This came up in another forum. I thought it worth sharing here, editing for context.
Humans are human. It is very rare for someone to have no shadow, even a great guru. Much can be cleared but sprouted karma takes time to wind down and tends to have a momentum. With rare exceptions, if there is still a body there is still karma. There is still lesha avidya, the faint remains of ignorance.
In fact, our shadow is often what drives us to act in the world. Our wounds or what we overcame often become our passion. To quote the second to last sentence of the Rig Veda: “By virtue of unitedness and by means of that which remains to be united, I perform action to generate wholeness of life.“
But if that shadow is not conscious, it can create a big blind spot. Then it can overshadow the light being expressed. Action then may produce mixed results. It may even amplify the shadow. Then it is not uniting to generate wholeness.
Drawing others into this amplifies it further. This has been the downfall of a number of teachers. Having better energetic literacy to recognize such issues helps to avert this. And helps us to choose a teacher wisely.
Davidya
Last Updated on July 16, 2017 by Davidya
This explains so much of the, what I call, ‘mysterious behaviour’ that I’ve seen in so many of the awakened. As my friend, Elaine, explained. “The equanimity is great, but it’s not Utopia.”
Hi Gina
Yes, in the current time it takes time for the rest of life to catch up with an awakening. Even traditional texts suggest 10-12 years. And that would assume there is some refinement and enough self-observation to recognize our shadows.
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If there is some assumption of being complete and free of errors (which can certainly be the experience but is inner not all) then that self-observation may be lacking…
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Not to mention all the crazy expectations students often place on teachers.
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Certainly awakening is a major upgrade but it should not be seen as an instant cure for all problems. Just a better platform for solving them from.