All of us human beings have weaknesses, and within each of us are dimensions far darker than we can imagine. We always like to think that we are good and that our motives are good. We like to believe that we are harmless, and this is why accepting that a part of our being is very dark is painful.

Accepting the concept of the shadow means admitting the bitter truth that we are less good than we imagine, and that within each of us is a darkness extending into the depths of hell. Remaining unconscious of the depth of this darkness not only prevents us from reaching the inner light, but can allow darkness to govern the lives of other people we love and ultimately the entire external world, continuing from one generation to the next.

This does not mean that the human spirit is dark. It means only that a part of the path toward the inner light passes through darkness and must be travelled with acceptance, patience, courage, and honesty—like a tree sending its roots into the depths of darkness in order to rise toward the light of the sky. Illumination is the final gift of passing through this darkness.

Aydin Areta