I have come to think of the Rites of Passage as jumping, or maybe being thrown, into a "life-changing stew" where I simmer for five days in the "transformational mix" of silence, wilderness, and powerful ritual that breaks open my heart, allows me to see new possibilities for myself, and creates "living questions" to percolated within me and guided me.
I have come to think of the Rites of Passage as jumping, or maybe being thrown, into a "life-changing stew" where I simmer for five days in the "transformational mix" of silence, wilderness, and powerful ritual that breaks open my heart, allows me to see new possibilities for myself, and creates "living questions" to percolate within me and guide me.
One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious: a weekend shadow practice intensive with Jim O'Neill at Rolling ridge.
One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious -- C.G. Jung
Everyone has a shadow, which begins in childhood as a result of stuffing away negative feelings in order to build a proper ego. We encounter our shadow when we uncover a long-buried, unacceptable trait in ourselves, when we feel an unexplainable dislike of someone or when we feel overwhelmed by anger, envy, or shame.
Richard Rohr sums up this whole spirituality of initiation in a one liner: the young man who cannot cry is a savage, the old man who cannot laugh is a fool.
It's a privilege to speak to a group of people who, from your first hand experience in the field of healthcare, most likely know much more about the topic of sadness than I do. In my remarks this evening I will speak as a Christian but more out of my Roman Catholic tradition as I think it might be helpful to the context of sadness.
