My post a few weeks ago on Sarah Palin acting as Barack Obama’s psychological shadow triggered a lot of people. I thought it would be worthwhile to talk about how one deals with the shadow once it breaks out and begins to disrupt things. But first a short recap: The emergence of Gov. Palin wasn’t simply startling — it was inexplicable. How could 20 percent of women voters suddenly turn toward her when Palin stands for erasing forty years of feminism? How could the mentality of a small-town mayor morph into a potential President making global decisions? To explain her meteoric rise, I offered the idea that each of us harbors a shadow, a place where our hidden impulses live. By appealing to fear, resentment, hostility to change, suspicion of "the other," and similar dark impulses, the Republicans have been the shadow’s party for a long time. Sarah Palin put a smiling face on feelings that normally we feel ashamed of.
The shadow is irrational; it thrives on gut emotions. (A recent Fox News poll ran with the headline, "In their gut, independents choose McCain.") Bringing the 2008 campaign down to the gut level means bringing it down to the level of the shadow. Instead of listening to an intelligent, persuasive, charismatic man with one African-American parent, people get to say, "I just don’t like blacks. They’re scary; they’re not like me. It’s a gut thing." Only it’s not. It’s a shadow thing that each of us, not just the right wing, must deal with. Reacting to Palin with fear, confusion, panic, and lashing out also comes from the shadow.
People who were shocked and dismayed by The Palin Effect generally don’t know how to handle shadow energies. Here are a few salient points:
1. Don’t panic — The shadow is built into your psyche, and when it brings fear, hostility, and resentment to the surface, those feelings want to get out. They cause disruption, but your panic only makes them stick around longer.
2. Try not to be overwhelmed — Eruptions from the shadow are transitory. If you don’t encourage them, these energies dissipate naturally. If you are overwhelmed, however, the net result is exhaustion and loss of energy.
3. Remind yourself who you really are — You are much more than your shadow, because your aspirations, hopes, and dreams keep advancing despite the shadow’s apparent power. Pay the least attention to these disruptions as you need to calm down and no more.
4. Keep a clear focus — The shadow creates disorder and runaway emotions. If you focus on your purpose and remain rational, you will anchor yourself to a more stable reality.
5. Don’t fight fire with fire — If you sink to the level of dark energies, you will be fighting on their terms, and the likelihood is that you will lose.
If we translate these points into current politics, they are clearly applicable. The Democrats were triggered by Palin because they fear losing and that fear runs deep. The bogeymen that frighten us the most come from a primitive level; they stir a sense of childish helplessness. But your mature self, like Obama’s campaign organization, is coherent and knows how to carry out its purpose. Realize that American politics have been dominated by shadow issues for decades, so it’s only natural they still have claws and teeth. But their game has gotten old and tired. If you are able to see past the appeal to fear and resentment, have trust that other people can, too.
The bottom line is that the 2008 election isn’t about change versus experience or a noble candidate who may lose to one who plays dirty. This election is about consciousness. Since the Reagan revolution, consciousness has been sleepy and dull in politics; ideals have been tarnished by cynicism; inner decay has sapped the party in power of its original purpose, leaving only a pointless morass of defensiveness that expresses itself in negativity. If the majority of the electorate wakes up and feels inspired to turn the page, that will happen. Obama has sounded the call; few people missed the message. Now it’s a matter of dealing with a phase of fear and resistance before we discover if stuck consciousness is ready to move ahead.
I absolutely agree with everything that you say Dr. Chopra! I am definitely affected by the shadow, still shocked with all the Palin mania and my fear of her becoming president is definitely it. I need to work extra hard to not get caught up in all the negativeness and focus on what matters – Obama!
I will, if I am able to, vote for Barack.
But, McCain/Palin will win.
Two years into a disasterous McCain administration, Palin will become Commander-in-Chief.
Then the United States, out of desperation for mere survival because so many people are impoverished, will start even more wars all around the world . . .
Yep
I am so looking forward to the moment, and I believe it will come, when Obama captures the national imagination once again with his positive vision and message. At the moment McCain is setting the agenda. That has to change and soon, if the Democrats are going to have a chance to prove they have the candidate who can responsibly and ably lead our country through these challenging times.
Craig, that is the ultimate fear. I'm still trying to keep hope
Dear Dr. Chopra ~ I'm very grateful for this post. I see the importance of action other than fighting fire with fire. I wholeheartedly see the value of calm. In my heart, I know that the real shape of the election will not be apparent until mid to late October. Still, I ask myself: What is right action NOW? With the irrational so loud and pervasive, is the right action to speak out? Is it possible to create societal cognitive dissonance? Are there lessons from the life of Gandhi? I eagerly look forward to your next post
Me to Prachi. But . . ., I just have a bad feeling about all of this. A portion of the women vote voting republican "just because," no minorities outside of black Americans voting for Barack, a fairly substantial portion of white voters who will not vote black, evangelicals who do not even debate the question of who to vote for they just unthinkingly vote republican, and, basically, stupid people who will vote republican because they are afraid of "terror." We are in trouble! God help us.
