7 ms·

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and theref

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.” -C.G. Jung

leoh 5y ago
I am in agreement with Jung; yet not to only make darkness conscious, but by beholding it with love and presence...
- andrei_says_ 5y ago
  Making space to love the hate, rage, shame, etc... is not easy and takes conscious effort. What about all the times when your attention is busy with something else?
  - dmje 5y ago
    That's a large part of the point. Meditation gives you the tools to increase the quantity and quality of your attention. And let's face it, attention is probably the commodity we could all do with focusing on in these hyper-distracted times...
throw1234651234 5y ago
Context? I have no idea what this quote is trying to say.
- bobiny 5y ago
  I think, it implies that following an ideal (light) is futile, only seeing what is (darkness) works. The most popular religion in the world is based on fall from grace, original sin that we must attone for to become pure again. Alternative is that there is no going back and no perfect world or state of mind ahead, only the reality, which is sometimes dirty and messy and for many of us hard to see clearly.
  - undershirt 5y ago
    I don’t think so. Jordan Peterson is heavily influenced by Jung, and he said something that might be closer to Jung’s point: > In some sense, I believed in the devil before I believed in God. To unpack that a bit, he said suffering is the most real thing there is, and was obsessed with understanding how the unprecedented evil of the 20th century happened. That led him to reason that if evil like that can exist, its opposite might also exist, and has been finding his way to God ever since.
- rowanajmarshall 5y ago
  "imagining figures of light" implies trying to believe in a goodness that doesn't really exist, while "making the darkness conscious" implies making an uncomfortable effort to become aware of the darker aspects of reality, to know it better. At least in my opinion.
- andai 5y ago
  Here's my understanding of "shadow work", which I believe was invented by Jung. Unpleasant thoughts and emotions are made conscious. In this way, the energy behind them is released and they no longer influence you subconsciously. This ties in nicely with the Buddhist Vipassana mindfulness meditation technique, although they are separate processes. In practical terms, I notice that something is bothering me, or that there is some unhelpful pattern in the way I live my life, and I sit down and pay attention to how I feel. I do this on the level of individual physical sensations. When thoughts arise, I let them go. When painful feelings arise, I notice the automatic urge to flinch away from them, and I simply allow them to be there, and I experience them fully. In this way, their function (as "messengers") is fulfilled, and they disappear. As a result, I feel relief and "lightness", a feeling of being relieved of burdens.
  - weq 5y ago
    This is sublimely deep and the root cause of the worlds problems. In cases where you cannot attain this naturally, mother nature has given psychoactive plants you along.
    - beaconstudios 5y ago
      Not all drugs help with emotional repression. The research seems to point towards mushrooms, LSD and MDMA as good options though.
  - beaconstudios 5y ago
    Well put - lingering and unprocessed emotions don't go away, they fester. Shadow work often refers to dredging up feelings you have pushed down as "unacceptable" - anger being a common one. The idea being that shadow work helps you move towards total emotional development by embracing all of your emotional faculties.
    - lanstin 5y ago
      Maybe not emotions per se but sides of yourself that you do not accept.
- azhu 5y ago
  To become conscious of all things a person must look for that which they are unconscious of rather than focusing purely on that which they are already conscious of. Most people prefer to see themselves as competent, but to be a master one must always see oneself as a beginner.
  - DarylZero 5y ago
    I see myself as incompetent because it's just too clear to deny.
- undershirt 5y ago
  > making the darkness conscious I don’t think “to make something conscious” means to make it clear, but rather to personify it: * “Hate the sin, love the sinner” * “Don’t hate the player, hate the game” * “People don’t have ideas, ideas have people” * “Memes should be considered as living structures, not just metaphorically” So, morally, it is profound (“enlightening”) to admit a reality of evil as conscious.
- srcreigh 5y ago
  With slightly more detail. "Stand at the brink of the abyss of despair, and when you see that you cannot bear it anymore, draw back a little and have a cup of tea" ~Elder Sophrony of Essex

