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Meeting Shadow on the Spiritual Path with Connie Zweig
Award-winning author, depth psychotherapist, and guide Connie Zweig shows us encountering darkness is a necessary part of our spiritual journey. In the first half of life, we disown aspects of ourselves to fit in and navigate our world more smoothly. Over time we realize all aspects of ourselves must be recalled and befriended. Integration of these shadow aspects lays the foundation for spiritual awakening.
Reviving Tolerance in Cancel Culture
In a world reduced to digital exchanges and swift judgments, reviving tolerance has become vital. Toleration comes from the ancient Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to carry,” a capacity collapsing in current culture. We stumble into extremes when we lose the strength to carry the tension of opposite ideas and feelings. Exaggerations of discomfort and hyperbolic comparisons pepper media messages and inflame the underinformed public–the collective psyche lists from topic to topic. In the vertigo of confusion, we make terrible decisions and strike out blindly.
HEALING the RIFT: Anima Mundi in a Disenchanted World
To reimagine that we are part of a responsive web of life, is to resist the mechanistic worldview that treats nature as a lifeless object to be controlled and exploited. It reawakens a parallel universe where our material actions simultaneously appear in our inner world, not as photographs of our acts but as symbols that reveal the secret relationship between ourselves and those we influence.
Hypochondria’s Havoc and the Quest for Reassurance
What sets hypochondriasis apart from merely being cautious about one’s health? The answer lies in the severity of the worry and its impact on everyday life. An individual with hypochondriasis lives with constant, debilitating fear; it is not a fleeting concern. As IAD progresses, it becomes a lens through which they see their life, leading to significant distress and impaired functioning.
Our Moral Compass: Understanding Guilt, Remorse, & Atonement
A sudden pang in the chest, a quiet voice persistently whispering at the back of our mind, we experience guilt when our actions, or deliberate lack thereof, infringe upon our personal ethical code or societal norms. As human beings, we constantly interact with a myriad of emotions, but guilt often demands our immediate attention. It is the subjective experience of violating moral, social, or self-imposed standards. Our lens shapes these standards, tinted by inherited beliefs, imparted values, and personal experiences. When we feel we’ve crossed these lines, guilt steps in, a vehement alarm.
BEAUTY, her BEAST, and the BLOSSOMING SELF
The tale of Beauty and the Beast is at least 4,000 years old, perhaps second in popularity only to Cinderella. It has generated many print versions, animated films, a Broadway show, and a Disney film. What about this tale continues to ensure its popularity? And what is this tale really about?
EMBRACING THE OUTCAST: Understanding Homelessness
Homeless symbolizes a state of disconnection, both externally and internally. It is a complex interplay between unconscious, personal experiences, and societal forces. Resolving displacement involves restoring a sense of security, belonging, and acceptance in the outer world and oneself.
It transcends the absence of physical shelter and ventures into spiritual and emotional displacement. It mirrors the alienation and dislocation experienced in a rapidly evolving society, where individuals feel lost amidst the tumultuous tides of change. In this symbolic homelessness, we recognize our collective vulnerability and insecurity. Homelessness is not a homogeneous phenomenon. It ranges from temporarily unsheltered individuals between jobs or homes to chronically homeless individuals who spend years or decades without stable housing. The psychological implications differ substantially across these spectrums and demand a nuanced understanding.
UGLY DUCKLING COMPLEX: the painful path of transformation
We all understand the Ugly Duckling complex because we lived it at one time or another. Hans Christian Anderson’s famous tale paints a poignant picture of a child’s experience of rejection only because he’s born in the wrong nest. People who seem different or have not yet matured into their natural beauty endure a kind of scorn that can bring them to despair. The ugly duckling’s capacity to endure and find refuge once he is recognized by fellow swans can hearten us during the long winters of our lives.
