Aspects of Divine Masculine
Hunter & Warrior
The persistence comes from the need to express some beauty, power, knowledge, or experience. It needn't be sabotage. It needn't be destruction. It needn't be feared or fought. It needs to be tracked, followed, observed, and graciously embraced with courage. Then, after laboring in the hot sunlight for a morning, we can bask in the quiet comfort and reverence of a Shadowed place with a breeze, a place that recharges us, allows us to release or express or exhale the build up of stress and tension.
This Shadowed place may not be very comforting in some ways. It could be too full, too much... a wasteland or landfill or cremation ground. But, what if it were transformed? What if we could see the somber quiet of a burial ground as peaceful? What if we could view the compost heap as a mound of transformative nurturance?
Shadow-work: How to Integrate with Integrity
An old tree topples with a strong wind, a lightning bolt severs a dying limb. Suddenly, those things no longer create a shadow there - and their substance is absorbed by the earth, and their energy dissipates into the surroundings. When we can observe our inner landscape without judgement, we can have flashes of inspiration, moments of peace, and a genuine gratitude and admiration for our beauty - which we can then, in turn, express to the world.
Even the darkness appears for a reason. It is the natural turning of the Earth. Even a Shadow appears for a reason. It is the call to look at what is eclipsing the light. They can't be pushed or pulled or maneuvered or bottled-up. All of that is wasteful inefficiency and useless, immature posturing. To seek, find, observe, learn, and do from a place of courage and honesty - that is a bit of integrity. That is the Warrior-spirit of The Hunter.
Take time in your day-to-day to observe those thoughts or actions (however justified or habitual they seem) which give rise to uncomfortable feelings: sadness, insecurity, possessiveness, aggression, anger, jealousy, fear, anxiety, frustration, distaste, disgust, vengefulness, regret, guilt, distrust, elitism, entitlement. Take a moment to explore what you are thinking of, what belief you have in mind, that allows you to feel such a way in such a circumstance.
Ask yourself if it is true, if it is real? Is an old experience or learned belief informing this principle, this belief? Is it useful, is it true, does it serve you to get to where you truly want to be in the right-here-right-now moment? When strong emotions rise within seeking expression, even if reasonably in response to circumstances, there is still a Shadow there holding sway over how we react, how we think, what we decide to do or not do. In this there is no freedom. If we make ourselves aware of the Shadow, accept its natural presence, we then have the power to will ourselves to do differently, to choose what to do or not do. We can courageously move forward with integrity, understanding the full value, result, and consequence of our actions, able to take responsibility, and able to handle challenges. We have growth and self-knowledge, change and new beginnings, opportunity and abundance.
And In The End...
The point is not to dwell with these thoughts and feelings or to wallow in resentment or memories or be a harsh and punishing self-judge. The point is to observe, accept, and attempt a different approach to whatever is at-hand from a place where you are more yourself and less in hiding. We don't let our weaknesses or desires or emotions take over the decision-making and action-taking process, but we do look to them for information, and it takes courage to accept the awareness they have to offer that we may gain self-knowledge. For those of us who would like to stop the same old patterns or the debilitating self-sabotage or just want yo feel more internal freedom and peace and satisfaction, calling out the Hunter aspect and seeking the Shadows may be the most beneficial exercise in self-awareness.