behalf of my community thank you so much
Thank you Jasmine, lots of love and respect ❤
I see the collective shadow of humanity as the collective, murderous unconscious. It is the lower ego, psyche, persona that believes in “eat or be eaten.” Shadow work, it seems to me, is the work we must do on our psyche’s propensity to our collective addiction to suffering. My experience on my own wisdom path, a path of heart that seeks to encounter, look at, resolve, learn from, and avoid spiritual “traps” born of the psyche, is found in the every day awareness of living as a soul having a human experience. I am human and have both a psyche and a soul. Random acts of kindness is one of many ways to take an actionable approach to overcoming the personal and collective human shadow in addition to fathoming and parenting our fragile psyches.
“Random acts of kindness” – I love that John. :) Even just an authentic and kindhearted smile given to a stranger can change the entire course of their day and send positive ripples into the world. I remember how much a simple smile has changed my day on numerous occasions – and that’s just one of the many “random acts of kindness” we can share with the world. What a wonderful practice!
YES! I’ve been thinking about this for a while, frustrated by folks claiming to be grounded and spiritual who take care utmost of their personal mental health, yet seem completely incapable of aknowledging the suffering of others without blaming the others for it. If someone is using spirituality as a way to feel superior and to judge others, than I hate to say it but they’re doing it wrong. It’s a tricky balance, (I’m currently reading your Empath guide book), between feeling too deeply for the hardships of others and guilt for all the wrongs in this world, and being completely disconnected. I’d love to read a future article about walking that line. Thanks for this.
Thanks Kass ♡
Very good article, I think this is an important topic that needs to be brought up more.
Sure, we all have our own inner-works to do and stuff to improve within ourselves. But this collective shadow, darkness and evil in our world can’t be ignored either, especially since there’s so much going on in the world today!
What saddens me is that while there’s so much of the bad stuff happening around the world that is obviously visible, still there are people who deny, dismiss or straight out ignore and only sees the positive stuff. And this benefits no one… And for example, look at climate change, clear facts are out there in the climate, in our eco-system and in all more and more occurring natural distasters etc. And yet, there are still people who seriously believe that real scientists, of whom has revealed all facts and knowledge alongside with telling more about how it all works and how we can prevent, that they’ve received the money just to research up the particular thing; “climate change is here”. This saddens me because there are actually real visible (and that can be felt too)facts out there about this for us all to see, all of us who will see and want to see. But sadly, those who don’t want to see will forever close there eyes until perhaps a harsh wake-up call one day may hit down on e’m.
This is the same with many other stuff going on out there in the world nowadays, no one of us will gain nor achieve anything by only choosing to see the positive, light and love. To fully bring forth the positive, love and light, facing the shadow and overcoming it is indeed very much needed, same with facing the collective shadow both within ourselves and in our world today.
So I fully agree on this article, and again, this topic should be brought up more everywhere else.
Thank you Janni/ZeldAlice, I agree with what you say. I think there’s tremendous fear and denial going on in the world surrounding issues like climate change (which can be felt, seen, and proved). That’s why understanding our unique “circle of competence” is such a humbling but grounding concept – that there are some things in life we simply don’t know enough about (even with our own in-depth “google research”). And that trusting those who have dedicated their lives to studying such fields is worth doing, with discernment.
Thank you for reading and sharing ♡
unreasonable rates that exclude the financially disadvantaged
I’ve saying this for over a decade and it feels as oxygen to finally read this for myself.
I love discussed this many times, and then I hear this argument
They need to make a living.
Correct. But explain me.
Why does the healer who shares its gifts for free live in a big house in nature.
While the ones who ask lots of money live in small systemized houses?
Then they fringe their mind and think.
Also
A moment ago
I looked back and thought
I’m a lone wolf (thinking of refusing to believe ‘galactic family’, refusing to be starseed, supersoldier and other ‘savior’ programming).
Then I found your page lonerwolf. Lol.
Hi there,
I just woke from the most surreal, cruel and horrible dream and did not know what to make of it. So I take the phone and bling, your article in my mailbox. Now it all makes sense. Thank you so much for making me aware of this. Your work is so valuable!
