Photo: flickr.com Robert Couse-Baker
“That which we do not bring to consciousness appears in our lives as fate.” Carl Jung
Shadowland
His inner demons held him in fear and mistrust,
but he dressed them as acceptable monsters
all hidden in the light, but they made their own
spectacular way to the surface of his unaware life
becoming his cruel and real destiny.
©Paul Vincent Cannon
Paul, pvcann.com
acceptable monsters, what a vivid description of the length and breadth of our reason for excuses. 5 lines overflowing with potency – well written Paul
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Ouch – wow!
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Yes indeed, it is if we don’t reflect and deal with our stuff 🙂 Many thanks Susan.
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Jung would be proud! Well penned
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Well that is high praise, thank you so much for that, his work is amazing.
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I had many a late-night lecture on the Jungian shadow from my dad. He believed that we shared the same one. Your poem is a chilling exhortation to face those demons head-on before they become our unavoidable fate.
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Very much so, I fear we live in a time when few are reflective at all. It plays out so badly.
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It certainly does.
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Yes. He has much to teach us for sure.
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This poem saddens me … the sense of imprisonment.
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Yes, Jung was always trying to bring that awareness, that unless we deal with the shadow, we remain in its thrall unawares.
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I wonder which state is a harsher place to be … being unaware or being aware of imprisonment (and doing nothing because of choice or circumstances).
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Good question, those who are unaware, have no sense of it and sail on. The ones who are really worse off are those who gain an inkling and do nothing about it, well, in my experience.
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As they say, ignorance is bliss! Works well in this context for some. Yes, I feel for those mired in inertia.
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Yes, me too, I know a few it’s torture for them.
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Death while breathing 😢
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A sad but profound comment.
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So much in so few lines, Paul. A triumph.
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Thank you so much Chris, it was a labour of love, I still want to tweak it lol.
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Love the poem and the pic. Great atmosphere created between the two.
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Sometimes they do like up. Many thanks Maranda
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Hmmm, don’t know what to make of this, seems discouraging?
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It’s the trap of not being self aware, the shadow can drive if we’re not self reflecting, so yes, there is a sadness if one is not doing that.
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I think becoming more aware of myself causes more sadness.
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And yet it can also be a wonderful growth point.
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You have a power with words, my friend!
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Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
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Many thanks Charles
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A wonderful true poem, and a honour for C.G. Jung. Thank you Paul! Best wishes, Michael
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Thank yo very much Michael
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Always a great pleasure to me, Paul! Thank you too. Michael
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🙂
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Yes, and I fear that our society is becoming one in which there is always ‘someone else to blame’, so reflection, and thus change, is becoming rarer.
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Totally rare, just talking about that with a group yesterday, so few have even a language around reflective (as opposed to reflexive) process.
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Wow this is a great poem
>
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Thank you so much.
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Powerful and insightful words with the perfect picture to illustrate. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
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Many thanks for sharing that
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Reblogged this on natshouseblog and commented:
Shadowland is another dandy. Trump’s face melded with my thoughts immediately. Don’t know if that was your intent but it grabbed me. Hope you are right.
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Not especially Trump, we’ve got our own special fool here, there are so many it seems, but that whole ilk, thank you for reflecting back on this too and the generous reblog.
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O, I hope I’m right too, fed up.
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