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.” -C.G. Jung

leoh 5y ago

I am in agreement with Jung; yet not to only make darkness conscious, but by beholding it with love and presence...

andrei_says_ 5y ago
Making space to love the hate, rage, shame, etc... is not easy and takes conscious effort. What about all the times when your attention is busy with something else?
- dmje 5y ago
  That's a large part of the point. Meditation gives you the tools to increase the quantity and quality of your attention. And let's face it, attention is probably the commodity we could all do with focusing on in these hyper-distracted times...

throw1234651234 5y ago

Context? I have no idea what this quote is trying to say.

bobiny 5y ago
I think, it implies that following an ideal (light) is futile, only seeing what is (darkness) works. The most popular religion in the world is based on fall from grace, original sin that we must attone for to become pure again. Alternative is that there is no going back and no perfect world or state of mind ahead, only the reality, which is sometimes dirty and messy and for many of us hard to see clearly.
- undershirt 5y ago
  I don’t think so. Jordan Peterson is heavily influenced by Jung, and he said something that might be closer to Jung’s point: > In some sense, I believed in the devil before I believed in God. To unpack that a bit, he said suffering is the most real thing there is, and was obsessed with understanding how the unprecedented evil of the 20th century happened. That led him to reason that if evil like that can exist, its opposite might also exist, and has been finding his way to God ever since.
rowanajmarshall 5y ago
"imagining figures of light" implies trying to believe in a goodness that doesn't really exist, while "making the darkness conscious" implies making an uncomfortable effort to become aware of the darker aspects of reality, to know it better. At least in my opinion.
andai 5y ago
Here's my understanding of "shadow work", which I believe was invented by Jung. Unpleasant thoughts and emotions are made conscious. In this way, the energy behind them is released and they no longer influence you subconsciously. This ties in nicely with the Buddhist Vipassana mindfulness meditation technique, although they are separate processes. In practical terms, I notice that something is bothering me, or that there is some unhelpful pattern in the way I live my life, and I sit down and pay attention to how I feel. I do this on the level of individual physical sensations. When thoughts arise, I let them go. When painful feelings arise, I notice the automatic urge to flinch away from them, and I simply allow them to be there, and I experience them fully. In this way, their function (as "messengers") is fulfilled, and they disappear. As a result, I feel relief and "lightness", a feeling of being relieved of burdens.
- weq 5y ago
  This is sublimely deep and the root cause of the worlds problems. In cases where you cannot attain this naturally, mother nature has given psychoactive plants you along.
  - beaconstudios 5y ago
    Not all drugs help with emotional repression. The research seems to point towards mushrooms, LSD and MDMA as good options though.
- beaconstudios 5y ago
  Well put - lingering and unprocessed emotions don't go away, they fester. Shadow work often refers to dredging up feelings you have pushed down as "unacceptable" - anger being a common one. The idea being that shadow work helps you move towards total emotional development by embracing all of your emotional faculties.
  - lanstin 5y ago
    Maybe not emotions per se but sides of yourself that you do not accept.
azhu 5y ago
To become conscious of all things a person must look for that which they are unconscious of rather than focusing purely on that which they are already conscious of. Most people prefer to see themselves as competent, but to be a master one must always see oneself as a beginner.
- DarylZero 5y ago
  I see myself as incompetent because it's just too clear to deny.
undershirt 5y ago
> making the darkness conscious I don’t think “to make something conscious” means to make it clear, but rather to personify it: * “Hate the sin, love the sinner” * “Don’t hate the player, hate the game” * “People don’t have ideas, ideas have people” * “Memes should be considered as living structures, not just metaphorically” So, morally, it is profound (“enlightening”) to admit a reality of evil as conscious.
srcreigh 5y ago
With slightly more detail. "Stand at the brink of the abyss of despair, and when you see that you cannot bear it anymore, draw back a little and have a cup of tea" ~Elder Sophrony of Essex