A few evenings ago, some friends and I decided to watch the
latest Star Wars film, Return of the Sith. This film got me
thinking about a concept that is key to much of the hypnotherapy
that I do, and is an excellent example of how not to lead one's
life.
Much of what makes the Star Wars story so alluring is the
puzzling change that occurs in Anakin Skywalker. How is it that
a man can turn from supremely good to the embodiment of evil?
We're led to love Anakin the Jedi and hate the same man, only a
few days later. It is both puzzling and troubling. What is even
more puzzling (and perhaps troubling) is that, on the surface,
it seems that Anakin's love for Padmé is what leads him,
ultimately, to the dark side.
This is an excellent example of the way the Jung claims that the
human shadow works. The shadow, according to Jung, is a huge
portion of our personality that we disown. We disavow it, and
lock it away. Once it is locked away, it becomes destructive. We
can see this in many ways: a person who denies something about
themselves turns to self-destructive behaviors such as excessive
drinking, or even worse, becomes violent. It is commonly
accepted that many anti-social behaviors have their roots in a
person's inner conflict.
Anakin's inner conflict is severe. He lives like a Jedi--which
is, more or less, a monastic life. So many of the other Jedi do
this very well--and Anakin fails. He fails the moment he starts
to let his shadow express itself. What has been locked up for so
long has grown vicious, and now consumes and destroys him. The
image of Anakin locked into the hood of Darth Vader shows that
he has really become consumed; he shadow has gotten loose; all
that is good about him has been destroyed.
There is a lesson to be learned from this; and it's a lesson
that goes back thousands of years. There are parts of us that
we, or society, don't like. We have instincts, desires and urges
that are, in some ways, unacceptable. It is only natural that we
should try to repress them--by doing so we can be accepted by
those around us. Unfortunately, when we oppress what we don't
like about ourselves, it causes problems. It is the root of many
neuroses and other problems in our lives.
The solution to this problem seems simple and is a monumental
task: we must strive to make ourselves whole. That means, when
we feel an urge to do something unacceptable, we must step back
and examine that urge. We have to figure out what is at the root
of that urge, and we have to integrate it into our lives in a
positive way. We must understand that we are good--and that
applies to everything about us. Something that has been shoved
aside and allowed to become bitter and vicious is simply a
natural part of us gone bad, and it is incumbent upon us to
address that. In order to live good, healthy and happy lives, we
have to embrace our dark side.
If Anakin Skywalker (and the Jedi) were to embrace the Dark Side
in a healthy way, they would be more powerful than ever. They
would feel emotions--love, anger, fear, and hate--and all of
those emotions would be in proper perspective. Additionally,
they would have access to the power that all of these emotions
affords their adversaries, the Sith. Keeping the ill effects of
some human emotions at bay does not help the Jedi at all; it
just leads to dramatic outbursts of those same emotions. The
lesson here is simple and very important: embrace your dark side
in a healthy way, and you will be happier and more powerful.
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