Activities

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April 1, 2023. The Shadow on the Path

The shadow is a concept first coined by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung that describes those aspects of ourselves that we reject and repress. Tragic circumstances that we see all around us can be related to the shadow, which directs our lives in unseen ways on an individual and global scale. Jung stated, “To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.” About someone willing to look at and work with his (or her) shadow, Jung observed, “Such a man knows that whatever is wrong in the world is in himself, and if he only learns to deal with his own shadow he has done something real for the world. He has succeeded in shouldering at least an infinitesimal part of the gigantic, unsolved social problems of our day.” Even a cursory survey of the current state of mainstream religions as well as new spiritual movements based on the traditions makes it apparent that beliefs and good intentions are not stronger than the shadow parts of ourselves that we have emotionally disowned. According to Jung, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” How does our shadow form? How can we work with it if we are blind to it? What are the specific elements of our individual shadow that, if healed, would lead to more fulfillment for ourselves and compassion for others? Without work with our shadows, we may be unable to open to the real fruits of the path.
Speaker: VJ Fedorschak is the organizer of the Western Baul Podcast Series and the author of Shadow on the Path and Father and Son.

Previous talks in 2023:
March 18, 2023. My Last Bully Is Me (Rick Lewis)
March 4, 2023. Honey In The Heart: The Rasa of Enjoyment, Delight and Celebration on the Path (Nachama Greenwald)
February 18, 2023. Wisdom Teachings of the Ancient World: Celtic Spirituality and Tantra (Mary Angelon Young)
February 4, 2023. Deep Dharmic Doo-Doo: Resistance is Futile… But So Also Is Acceptance (Peter Cohen)
January 21, 2023. Lies We Tell Ourselves (Karl Krumins)
January 7, 2023. How Do We Enter the Heart, and What Do We Find When We Enter? The Way of the Pilgrim and the Prayer of the Heart (Regina Sara Ryan)

December 10, 2022. The Rough Road to Self Awareness: Intention, Attention, and Risk (Juanita Violini)
November 26, 2022. The Restoration of Love (Elise Erro)
November 12, 2022. Survival, Healing, and Freedom: The Body Knows (Matthew Files)
October 29, 2022. Eating Bears: Notes on How to Go About It (Jocelyn del Rio)
October 15, 2022. Spiritual Bypassing and Adulthood on the Path (Deborah Auletta)
October 1, 2022. Pairs of Opposites (Bandhu Dunham)
September 17, 2022. Escape From the General Law (Red Hawk)
September 3, 2022. The Obstacle is the Path (Chris McMaster and Debbie Hogeland-Celebucki)
August 20, 2022. The Recognition of Our Own Heart (Karen Sprute-Francovich)
August 6, 2022. We’ll Never Be Prepared for Life--We Might as Well Start Living It (Rick Lewis)
July 23, 2022. Timing is Everything: Opening to Windows of Opportunity in Life and on the Path (VJ Fedorschak)
July 9, 2022. Fourth Way Magic: How Hermetic and Indigenous Traditions Interface with the Gurdjieff Work (Rob Schmidt and Stuart Goodnick)
June 25, 2022. Stop the World, I Want to Get Off (Regina Sara Ryan)
June 11, 2022. Kneel and Kiss the Ground: The Poetics of Presence and Purpose (Mary Angelon Young)
May 28, 2022. Basic Trust: The Soul's Key to Being (Peter Cohen)
May 14, 2022. Do You Want to Be Right or Do You Want to Be in Relationship? (Matthew Files)
April 30, 2022. War: What is it Good For? (Bandhu Dunham)
April 16, 2022. Cultivating Spiritual Maturity: An Honest Look at Our Commitments (Lalitha)
April 2, 2022. The Two Experiences of Life and Their Impact: Being In-the-Box or Out-of-the-Box (VJ Fedorschak)
March 19, 2022. Writing as a Transformational Path (Mary Angelon Young and Regina Sara Ryan)
March 5, 2022. Living From Paradox (Juanita Violini)
February 19, 2022. Why Questions Are More Useful Than Answers on the Spiritual Path (Karl Krumins)
February 5, 2022. Survival Is Not the Issue (Clelia Lewis)
January 22, 2022. Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For… Why? (Matthew Files)
January 8, 2022. Giving Ourselves to Love. (Nachama Greenwald)