I really appreciate your lovely comment and compliment, thank you Marina! I’m so happy this article helped you :-)
Wow…these beautifully expressed and written words really hit home for me. It got me questioning a lot of what I think, how I behave and what I’ve allowed myself to believe for a long time now. When you wrote about how some of the ways modern spirituality denies and contributes to the Collective Shadow, it surprised me to see how much I actually allowed myself to “willingly” participate in. All I can say is WOW…I have a lot of work to do!!! As I was reading the words, all these personal past behaviours or experiences came to mind. Like I was witnessing the areas in my life I really need to work on. Thank you for this awareness, and for the free Collective Shadow worksheets. Time for some shadow work… ❤️
I love your humility Michelle, it’s such a rare quality. Lots of love and gratitude for doing this work ❤️
What an intimately gentle and honest article. I have been feeling so complicit during these dark times, but outside of my husband, have not spoken about it. I’m sure there are others in our local community who share these feelings but I am fearful of stirring the anger of people who do not. I watch for avenues and think about options daily but have not found the answer. But at the same time am disappointed by my lack of courage.
Be gentle with yourself lovely, you’re doing the best you can. In the world context we’re finding ourselves in right now (which itself can often be overwhelming), the best steps are small and steady. None of us are perfect, and that’s okay. Big hugs ♡
Thank you for addressing this issue. I feel it is what lies behind so much of what is unbalanced and unhealed in our world today. We tend to see in 2D but we need to look as far as 5D because that is where the answers lie. For example, a person does something our collective conscious has come to believe is wrong so the person is vilified or imprisoned and that is that but it is not. Few look at what caused the person to act this way or what is happening behind the scenes. We have become too quick to judge without seeing the big picture. There are so many unhealed traumas from our past history that have been brushed under the carpet. They say time heals but does it? If all work together to heal the traumas of the past and forgive one another, then our world will come closer to living in the present. Right now, we are living with injuries, wounds, breakages from the past few centuries and longer and we are the walking wounded with the ghosts of many years walking beside us but we can change by staying in the neutral zone and healing our collective inner conflicts. Thank you for addressing this issue, it is the real path to healing our world. And I feel, if we heal the Natural World and respect all species, we heal and respect ourselves.
This particular article has really impacts me. Specially when addresing issues like the idea of one’s responsability in creating it’s own reality. That is something I’ve blindly believed all this time, but today I felt compelled to rethink. It’s true that it sounds (and sometimes it has chased me) cruel and hard-hearted towards others unkown realities. However, there is a part of me that refuses the approach of rethinking this, because it worries me the chance to create people who relies in their suffering to avoid take action to grow and help them and others. It’s inevitable, then, to wonder where’s the boundary between feel compassion about others suffering, and justify and perpetuate their suffering. I would love to discuss this special topic to see other things not considered by me.
“Few look at what caused the person to act this way or what is happening behind the scenes. We have become too quick to judge without seeing the big picture.” – absolutely Ann-Marie. That’s why I gravitate toward wise teachers such as Thich Nhat Hanh to learn how to approach such darkness in the world.
I wanted to share this profoundly beautiful poem which is so relevant to this article:
RECOMMENDATION by Thich Nhat Hanh
Promise me,
promise me this day,
promise me now,
while the sun is overhead
exactly at the zenith,
promise me:
Even as they
strike you down
with a mountain of hatred and violence;
even as they step on you and crush you
like a worm,
even as they dismember and disembowel you,
remember brother, remember:
man is not our enemy.
The only thing worthy of you is compassion –
invincible, limitless, unconditional.
Hatred will never let you face
the beast in man.
One day, when you face this beast alone
with your courage intact, your eyes kind,
untroubled
(even as no one sees them),
out of your smile
will bloom a flower.
And those who love you
will behold you
across ten thousand worlds of birth and dying.
Alone again,
I will go on with bent head,
knowing that love has become eternal.
On the long, rough road
the sun and moon will continue to shine.
Interesting article with some valid points to consider for anyone on this journey or doing spiritual work.
I’d just like to add that when referring to Black people (for example in relation to BIPOC). Black needs to be capitalized. May want to edit that ASAP.
Besides that job well done. ☮️
Done :)
Since participating in Loner Wolf great changes began to shift within me slowly out of personal fears, phobic responses, depressive feelings of doom, and gloom with myself and the world. (Still, a long way to go though… humble)
Now being an older fellow and knowing more clearly that my personal efforts to clear out my own dark side have allowed in more expansion of the heart more peace in the mind and spirit and more responsibility for not only my own past actions and reactions but to the world collective at large. So thanks for the clarification and education on inner things of the spirit both good and bad, light and demonic as it helps build better more tolerant human beings that can create a far better world to come in the near future.
