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Are you afraid of the dark? I was. Afraid… that there might be something within the unknown darkness which could conquer me, something I wouldn’t be able to handle, something that might even obliterate my very existence. Then, I chose to face my fear and ventured into the darkness. The imaginations generated by my fear were partly true: There was conquest and obliteration – not of myself, but rather of the fear itself. I remained – in the recognition that the belief of being conquered was not representative of who I choose to be. Of course, this example is analogous to any and all fears. I am understanding that by getting to the core of the belief which generates the fear – by going into the darkness to investigate – the fear itself vanishes. This simply means there really is no reason to be afraid of fear. Rather, fear may be befriended as an indication mechanism for when a belief is out of alignment with who one prefers to be. A spiritual viewpoint emphasizes the realization that we are eternal spirits – simultaneously existing as individuated consciousness as well as one single unified consciousness. [ 1] Therefore, anything which ever can be found in the darkness of the unknown is another aspect of oneself. As I can choose to make a friend of myself in order to learn and grow, there is no point in being afraid of myself. Since no matter how obscure and unfamiliar the unknown aspect is, it can eventually also be integrated within my individuated consciousness through experience.

 The Devil as All-That-Is

Within Christendom and many other religions, the aspects which mankind is afraid of – whether creative power, sexuality or emotions – have been symbolically represented by demons and devils. A devil, after all, may often  express integrative or segregative power, lust and raw unfiltered emotion. This symbol of demonic beings and hellish places is often used to represent any aspect suppressed within an individual or a collective – so you may project your very personal fears upon this placeholder. Wherever you see demons is where your fear lies – it is the aspect of yourself which asks to be integrated as an equally valid choice and expression of consciousness. Even if you don’t prefer to wield great power, be „naughty“ or express unfiltered emotions, they are also a part of yourself as the whole of creation and may be accepted as such. By judging any choice, one judges oneself. By devaluing any aspect, one devalues oneself. For those striving for greater integration, it is thus helpful to maintain a state of neutrality and remain with expressing personal preference rather than judgement. Recognising the eternity and unity of existence, the notions of good and evil may be transcended as to allow each experience to be cherished. The devil thus then is usually interpreted as to represent everything which is judged and devalued. In Greek mythology, the equivalent to the Christian idea of devil is a satyr – half man, half goat. His name is aptly chosen to be „Pan“, which means „everything“. As the devil symbolically unifies all our fears, this provides us with a great hint as what aspect of us may ultimately be integrated: It is the devil as Pan, it is everything, it is all-that-is, it is the whole of creation, it is every possible choice and every possible experience…

As of recent human society has put great limitations on which experience is deemed to be real and a valid choice. Instead of appreciating all-that-is, every deviation from the artificially constructed norm is understandably put into relation with the devil. For some, those who perceive and behave differently than expected are deemed to be possessed by the devil, while others might ascribe them a mental dis-order – both essentially being value judgements, representing a fear of that particular experience and aspect of reality. Even left-handedness or a third nipple have been associated with demonic forces. The devil was said to be sucking on this third nipple at night – and seen as breaking away from the norm of having two nipples, presenting an alternative and suppressed reality within the mysterious darkness of the night, this is an accurate symbolic representation. [ 2]

In Contact with Oneself

Arthur C. Clarke, in his novel „Childhood’s End“, touches upon the idea of human society coming into contact with alien civilization. These extraterrestrial beings are described as looking just like common depictions of the devil – you may imagine your personal version – causing terror as fears are brought forth within the human psyche. This mirrors the idea of integration – any unknown lifeforms also being a part of oneself which may be accepted as a valid expression of consciousness and thus integrated into the individuated experience in a neutral manner. The novel also very much reflects the statements made by Bashar – a self-identified extraterrestrial consciousness channeled by a human named Darryl Anka – as to why more advanced civilizations didn’t establish open contact with human society as of yet: Being obviously unknown lifeforms and representing a much more integrated state of mind, they might force fears to the surface which many humans are not yet able to integrate – causing paralysis through psychotic shock. Therefore, open contact can only occur after humans individually and collectively have become aware of their limiting beliefs and recognise more of themselves as to allow for this level of integration. [ 3]

As we allow ourselves to follow our joy in order to experience more of what we are, we may come to terms with our fears and recognise all choices as equally valid expressions of all-that-is. Getting in touch with ourselves – who we prefer to be and thus finding that reflected in our experience – allows us to make a friend of fears as yet another part of ourselves. May they be welcomed whether coming from above or below, appearing literally or metaphorically, manifesting as devils or spaceships… [ 4]

Notes

[ 1] For my personal discovery and explanatory framework of the nature of existence, see my essays A Conscious Decision and Awakening to Creator-Consciousness. [back]

[ 2] These examples are taken from Stan Gooch’s book The Origins of Psychic Phenomena. [back]

[ 3] I highly recommend Bashar as the single most empowering, humorous, simple and comprehensive source on the structure of existence and how experience is generated. The better the core mechanism of experience-generation is understood, the more conscious one can go about creating the preferred experience. You might want to start with the laws of creation and the formula for acting on your highest excitement. [back]

[ 4] …and in the meantime, aside from boldly investigating and transforming one’s fears, I would encourage any creative and imaginative practices for those who wish to achieve greater integration. Stories which aren’t exactly representative of our common everyday experiences (fantasy, science fiction etc.) told through books or movies might just serve the purpose of allowing ourselves to open up and get in touch with other possible (and thus existing) realities. Personally, I enjoyed pen&paper role-playing games, within which the imagination of the players creates a story. Perhaps it comes to no surprise that famous examples are named „Dungeons & Dragons“ or „Shadowrun“, showing the aforementioned associations with darkness and demons as symbolic representations of suppressed aspects. The most advanced roleplaying system I am currently aware of, as it emphasises the co-creation of the story instead of putting much responsibility on a game-master, is the freely available FATE Core. [back]

Image Credits

William Blake – The Great Red Dragon and the Woman clothed with the Sun

Francisco Goya – Witches’ Sabbath

Eliphas Lévi – Baphomet