Samadhi and the Shadow
By Alan Mesher
Energy Master, Teacher and Spiritual Healer
At the heart of the Samadhi experience is a radically new experience of identity based on overcoming the shadow and the negative ego. The negative ego is the antagonist of the soul, sees the world in terms of separation, is both defensive and aggressive, and contains a substantial concentration of toxic shame. Many people who have a strong sense of their own identity have a robust negative ego. While it is usually a good thing to think that one knows who one is, the deeper truth is that all identity anchored in the negative ego is based on the principle of separation and is therefore a distortion of reality. When we see ourselves as separate from other people we see neither who we really are nor who they really are. By constantly defining ourselves as separate from everyone else we create a world of escalating conflict. Compassion, understanding, and peace can only come into the world when we see ourselves from the perspective of the soul. Where the ego divides us by capitalizing on our external differences, the soul unifies us by operating on compassion. It knows that on the inside we are all very much the same. Samadhi is revolutionary because it shifts the balance of power in the world from conflict to compassion and from hostility to cooperation. Unfortunately, because Samadhi is an individual accomplishment it produces this revolution very slowly, one person at a time.
The negative ego is absolutely convinced that we are all separate egos in separate bodies, disparate and distinct from one another in time and space. The ego is not only quick to note these differences but builds its sense of self based upon them. The ego does this by constantly comparing itself to others. When the result of this comparative analysis enables the ego to cast itself in a superior light (relative to those it is measuring itself against) it feels good about its place in the world and has self-esteem. When the result of this effort forces the ego to place itself in an inferior position it feels bad about itself and experiences self-loathing.
Since the ego is always engaged in this comparative game and has an overwhelming need to cast itself in a superior light, maintaining its self-esteem is a fragile, delicate process that never ends. It waxes and wanes depending on the outcome of the egos evaluative process from one experience to another. In the ego's framework both identity and self-esteem are relative rather than absolute values. They change and fluctuate on the basis of the ego's never ending need to make favorable decisions about its place in the world.
The ego firmly believes that the more superior distinctions it can make in its ongoing comparative analysis of itself vis a vis others make it unique and desirable. Never mind, of course, that these distinctions are often spurious, highly biased, thinly disguised rationalizations of inferiority, and delusional. The ego is far less interested in reality than it is in feeling good about itself. If the ego strives for anything, it strives to be noticed and stand out from the crowd. It gains its power through separation and domination, not cooperation. The idea of inclusiveness is anathema to it. It believes that to let other people in is to lose power, threaten its contrived sense of superiority, and become vulnerable to defeat.
Because of its psychological peculiarities the ego invests heavily in maintaining its sense of exclusivity. To do so it erects defensive barricades to keep other people outside its presumed territory. That way it won't have to feel vulnerable and powerless. The ego is terrified of connection with other people and more terrified of connection with the Soul. The ego, unfortunately, is the enemy of the heart.
The identity one achieves in Samadhi is a far different experience than common ego identity. Samadhi is a state of absolute inclusiveness. The sixteenth century philosopher Blasé Pascal once wrote that, "The universe is a like a circle with its center everywhere and its circumference nowhere." Substitute "The state of Samadhi" for "The universe" and we arrive at an excellent definition of Samadhi. In Samadhi we are joined to the highest elements of our nature and are able to see ourselves in everyone and everything. We all share the same essence, the same hidden flame of the spirit that binds us all together, deep inside our Soul. The center of the universe is everywhere in everyone.
In Samadhi there is no ego and the problem of self-esteem does not exist. Self-esteem is both the ego's need and the ego's problem, a direct result of the ego's separation from the soul. In Samadhi the ego has been transformed and the individual has attained a permanent conscious connection with his soul. This connection results in the direct experience of unconditional love and stamps the individual's activities with Divine purpose. When Divine energy flows through us we experiences bliss. If everyone was happy there would be far less conflict in the world.
Obviously, Samadhi is a highly desirable state of consciousness. Why then, have so few attained it?
Standing between the individual and his soul is his shadow. The shadow is composed of all the combined traumatic events we have endured and not cleared from our subconscious in this life and other lifetimes. The shadow holds our darkness. It feeds the negative ego and frustrates the soul. It upholds the status quo in the psyche and blocks the evolutionary impulse to grow. Carl Jung once wrote that "if we do not confront the darkness within us we will meet it as fate." Finding our shadow, facing it, feeling it, and clearing it, represents the closing of our karma and the beginning of our journey toward Samadhi. To experience our brightest internal light we must face and clear our deepest darkness. If we do not face our shadow we wont' get far along the evolutionary highway.
Since everyone has different experiences in their shadow everyone's true path is unique. The unconscious layers of trauma in our psyche are the fuel for our growth. When we clear these traumas they provide the energy to rise in the light of our being. No form of internal resistance will remain to hold us back. Lao Tsu, the founder of Taoism put it this way, "Because the sage confronts his difficulties he never experiences them." If we are to experience Samadhi we must overcome our shadow, purify the ego and consciously move toward our Soul. There is no other way.
Alan Mesher is a world renowned energy master, teacher, and expert spiritual healer. Alan is available for individual phone consultations, lectures and seminars. To set up a consultation or sponsor a seminar, please email: alan@siriuscreations.com. A sample chapter of Alan's latest book Just Who Do You Think You Are? as well as wealth of other material is available at www.alanmesher.com