01 May Collective Shadow

Shell may, after all, be allowed to drill for oil in the Arctic. When this news was recently announced, a wave of protests erupted against the company, ranging from demonstrators in the port of Seattle to personal appeals from my Facebook friends urging a boycott of Shell when refuelling.

It seems like a moral dilemma—yet we all want to drive cars and have goods delivered to our homes, and Shell helps make that possible for us. We buy their fuel, and many people are eager to work for Shell. In our daily actions, we consciously and unconsciously contribute to the world we also oppose. However, what we fail to acknowledge is that our actions have shadow sides. In a curious way, our sense of separation allows us the opportunity and permission to relegate the darker aspects of existence to the background of our consciousness, pretending they do not exist.

Psychologist Carl Jung refers to this as the shadow—that part of ourselves that is too traumatic, too vast, too painful, or too shameful to face. These aspects of our persona are often unconscious and hidden, yet they play a fundamental role in shaping the reality within and around us.

It appears that engaging in battle with these shadow aspects is the only effective approach the mind can conceive. This is evident, for example, in the fight against cancer. I sometimes wonder what effect this combative stance has on the prevalence and chances of healing from the disease. It makes sense that the mind approaches challenges in this way, as its role is to seek, understand, and resolve.

The great merit of our individual and collective quest is that it raises awareness of the impact and implications of our actions. Every change begins with awareness. However, at the same time, our conditioned response to this awareness immediately leads to polarisation. This polarisation in our thoughts and actions creates tension, which we, as individuals and society, must learn to manage in the form of stress that continuously seeks an outlet. As long as we respond from this reflex, conflicts remain impossible to resolve. What we resist, persists…

Paradoxically, it is precisely in our resistance to our collective shadow that a potential solution lies for the persistent problems we face. It is now widely known, scientifically substantiated, and broadly accepted that humans do not function solely as individuals but are, at a quantum level, part of a boundless field of consciousness that connects and drives all life. This also means that our human shadows are not only a result of our individual actions and experiences but are also collective in nature.

I believe it is time for humanity to consciously acknowledge our collective shadow and adopt a radically different approach than we have thus far. As long as we remain unconscious, we, as humanity, are capable of the dark deeds we so vehemently condemn in ourselves and others. Being human encompasses everything—the beautiful aspects as well as the shadows. Until we bring these aspects to light, see them for what they are, and integrate them, they will remain in the shadows and, like an infection, act as a toxic burden in our existence. Jung also reminds us that neither an individual nor a society is enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness conscious.

The key lies in compassion—our ability to perceive life as it is without taking it personally, attempting to understand it, or seeking to resolve it. This ability resides within us all and is activated by consciously connecting with everything that lives within us and allowing it to be as it is in the moment. Any form of resistance to what takes place in the depths of our shadow leads to personal disempowerment and reinforces what we so desperately seek to overcome. Unconsciously and unintentionally, increasing resistance only makes the reality we abhor more tangible. This is the tragedy of the conditioned mind, which can do nothing but perpetuate the program in which humanity has been invested for so long.

The mind resists compassion and acceptance. It has likely warned you several times while reading this that embracing your shadow sides will lead to indifference and apathy. What will become of the world if no one takes to the barricades or intervenes?

The invitation is to recognise that where we are now could not have been any different. On the level of reality creation, there is no coincidence, no mistakes, no victims or perpetrators. It is the result of who we believe ourselves to be—both our beautiful and shadow sides. Until we consciously acknowledge and embrace these shadow sides, we will continue to see them reflected in our creations. What humanity has yet to fully realise is that with our light and dark sides, we are quite literally and directly co-creators of the reality we so desperately wish to change.

It appears that both individually and collectively, humanity has reached a point where we must consciously harness the infinite intelligence, strength, and gentleness of the compassionate heart as a catalyst for the immense tension we have accumulated. This may be one of life’s greatest surprises: stepping aside and allowing the underlying current of life to restore harmony and balance in ways that far surpass human understanding…