Thank you Deepak, as this makes sense to me and I am sure it is true, as I am just now finding out with my own personal life situations … just starting to kind of understand what is happening … sort of
So this is good advice for me in general, especially right now, i.e., my layoff today, which has brought me freedom, as I now see that my issues were all about my own shadows. Love, Char
I appreciate this post, for in our household I see the fear of McCain/Palin winning. My husband who can not turn away and who is so engrossed in it at every moment is showing signs of serious stress and he is a bear to be around and this election is draining our home of energy. I understand "where attention goes energy flows". so it is time for all of us to stop the energy to them, her, him and focus on Obama and our hopes for this election. If we are not already. we need to put our attention on our desire by volunteering making calls and having support parties so our attention flows on OUR beliefs. And it would be nice for us to all take a time out and sit down together every Sunday night at let's say 8pm EST and sit in stillness with our desires for this election. Let us gather our attention and our energy and focus it!
Beautifully said Kathy!
A more erudite effort than Part I, thanks Deepak
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I've an ongoing Candle vigil for Obama on a wonderful site worth exploring. The candle stays lit for 48 hours & can be on your desktop too in a mini version. You can light your own & put it in the Obama group. Here's the one I just lit:
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/message.cfm?l…
Thank you, Deepak, for putting thoughts and feelings into words that I just barely sensed. I've just discovered this site and I am grateful to you for providing it and for shedding light on current issues. I'll be checking in often.
Deepak,
Today is a very sad day for me. I have seen your shadow and it is angry and bitter and resentful of those who have a different political view of the world than you. I think rather than describe the forces behind Palin
Brilliant !!
Deepak, Thank you for putting your back on the bottle neck of stuck consciousness and giving it a push!
Depak, I am so saddened to read this article from you. I am not even going to state my own political stance here, just to help make my point. Mainly, I am just so surprised to hear words from you that seen to run contrary to the peace, love and "oneness" you so often project. I have heard you speak and have many of your books and have always respected you. This website is hardly the forum for such a strong and rather negative personal political view. I am so afraid that you have offended many, many people with this article – just by sheer nature of the underlying tone of it, if not for the actual words. It just makes me wonder….how much of what you speak of and write about, do you actually believe yourself? I NEVER thought I would say this, but I can not help but question your credibility now. I have always visited this website for enlightenment, peace and tranquility……What is this??? Doesn't belong here. I think you made a big mistake. I hope you at least think about it. Peace……..
Maybe it is I who is seen? In humbleness, I beg forgiveness. My reflection is powerful and beautiful. The mirror is love and love is what I see.
It is sad that some people don't hear what Deepak is actually saying. Let's put aside fear; realize who we truly are; and raise the consciousness of the nation.
I agree with many points in this post. When a friend forwarded Deepak's original Palin article I did not believe it came from him — because of the negativity and specificity of the political positions cited. Such judgments, when much of what is being reported in the media is unsubstantiated. Regardless of Deepak's intention behind his decision to delve into political/psychological analysis, the method in which it was done seems to have resulted in an outcome that has added to divisiveness more than unity.
Bobby, I tend to agree with you. I am not truly saddened, but I think if you are getting a strong emotional response from this article, please don't react right away (unless its towards the love and happiness spectrum of things)- that is exactly what Deepak is warning against. Just let it sit, ponder the feelings, and try to be at peace with it, whether you agree or disagree. I don't see anything outlandish being said here, this is some really good stuff to ponder!