Love to all in awareness of truth and consciousness.
Thank you John ♡
Oh wow.. thank you so much for this, it’s so real and so humble and so needed. I really appreciated it a lot. I’m involved in social justice activism and sometimes hearing phrases such as “be positive” or focus on good news can be frustrating as I want to change my behaviour and also societal issues to make change, which means looking at difficult truths sometimes and can mean conflict and difficult conversations. Thank you! I really appreciate your work.
I appreciate that Amber, thank you for taking the time to comment! ♥
I am disappointed by the wokeness of this article.
BIPOC is inherently exclusionary and ‘racist’ (though most people are actually talking about tribalism when they use that word) as it describes anyone who isn’t Caucasian.
Compassion and personal responsibility are of utmost importance, but the aggressive campaign to shame certain demographics has been augmented. It just changed narratives.
I do agree with many points, that no one is exempt from contributing to the dark collective, but you missed the point where all cultures have been victims and perpetrators at some time or another in history.
Sometimes, trying to absorb something that is ‘uncomfortable’ signifies that it’s something you should leave, not take on.
I appreciate your hard work, and you have highlighted many valid points, but this was a total miss for me.
Hey! I really appreciated the mention of speciesism and it felt really inclusive. This is something which is often left invisible. I didn’t see the article as especially “woke”, simply honest, real and raw and inclusive of many issues that are so often overlooked in spiritual articles. For me I felt seen, and felt like it is ok to be struggling, to feel pain over things in society and speak about these openly and still be a spiritual person. I’ve been shunned many times for speaking up on these areas and it can hurt, so it’s nice to still be recognised as a spiritual person who doesn’t always comes across as the most positive smiley hearts and flowers person in the room. Hope that makes sense xx
@Amber
Some previous commenter mentioned that I forgot speciesism, so I added it. I’m so glad you felt seen, that means a lot to me to hear ❤️
I appreciate your post and perspective. I feel this woke agenda is dangerous and causing more chaos and division amongst humans. Talk about spiritual bypassing, how about the bypassing of the dark side of spirituality and the insidious evil running rampant on earth, the woke movement being a part of it.
Peace
This was meant as a reply for a post above by Jessica, oops!
I love you both very much and have found your work invaluable! I found this article however way too woke, and guilty of being mired in the very thing it seeks to eradicate. As a sufferer of longterm PTSD, I’ve had therapists that warn of being mired in the endless horror story of global human history – it damages mental and emotional health, it cannot be changed or fixed and it’s dangerous material; it is ancient, reaches back through time, impossible to change, not our responsibility to absorb. If you can’t cure your neighbours toothache, its laughable to think you can even touch this collective shadow. Even watching the news damages health – I’ve not watched the news for 15 years but it still filters through to me like a noxious gas.
Our honest, personal shadow work and how we treat other people, animals and all life is the only solution. I don’t subscribe to demonising and shaming Caucasians who, in reality are less than 9% of the human race. I don’t like the “othering” narrative of acronyms, I think it deepens and toxifies relations between people. To be human is to suffer during our short, brutal lives here, doesn’t matter what colour, shape, size or where you come from; suffering is colourless. The woke movement is a deliberate divide and conquer strategy to weaken relations between people. I have no intention of feeling guilty or responsible for the actions of other people who lived in ignorance hundreds of years ago. I have no intention of feeling guilty for anything other than a mistake I’ve made. It’s quite privileged to sit round thinking about these toxic, cruel histories and much better to get out into the community and help people and animals in a real and solid way that fosters love and care. Life is literally too short for all this heavy shit on our shoulders and it can end at any moment.
@Elizabeth
Thanks for your thought-provoking comment.
Regarding being too overwhelming, I do mention in the article:
“So how can we tackle the huge beast that is the Collective Shadow?
Firstly, we need to realize that whatever has been internalized inside of us is ancient. We are never going to fully undo or purge all of it. ”
However, perhaps I need to make it clearer within the article. It is obviously impossible and also extremely unhealthy to try and “take it all on,” and if someone’s mental health doesn’t enable them to do that, it would be best to not even go near this topic, let alone shadow work in general.
It’s not our responsibility to absorb what has happened, but in my perspective, it is our responsibility to acknowledge what is happening and still happening, and be mindful of our own actions and how they tend to perpetuate the past. If you have no intention of doing that, that’s totally within your field, and it’s not my responsibility to try and convince you otherwise. All I can share is what is true for me within this article.
