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| In Pursuit of My Shadow In his ground breaking work on the concept of the 'shadow', Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung is quoted as saying: "In order to experience ones light (I.e. the full realization of one's human potential) it is necessary to journey through one's darkness." My creative path has led me 'underground'-- to the subterranean levels of human experience that are rooted deeply in the unconscious. Going into my 'personal darkness' is not, as most might imagine, a frightening experience. It is rather a remarkable adventure that has underscored the fact of how complex is the human psyche and how little we truly know about ourselves. As my creative process takes me down into my 'darkness' my mission is not to meet and slay the metaphorical dragons (as in the case of myths and fairy tales) that supposedly rule the underworld; but to make these 'dragons' friends and allies. As the German poet Rilke noted: "Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses only waiting to see us once, beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in deepest being something that needs our love." To see and experience my work as it is meant to be seen and experienced, one must be prepared to look into one's own personal 'darkness' or 'shadow'. For until we are ready to explore the total 'blueprint' of the human experience, not just the tip of the iceberg that represents our conscious self, the unconscious will continue to represent a dangerous and forbidden terrain. |
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| TomWolver can be contacted by email or call 831-724-8436 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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