December 11, 2021. Nonduality: Speaking the Unspeakable. (Peter Cohen)
November 27, 2021. The Awakening of Conscience: The Potential Value of Not Expressing or Suppressing Negative Emotions. (Panel: Red Hawk, Clelia Lewis, and VJ Fedorschak)
November 13, 2021. Using Death as an Advisor: What Death Can Teach Us About Living (VJ Fedorschak)
October 30, 2021. Know Your Character: Who’s Running the Show? (Elise Erro)
October 16, 2021. Being Where We Are: Grounding Spiritual Teaching in the Body (Bandhu Dunham)
October 2, 2021. Grace and Mercy: The Breath of the Goddess (Mary Angelon Young)
September 18, 2021. Hospitality: the Practice and the Art (Regina Sara Ryan)
September 4, 2021. Conscience: The Transformative Effect of Working with Inner Conflict (Clelia Lewis)
August 21, 2021. The Way of the Wise Woman: A Deeper Dive into the Awakening of the Mother Spirit (Red Hawk)
August 7, 2021. The Benefit of Good Company on the Spiritual Path (Tom Lennon).
July 24, 2021. Love and Longing: May the Heat of Suffering Become the Fire of Love (VJ Fedorschak).
July 10, 2021. Understanding the Persistence of "Sleep" (Unconsciousness) (Matthew Files).
June 26, 2021. Sun. Moon. Tantra: Navigating the Ocean of Chaos and Coherence (Mary Angelon Young).
June 12, 2021. A Deeper Yoga: Moving Beyond Image to Wholeness and Freedom (Christina Sell).
May 29, 2021. Faith: How Necessary is It on the Spiritual Path? (Karl Krumins).
May 15, 2021. Contemplating Continuity — A Conversation with Spiritual Friends (Barbara Du Bois).
May 01, 2021. Good Enough is Good Enough: Discerning What is Wanted and Needed (Debbie Hogeland-Celebucki).
April 17, 2021. Creative Life: The Art of Getting Out of Our Own Way (Bandhu Dunham).
April 3, 2021. To Build Castles on Sand (VJ Fedorschak).
March 20, 2021. Spiritual Warriorship and the Undefended Life (Nachama Greenwald).
March 6, 2021. Everything is Food: A Gourmet’s Guide to the Spiritual Path (Regina Sara Ryan).
February 20, 2021. Having a Spiritual Aim (Matthew Files).
February 6, 2021. The Alchemy of Being Willing to Suffer for Love (Chris McMaster, Clelia Vahni Lewis).
January 23, 2021. Building Resilience and Inner Strength on the Path (Mary Angelon Young).
January 9, 2021. Learning to Live with Reality: Ring Out the Old, Ring in the New (VJ Fedorschak).

December 12, 2020. Home for the Holidays: Remembering the Spiritual Path in the Midst of a Pandemic.
November 28, 2020. We Have Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself: Questioning the Root of All of Our Fears.
November 14, 2020. Love What You Do Not Love: The Doorway to Ever Present Peace.
October 31, 2020. The Alchemy of Grief and Love.
October 17, 2020. Being with Reality in Wild, Wild Times.
October 3, 2020. Not What “Should Be,” But “What Is.”
September 19, 2020. Exploring the Depth of Spiritual Tradition: A Panel Discussion.
September 5, 2020. Maintaining Presence in the Midst of Chaos.
August 22, 2020. Path without Goal: Misconceptions about Enlightenment.
August 8, 2020. My Body is a Temple: Creating a Life of Practice.
July 25, 2020. Cultivating the View that Everything is in Transit: A Consideration of Death in the Spiritual Traditions.
July 11, 2020. There is a Crack in Everything—That’s How the Light Gets In: The Myth of Self-Perfection.
June 27, 2020. What's Love? and What's Love Got to Do With It? The Eternal Questions and the Easy Misunderstandings.
June 13, 2020. Contemplation: Awareness and Presence in Ordinary Life.
May 30, 2020. Deepening Compassion in Times of Uncertainty, Groundlessness, and Fear.
May 16, 2020. The Transformative Power of Guarding One's Speech.
May 2, 2020. You Can’t Change What Is But You Can Learn to Like It.