Tuesday Prompt
Mining and Loving the Hidden Gifts of My Rembrandtesque Chiaroscuro Subconscious
‘They are highly creative and filled with raw vitality’
Blessed is the Eternal Light who grants us so many epiphanies in the darkness.
I love words like chiaroscuro!
And all the images they bring up. In this case, those breathtaking Rembrandtesque Renaissance paintings so dramatically lit.
Our eyes immediately go to the light, of course. But if we only alight there, we miss most of the painting. We miss the rich textures, shapes, and fine nuances of the glory hidden in the darkness. We miss the treasures of the shadow.
The same is true of our subconscious minds.
Everything we know, don’t know, remember, don’t remember is there, often hiding. Through its magical mystery, we have a tap root burrowing down into the collective unconscious of humanity. Where there be dragons, demons, angels, and archetypes. Sleeping in their caves, awaiting our call.
When we spelunker into our subconscious or dive even deeper, we enter chiaroscuro Rembrant territory. A place to delight in the light of our innermost being. A place to play and explore among the multi-dimensional folds and furrows of deep shadow.
Me and My Shadow
Swiss psychologist C. J. Jung referred to our shadow as the person we would rather not be.
Not just the qualities, thoughts, feelings we’d rather not have, but the person we’d rather not be. Hmmm. Some days, I’d rather not be a sex and love addict. But then again, she brought me to recovery and through recovery to mystical metaphysical spirituality — a lens through which I can reflect on topics like this one!
More recently, looking into the darkness of my depths, I see an anxious insomniac who gets more panicky the less she sleeps. Irritable, restless, lashing out when least advised, she’s a hard one to acknowledge, let alone embrace. An easy scapegoat for my outbursts. But when I blame, she fights back, which means more nights tossing and turning in her sleepless dungeon.
What’s an integrity-conscious spiritual soul to do?
How can I make peace with one who so contrasts with the Light I like to believe I am?
I can start by resisting the urge to make her wrong or bad.
Calling something dark does not make it wrong. If we are going to heal our racial divisions, we need to change that paradigm that sees dark as bad or evil.
The Divine Feminine has appeared throughout the world in many forms, including the Black Madonna. The womb, the underground, the dark void, the nothingness are aspects of Spirit that bring forth new life.
Even though we speak of Dark Nights of the Soul, these episodes, while painful, are not to be feared or shunned. They often bring spiritual insights and growth.
So let us see darkness in ourselves and each other only in contrast to light. Rembrandtesque-both beautiful while dramatically different. In the Oneness that is Spirit, embracing and containing all that is, the darkness and the shadow are as holy as light itself.
How does that work?
C.J. Jung described our shadows as energy patterns, often archetypal, with gold in them. Yes, gold! They may contain all that we would repress and ignore, but they’re also highly creative and filled with raw vitality.
Where’s the creative gold in my sleepless, anxious self? I’m scared that accepting her means I approve of anxiety and insomnia. Not sure I want to embrace those attributes.
According to Debbie Ford, best-selling co-author of The Shadow Effect, along with Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson, our shadow can only wield its power over us when we keep it in the dark.
But we’re not keeping them hidden in the dark. We’re down here exploring and accepting all the shades of our chiaroscuro subconscious. To use a metaphor within a metaphor, we’re shining a light on them. Our light, to be specific. And the Light of Spirit as well, which is one and the same as well as a whole lot more.
And when we do, the dark not only comes to light, it reveals its true colors. Its gifts and lessons as well as pain and fear. It’s opportunities for healing, which may well be its gift.
What we resist, persists.
So rather than repress, hide, and fight these so-called demons, let’s accept them.
Accept anxiety and sleep deprivation? Even on my tiredest, most stressful days I get to accept. She is me, after all. I can sit a spell with her, listen to her anguished wails, watch her tortured nocturnal tangos, open my heart, spill out some love. Sing a soothing lullaby like I would to a small child. Perhaps some chamomile tea with a bedtime story…
I bet she has stories of her own to tell. Coming from the subconscious and being sleep-deprived, they might be some of the most twisted, convoluted, wild, and crazy ones yet.
Shaking up Creative Complacency.
Perfect for adding a little Kafka and Nabokov into the mix. After all, my next novel project has elements of Noir. It’s comedic, but Noir by definition is dark. Her input may well be that gold Jung spoke of.
This is a brand new insight I just now got. Would not have happened were I not deep into the writing of this piece. See how well this works?
I want to end this with a rumination from that 13th century Sufi poet known simply as Rumi. But before I do, here’s another gem from Debbie Ford:
“The shadow is not a problem to be solved or an enemy to be conquered, but a fertile field to be cultivated. When we dig our hands into its rich soil, we will discover the potent seeds of the people we most desire to be.”
Here then is the final part of Rumi’s poem, The Guest House:
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
— Jalaluddin Rumi, translation by Coleman Barks (The Essential Rumi)
Thank you, Diana C. for this week’s plethora of provocative prompts!
Marilyn Flower writes political humor and satire to delight socially and spiritually conscious folks. She’s a regular columnist for the prison newsletter, Freedom Anywhere, where she writes about faith and prayer. She’s the author of Ninja Writers Guide to Character Development: Creative Blogging! Clowning and improvisation strengthen her resolve during these crazy times. Stay in touch!