The 2008 election could possibly be America's opportunity to come to terms with the collective Dark Side or Shadow, our ignorance and disdain for the political system. In our search for wealth, glory and possessions, we have mostly forgotten our responsibility to focus on that part of us which can destroy entire cultures…our own ego and the collective ego of our nation. I am not implying that wealth or possessions are bad things, but that we as Americans tend to live day to day without much observation of our own impulses and actions. The lifestyle in America has been phenomenally successful, and the envy of the world, however it has created an opiate-effect when it comes to individual awareness and critical thinking. Without the "habit" of observing ego, we will make many mistakes in this life, some manifesting long after we make them, as seen in our current economic and societal meltdown. To think that a president will "subsidize" our mistakes by undoing them or forgiving them is the epitome of ignorance. This would make adult men and women no more sophisticated and mature than five year old children at the candy counter being subsidized by their parents for having picked out too much candy for the allowance in their pockets. The dark side "shadow" is not hidden within the Palin Effect, or the Obama Effect, but within our own grey matter, and now we seek to be subsidized for our own ignorance by looking to the slickest "feel-good" orator, or the coziest "back to the good old days" mother figure to get our house in order. Mr. Chopra was raised in a country which gave a gift to the world in the form of Jiddu Krishnamurti, a man who espoused a most pure form of awareness, free of coercion, mandates and dictates. He attempted to bring the individual to an "awareness of awareness", and to question everything. It is YOUR responsibility, it is MY responsibility to be active, discerning snippets of society, to be awake at most the crucial moments in time when the collective consciousness can prevent or alter bad directions in society or government. Those crucial moments in THIS era of government and political function have unfortunately passed. To salvage what is left and bring the American organism back to health, we must not accept the status quo we are being offered at the moment. Deepak Chopra is wrong, in that he encourages us to continue our "lesser of two evils" downward spiral election cycle. Palin, Obama? Which bitter pill? We expend so much energy in efforts to eat, play, love and live healthy lifestyles, especially those who are blogging on this site, yet we accept "GMO" in Washington. "Government Manipulated Organization" is what we are swallowing every day. Read some info by Ron Paul or Dennis Kucinich, and see the common denominator…the "cure" for our country's illness is YOU, ME, and our dedication to MAKE change. You ARE society. You ARE powerful. Aren't you tired of "slick", and more interested in "real"?? While we are wandering around Whole Foods in search of the perfect antioxidants, we should be thinking of cures for our political apathy and ways we can CONTRIBUTE, not about WHO will bail us out. Obama is every bit as harmful to our future as McCain/ Palin…don't kid yourself. Speaking of kids, bring them into the conversation and discover what legacy our ignorance to responsibility is leaving them.
Wayne ~ you are eloquent and bring a lot of great thought into the conversation. The context is what leaves me a bit foggy. It's an election year and we've essentially got two choices. As to how we can contribute, this is the season in which one contribution is to vote. You correctly point out that blind faith in a political leader's capacity to "bail us out" is misplaced. On the other hand, the importance of the U.S. presidency in shaping world events couldn't have been made clearer than George Bush has demonstrated over the last 7 years. There ARE stark differences between Obama and McCain, both substantively and symbolically. To say Obama "is every bit as harmful to our future as McCain/Palin seems to step out of the otherwise brilliant content of your post. Toward the brilliance of your observations about our society, I would point toward a conservative whose thoughts provoke the same wisdom you touch upon. Google Andrew Bacevich and you'll find someone who can reach across party lines. http://www.amconmag.com/article/2008/mar/24/0002/
Dan~good response, also eloquent. I will explain how an Obama presidency would possibly do more damage than a McCain presidency. Ready for this? If John McCain is elected, he WILL be under constant scrutiny, simply because most Americans (including me) fear another Bush-like administration (war, bad foreign policy, etc.) The media will hopefully not cut him an inch of slack as well. In the meantime, ALL, I repeat, ALL of my Liberal friends and most of my Conservative friends, believe it or not, will be disgusted, and not stop talking politics for the entire time this man is in power, which means the political consciousness in America will be alive and well. When we have bad or destructive habits in our personal lives, and if we are not happy with them, what does it take to make us change??? CRISIS… it does not happen in ignorance, and most often not even after we have awareness. It happens most often in the throes of a crisis..IF a change is to take place. McCain would not be a good president in my opinion. Obama would be no better, I assure you, as he represents the caped crusader who America hopes will save us. Here comes the apathy again, the big nap which will take place a few weeks after he takes oath. "We have our hero, now we can relax. Now where did I put that remote???" Dan, agree with me or not, but we have no more time for apathy in America. Our culture is crumbling, and mostly because of public apathy. Squawking, screaming , debate, letter writing, and critical thought should be the order of the day. More complacency will result with President Obama. Unfortunately, politics is boring, unless of course it interferes with our play time in America. I want that burr, John McCain, under every saddle, and I want to see Americans anxious and ravenous for change, not rhetoric, not pandering, not bait and switch. Change…third party, whatever it takes. Obama's not it. you may not agree, but we'll have to see for ourselves. I urge you to read a little of Krishnamurti's writing. It is up to the individual to make change in society; it never goes well from the top down… never. I'll check out Andrew Bacevich…thanks Dan, this is good stuff. I almost forgot the contribution- VOTE, then throw your remote in the trash, watch alternative media, read all the political articles you can stand, and don't be afraid to write just like Dan and I are doing. Jump in.
It seems to me Wayne, that you are looking towards the old paradigm to rear its head, almost to the point that you believe that we have to live in fear of what might take place to stay on our toes. Instead, the change that you choose to look away from is one that has people awakened and inspired through hope and creative possibilities. Let that be the resounding effort that awakens people from slumber and causes us to move towards a new level…not fear.