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Are You Denying Your Dark Side?
Finding a person you dislike is an opportunity to embrace the paradox of the coexistence of opposites, and to discover a new facet of yourself. It is another step toward developing your spiritual self. The most enlightened people in the world embrace their full potential of light and dark.
Start very simply, with the most distasteful person you can think of. For example, think of Adolf Hitler and say, How could I possibly be like Hitler? Most people refuse to accept that they contain even the smallest shred of an Adolf Hitler. But think more deeply.
Have you ever expressed prejudice toward any group of people just because they had a certain name, or a certain skin color, or a certain accent, or a certain disability? If you can think of any example of that in your life, then you must embrace the similarity between yourself and Adolf Hitler.
We are all multidimensional, omnidimensional. Everything that exists somewhere in the world also exists in us. When we embrace these different aspects of ourselves, we acknowledge our connection to the universal consciousness and expand our personal awareness.
The traits we see most clearly in others exist most strongly in ourselves. When we can see into the mirror of relationship, then we can begin to see all of our selves. To do this, we need to be comfortable with our ambiguity, to embrace all aspects of our selves.
At a deep level we need to recognize that we re not flawed simply because we have negative traits. No one has only positive traits. Recognizing that we have negative traits simply means that we are complete. And in that completeness we gain grater access to our universal, nonlocal selves.
Adapted from The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press).
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29 comments
add your comment »Oh! I see what you saw on my page! I was looking for Al-anon and accidentally popped on the addiction group. Thanks for letting me in on that, I'd never want anybody to JUDGE me for being a drug addict or alcoholic! I'm being sarcastic. What if I were? Would you judge my commentary on a character defect totally? I'm sure you would, I probably would think that could erase some validity from a persons commentary. No, I fortunately do not have an addictive personality. Both parents didn't either. I lift weights, do yoga, long distance biking, have sailing and kayaking down pat and have licenses to boot. Is it the Pagan thing? I wanted to explore an area I never did, nothing wrong with that. What is it you refer to?
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Dear Dwight Baker, Yes, I did direct my comments to you, we do that on this forum sometimes. We can communicate from one member to another and often do. If you do not communicate with others, I understand perfectly. The reason I directed my commentary at you (if you consider the communication offensive) is because I was dialoging with you. What's wrong with anything I say or what's wrong with my pages? I'm a kind person, it's the only thing that matters in the end. I just directed it at you because you seem to have a punishing aspect to your commentary. You make it sound like you are my superior. Do you really think that a supreme being is going to punish somebody who is mentally ill in an afterlife? I don't. The man had a broken brain. If a supreme being is going to punish him in an afterlife, why didn't he do so in this realm? Why did all of those innocent children, women and men die? (Remember, children and women first) If you are referring to my liberal nature, Jesus was a liberal. I think you need to let your hair down. Most of the people on these sites are ultraliberals and kind and THINKING. We never stop thinking out loud. It helps to figure out what this "mess" is all about.
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Janine,
Your words pointed at only me, brought an alarm until I went to your share page and looked around. To that end I have no open comment.
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Mia and Dwight, thank you. You read Chopra's words, thought about them and presented your understanding of what he said. To acknowledge the dark side of what's in ourselves is good; we can then work to overcome and lessen itm in order to guide - as Mia said - our actions towards love, compassion, and a better world to everyone.
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Hitler apparently was mentally ill and had enormous shadow energy. I think the more we dwell on this subject, the more we go down the wrong path. Let's not give so much attn. to what I consider a perfect ---hole. I think the best thing to do is never mention him, the war and all the ugliness that goes with it. Imagine this, if you never talk about war to anybody and refuse to do so, we wouldn't have it. WHAT IF SOMEBODY THREW A WAR AND NOBODY SHOWED UP? Being wise means more than being nice it means listening and then discarding what is garbage. What German leader in what year? Who? Never heard of him. Harry and Frieda Kahn? Yes, I remember them. Wonderful good people.
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Baker,
You sound so ominous dude, lighten up. We are not here for doom and gloom, we are here to enjoy what is created or else why was it created? To look at and not to experience? Listen, relax, untwist the panties and breathe. Namaste
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Wow, this is profound. Can't say any more.
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Sorry, I don´t know why my comment´s repeated so many times...
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By beig so overcritical about what we read, instead of learning and analyzing, we are giving more power to the dark side...
I think we can enlight darkness by being more open minded and this way help expand our conscience, in the end that`s the goal.
¡Greetings to eveyone!
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By beig so overcritical about what we read, instead of learning and analyzing, we are giving more power to our dark side...
I think we can enlight darkness by being more open minded and this way help expand our conscience, in the end that`s the goal.
Greetings to everyone!
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