As for the demonizing and shaming of caucasians, I do believe there is toxic shame and guilt being perpetuated within certain groups and narratives which can be divisive. There are some out there who certainly paint all white people as privileged, ignorant, or plain narcissistic – which, to me, backfires and creates more division and suffering. But at the same time, I believe that totally refusing to take a look at how we might be racist, ableist, homophobic, etc. by categorizing it as “woke culture” is just a form of clever denial and avoidance.
I do agree that we need to get out there and do something to send out ripples of positive change (regardless of where we sit and what our opinions are). Someone above mentioned random acts of kindness, and I love that idea. Trying our best to be compassionate, at the end of the day, is always the wisest answer in my opinion.
Glad someone said it, so I didn’t have too!
Some political ideologies simply aren’t okay and extremely dangerous to the society we’ve built as western liberal democracies.
There’s a difference between talking about the effects of racism/sexism/homophobia, etc and advocating dismantling society in ways that are really destructive and don’t increase freedom for any of us.
Yes, there is collective guilt and shadow. No question we need to heal. But we actually need to behave in ways that are healing.
A lot of activists have totally missed the point if the goal is to heal society. It looks and sounds like revenge. That’s not healing, just perpetuating a cycle.
Some of these changes are really good and needed to happen, but to advocate tilting the scale to oppress and censor those labeled oppressors is just as bad as the previous situation.
It’s just a role reversal and not actual balance and healing. It’s revenge and retribution. It’s the same problem with people playing different roles. Maybe it needs to happen this way because of karma, but it still looks and feels more like a revenge drama than actual healing. I guess time will tell on that one.
identity politics is ruining western society.
You can only do you up to a point, but then you need to realize that the person who is the exact opposite of you in terms of ideology and beliefs has the same fundamental rights as you do.
A lot of people are being propagandized to be angry at the other for political reasons and we need to wake up and realize we get along more than the hard right or the hard left activists will tell us. It’s not in their interest for people to get along b/c then they wouldn’t have a job.
Most people aren’t ideological and just want to live in peace with their neighbors. But you’d never know that if you watch or read most of our news outlets. It’s all about keeping people divided and angry.
Rural Alabama is allowed to exist just as much as New York City. I’m not required to agree with the dominant ideology in either place, but I need to understand that both groups have a right to their culture and live their lives the way they see fit. (Yes, an American using an American example).
I hate the monoculture that’s trying to enforce its brand on everything these days. It’s really okay if places and people have different cultural rules and expectations. Not everyone wants to live like Rural Alabama, but not everyone wants to live like they do in New York City either. There needs to be room for both groups to exist with dignity.
My culture is just as important as anyone else’s, but saying so gets me in a huge heap of trouble. How exactly is telling people they can’t be proud of their heritage a good thing? Isn’t that exactly the problem that’s trying to be eradicated for other groups?
There’s acknowledging the past w/o being a horrible human being to other people.
That’s where we need to get to and that’s not what I see a lot of current activists leading us to. All I see is a lot more division and anger than there really needs to be due to the fact that a lot of activists wants to lift themselves up by putting other people down and scoring political points. Of course, there’s going to be push back on that.
You’d think it was the 1980’s the way
A lot of activists talk, but most people have moved beyond the 1980’s. Decades ago. Conservative Christianity isn’t the thing it was then (way less numbers) and a lot of us have interacted with and have ethnic friends and know people across the LGBT spectrum. Coming out just isn’t as revolutionary as people think it is in their head these days. The world didn’t blow up with same-sex marriage, geez.
A lot of people need to realize that politicians need to keep people angry so they’ll vote against the boogeyman.
A lot of us really just don’t want to play that game anymore and are just tired of the crazy getting amplified. We sincerely desire fairness and equality and want to live in peace with our neighbors.
Loved this article, but get why people across the political spectrum are frustrated. Everyone has legit grievances about something in Society and we can’t be in the business of picking and choosing who has the more legit claim to be angry. Everyone is angry and rightly so.
We need to figure out how everyone gets heard and gets a seat at the table w/out it turning into a revenge drama. That’s the ideal.
We can’t behave in the same ways and expect a different result.
