Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?
A: "Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see."
- Martin Luther King
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow."
- Helen Keller
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We tend to see the shadow as something negative, something obscuring the light, metaphorically speaking. And yet, the shadow, etymologically, also refers to protection: “to protect as with covering wings.” Indeed, in Monika’s drawing I see a mirroring of wings, above and below, perhaps both extant as each figure’s shadow. These figures feel as if they exist only in relationship to each other. As King says, "Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." In truth, what we do see is the covering wings of that which we do not see. We are each other’s shadow in the same way we are each other’s light. But, the important question is: what are we protecting with these covering wings? What is it we do not see?
ReplyDeleteWhat I suggest we do not see is suffering. And yet, what I also suggest we do not see is joy and the freedom from suffering. If both of these propositions are true, then not only is this drawing more complex but consciousness itself is quite complex and indeed weird. Have you ever wondered why people rarely change; that is, that, despite having opportunities to create more well-being and happiness, they instead perpetuate suffering and pain? In a way, we all do it. Our brains are designed that way: to become and stay attached to the constructed reality it has adopted and adapted to. The brain chemically seeks order as neuropathways. Unfortunately (or perhaps not), the protective aim of the brain, in a way, is negative; it is territorial, possessive and distrustful, a naysayer. But, the brain, as we know it, is also, in another way, a stage of evolution, and so, seeking a higher, less painful order. Which is why Einstein said a problem cannot be solved on the level of consciousness it was created. The brain is evolving towards a more integrated and organized unity, the name of which is the serious business of curious seekers naming from a lower level of awareness.
And so, the shadow is the protective mechanism of evolution and, for the most part, unconscious. It protects order in the very belief structures we have learned and by which we measure reality (John Lennon would say, “by which we measure our pain.”). That those beliefs (and the perceptions and emotions that strengthen them) actually undermine our well-being is not only besides the point, it is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the point. The brain fools us and we, in turn, fool ourselves and each other. Every fool needs a shadow but every fool needs to befriend this shadow, get to understand that it exists, why it exists, and how it exists. For the shadow won’t go; and, if we’re wise, we’ll let our shadows stay but leave ourselves behind.
That was my shadow's post :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a tricky thing with the shadow. It likes to sneak up on you :)
ReplyDeleteLabels, images, roles, and identities replace the individual subject, the human seeking being. The moths make sounds but the voices were either never developed or drown out by fear or shame or guilt. The question becomes then, how deep do we want to go, how deep can we go to create relationship and the intimacy it points to? What is life without feeling recognized and known beyond the surface of an image? What is life without the freedom from the very negative emotions that imprison us in a past that destroyed us? Someone I grew up with and deeply loved once said the saddest thing I ever heard: "You ask too much of people." That is when I realized that leaving had been the right decision. There was no more life in our relationship. The shadow, once a protective wing, complely distinguished the light.
ReplyDeleteIt’s easy to forget that drawing is creative expression and not merely representation. When I make contact with Monika’s drawings, for example, I am very conscious of the fact that I am engaging in an intimate process of relationship: I am both bearing witness to Monika’s overflowing meanings and, with her, co-creating new expressions of our shared meanings as human being. At the core of our sharing is this exquisite unconscious emotional field seeking expression, even as its shadows of protectiveness seek concealment. The beauty of Monika’s (and our own Inner Voice) drawings is that they present an opportunity for us to contemplate our own meanings and to play with them in ways as open and transparent as we can. But, an even greater opportunity still is in the sharing of our observations and expressions, as I try to do with Monika in response to her drawings. It is in the sharing that the more personal meanings become reorganized, in such peculiar ways, as to reveal some of our shadow aspects that limit our capacity to love, create intimacy, and strive to bring to life our visions.
ReplyDeleteSharing is a daunting process for many. For a number of reasons, it doesn’t feel safe. Many people have difficulty trusting themselves and so the inspirational words we often hear stay abstract and distant from the actual acts of relating that will bridge the gap between word and experience. I think that is the saddest fact for me: that fear is the greatest shadow and that shadows, though protective, ultimately cause isolation. I happen to love shadows because they conceal revelation and meaning. And it is meaning that points us to the light; indeed, meaning means to point. So, once again, keep pointing, Monika, and never forget to bring your pencils and smile to the table.
Om mani padme hum
You asked,"What are we protecting with these covering wings? What is it we do not see?" -- it was peculiar to me that the shadow image was not an exact replica of the main figure but a figure, a person, a personality. So, what is the shadow? The true self, the "real" person.If you shine the light on the shadow it reveals all the hidden colors.
ReplyDelete"Sharing our observations and expressions", YES, Paul,that makes the drawings come alive. As in the dream workshop today: walking into other people's dream was like looking at a crystal from different angles. So, you interpreting the drawing makes me see it in a richer light. Thanks for pointing - point well taken :)