“It is quite within the bounds of possibility for a man to recognise the relative evil of his nature, but it is a rare and shattering experience for him to gaze into the face of absolute evil.”
Carl Jung
Inner work is outer work, outer work is inner work. And no part of either is one-sided.
Coming to terms with our own shadows implies coming to terms with that which is difficult to confront in the world. This was an issue that Jung himself tussled with throughout his long career, emphasising responsibility, but also coming to terms with the undeniable “absolute evil” he witnessed unfold during the 20th century.
Today we commonly hear refrains such as:
“People are essentially good.”
“You just need to work on your own shadow material.”
“You are the cause of everything you experience.”
Hang out with these ideas long enough and you will encounter the mother of all shadows.
It’s not that existence isn’t good. It’s not that any of these statements are absolutely wrong.
In a curious twist the goodness of the world is made even better by the fact that it does contain evil. But to truly appreciate the full magnitude of its beauty, it is necessary to comes to terms with the truth and necessity of evil.
Evil plays a vital role. It’s not a ‘good’ role, but a compelling one.
Could there be something even more valuable than being rid of evil?
By consequence of denying it, one of the greatest challenges of our culture is that it doesn’t really know evil. It doesn’t have a fleshed-out concept of what evil is. It knows what it ‘looks like.’
You will recognise it when you see it, you think, but you will also not recognise it when you see it precisely for this reason. And our unwillingness and inability to know it allows it to exist.
Without the luxury of a doctrine to fall back on, and terrified of being judged as judgemental, we necessarily concede to the arbitrary values of those who confidently base theirs in nothing more than their own impulsive whims and short-sighted self-avoidance. Those who have set their stall out to serve power and control and never let it go.
How much must we allow evil to encroach on our freedom and our lives before we will finally recognise it and see it for what it is?
Encounters with narcissism and group control dynamics are a key piece of the individuation puzzle. After all these amount to impositions on our freedom. Our encounters with such dynamics show us where we are not yet free and sovereign within ourselves. They call into question assumptions we have made about the nature of morality, existence and ourselves.
So evil hides out in the noblest of places. But what looked noble yesterday is not the case today. The very endeavour that simply cannot be imagined to be corrupt – that is the place to look. The greater the irony, the greater the insight.
If you feel like your personal encounters with evil and narcissism are like nothing anyone had to experience before, you are right. And at the same time, you are not alone.
So, is evil just your own manifestation, or does it exist out there?
As always, discovering truth is an arduous task requiring us to synthesise the two, and it all serves the purpose of your own becoming.
This fourth course of the MiC Know Yourself Programme follows naturally from Inner Shadow Work. In Outer Shadow Work we are going to be working on coming to terms with that which renders us uncomfortable in the world. You are going to be developing a nuanced philosophical and psychospiritual understanding of evil, hone your understanding of narcissism, control dynamics, and cult abuse situations, develop insight into your own mind and role, and break free from master-slave relationships for good, realising more of your personal sovereignty and freedom.
Learn more and sign up at: knowyourself.makeitconscious.com/course/outer-shadow-work
“The ideologue depends on drawing archetypal projections to himself from the populace, which in turn robs the populace of its authority and certainly robs individuals of their integrity as ethical human beings.”
– Murray Stein
WHAT YOU’LL GAIN:
Nuance
Develop nuanced philosophical, psychological and spiritual knowledge of the nature of evil.
Understanding
Spot the mechanics and dangers of codependent, abusive, power and control dynamics, in situations of narcissistic and group exploitation.
Break Free
From master-slave relationships, realising more of your personal sovereignty and freedom.