@Jessica
“but you missed the point where all cultures have been victims and perpetrators at some time or another in history.” – This is quite reductionist in my opinion. Yes, everyone has been subject to trauma. But in this period of time in history, the disproportionate amount of suffering and inequality experienced by marginalized people such as BIPOC is coming to light. It reminds me of the “black lives matter” campaign last year in which some people countered, “all lives matter” – which was insensitive, offensive, and also totally missed the point in my opinion. Just because the suffering of one group is highlighted, it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is being invalidated or their suffering isn’t relevant. One doesn’t have to come at the cost of another.
You lost me at, “donate to groups like Black Lives Matter”, research turns up corruption amongst the organizers and entities funding these protests, they are known to not help the people they claim to. I am all for shadow work and taking responsibility for my dark side, a task I am continually working on. But, what about the dark side of humanity aside from the liberal agenda you appear to be pushing? What about the even darker side of human trafficking, organ harvesting, pedophilia, and satan worship permeating the collective? That is true darkness. I would like to hear your thoughts in these matters as a I have followed your work over the years.
Me too! I would love to know how to assist in the clearance of the dark or shadow side both within locals here and from others who take delight in calling out the Satanic and Pedophilic shadows of human nature to engross themselves.
@Kathryn
“What about the even darker side of human trafficking, organ harvesting, pedophilia, and satan worship permeating the collective?” – oh yes, that’s all part of the Collective Shadow too. As for the corruption amongst organisers funding the protests, that is totally irrelevant to me. There is corruption within everything. What matters is whether the message is true or not. Is there racism? Yes. Do people of color experience disproportionate amounts of inequality? Yes. So then, put time into finding organizations that *do* help the people they claim to.
I have practiced all that is listed here but it has not always worked.
I’ve had too much adversity in this life to imagine that everything is positive. Thanks for the info and platitudes but they don’t work for everyone.
When you work around hospice, behavorial health clinics, nursing homes and see people die in the ER, etc. reality kicks in, yes, we can have moments of joy some happiness some contentment, but life is hard and lying to ourselves does not help.
Wow I absolutely love and resonate with everything you have said here and it feels amazing to see my own thoughts written in black and white. As a survivor of childhood trauma, abuse and neglect that continued into my adult years (abusive partners and substance use to name just a couple ) I have long felt uncomfortable with the notion that you manifest your reality and should only focus on the good but I don’t think I would have had the nerve to share this in some of the spiritual circles I have participated in so thank you for this as I believe it will inspire confidence in me to share my truth. I have seen the extortionate fees that some people charge for their services that as you rightly said means some people can’t access them and this doesn’t sit comfortably with me. I have been feeling overwhelmed by spirituality recently and am currently detoxing and taking a step back, however I will remain subscribed to LonerWolf as your honesty and sincerity resonates with me so much and I’m honestly sat here with a big smile on my face after reading this – thank you :)
“your honesty and sincerity resonates with me so much and I’m honestly sat here with a big smile on my face after reading this” – that is beautiful, thank you for sharing that Genie! And thanks for being here ♡
Thank You Luna & Sol for this insightful article that is different from your normal articles, and gets people to question things in ways that we may not have before, or in ways that we may have forgotten.
Of course knowledge of history, geography and the world around us, and understanding the shadow side of our feelings or perception of racism, otherism, gender and colour discrimination, homophobia not to mention numerous other issues, is something that will contribute to a well-rounded individual.But it’s not enough. Being able to discover and analyse and then ACCEPT our shadow selves is the start of freeing ourselves to be the true persons – in heart and soul – that we were always meant to be. It is then much easier to be aware and then accepting of what is, and to embrace all that is in front of us, so dropping the veil and persona that we all have built around ourselves, but that constantly needs to be shedded.
And if we do all that, what will we become?
Well – how about the following: grounded, living more in the here and now and being able to be receptive to those most important of values:
Integrity, decency, honesty, kindness, compassion and self-compassion, empathy, sensitivity and non-judgmental. We will be fuelled with an energy of purpose and love.
And the best news?
We can all get to the above with working on our inner selves through reading, introspection and numerous other ways.
Not forgetting this very website- Lonerwolf- for which I owe tremendous gratitude and love for helping me personally in being the person I truly am, following a lifetime of neglect, abandonment, abuse, bullying, trauma, homophobia and simply being very very different from so many others.
From the bottom of my heart and the depths of my soul – Thank You.
“grounded, living more in the here and now and being able to be receptive to those most important of values: Integrity, decency, honesty, kindness, compassion and self-compassion, empathy, sensitivity and non-judgmental.” – absolutely. Thank you Paul ♡