Defense Against the Dark Arts
By Suzanne Matthiessen
Last year I wrote a column
about maintaining strength and poise in the face of oppositional dark
forces that received an exceptionally appreciative response. Since
then I’ve received numerous requests to expand upon what I wrote.
The passage of time often grants us the ability to access deeper insights
and information, and after reading the latest Harry Potter book this
summer, I thought about the subject in depth once again and felt my
own personal experiences and observations over the past twelve months
or so provided me with more to offer on the subject.
In “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” Harry learns
that his greatest ally against the power of the dark energy of Lord Voldemort
is his ability to love. And while that is completely true, it is not
quite as simple as that. Although Harry is indeed an advanced soul, he
has yet to master his own divisive inner impulses that pull him toward
his personal dark side, something that we all must contend with on our
journey to enlightened daily existence in the world. Harry is still vulnerable
whenever his anger overwhelms him, causing him to be more emotionally
reactive than detached.
As I’ve said many times, until we transcend our own inner shadows,
we are vulnerable to the pull of the dark side. No amount of cursing
the dark will place us squarely in the light. Quoting from my original
column on this topic:
“We cannot stand passively, and fearfully, watching the dark dramas
unfold around us, with the deep but often unacknowledged fact that we
too are part of the larger problem if any personal shadow thoughts, behaviors,
choices or actions continue to express themselves in our deeds and interactions.
Our own egoic shadows simply must be unveiled, processed and cleared,
or we too are contributing to the erosion of human consciousness that
is spreading like uncontrollable life-destroying lava. If we continue
to be in denial about any part of ourselves—no matter how subtle
it may be —that does not come consistently from the highest intentions
of Light and Truth, then we have absolutely no right to complain about
the grosser and more blatant displays of disregard for decency, honesty
and respect for human beings played out in the governmental and corporate
playgrounds. In this time of karmic speedup, even our smallest compromises
of integrity are magnified in higher degrees than ever before in human
evolution.”
If you want to become an honorable and infallible spiritual warrior,
you must clean up your own act first and foremost.
Any holes in your
armor will make you vulnerable, so doing the hard work to develop impeccability
in how you show up in the world is imperative. And perhaps even more
important is to display absolute integrity when you think no one is watching.
Remember, the more developed your state of personal consciousness, the
more instant the karma.
Along with a continuous process of refinement of your
moment-by-moment thoughts, choices and actions, it is crucial to understand
other aspects of consciousness that can either aid or disarm you. Of
primary concern is the elimination of naiveté, ignorance, justification
and denial. None of these perceptual states will protect you, as you
must understand the “enemy” as best as you possibly can.
As anyone who deals with the criminal mind will tell you, the more information
you have about the aberrations of the mind and soul of either an individual
or a collective group the better equipped you are to comprehend how and
why they operate. The problem with many who seek to embody the light
side of existence is they don’t want to look at the mechanics of
the dark because it is too frightening for them. But look you must. The
more knowledge you have, the greater the power you have—as long
as you are able to remain steadfast in your own convictions and not be
taken out by helplessness.
It has been exceedingly helpful for me to invest in extensive study of
psychological pathologies. Gaining a comprehensive grasp of what constitutes
sociopathic and/or psychopathic behaviors—including all the various
subtleties with each one —helps to make an assessment as to the
degree of harm these individuals can invoke, especially to the uninformed.
Many sociopaths and psychopaths possess high degrees of intelligence,
cunning and charm, and function quite well in the world, and unless you
are well-versed in the warning signs and diagnostic criteria of each
disorder, you can be caught up in the typhoon of destruction they wreak
before you know you’ve been engulfed and damaged by their madness.
And while it is important to hold a place of compassion in your heart
for them, it is equally vital to know that being sick does not excuse
them from being held accountable for their actions and impact. Most are
highly capable of discerning right from wrong, but have made a conscious
choice to cause harm to others. They are the darkest aspect of the collective
human existence.
Although there are countless resources available to educate you on psychological
disorders, I’d like to suggest is www.mentalhealth.com. From there
you will obtain basic information about traits you may see present in
someone you are contending with on a personal level.
