*INTERNAL DUALITY
The balance between Psychology and Spirituality
The relationship between self and others carries two contrasting forces, light and shadow, both invite us beyond familiar patterns into a deeper encounter with our spirit identity.
When our sense of self feels fragile, we often don a mask to conceal our vulnerabilities. That mask might appear as a charm or as harshness, yet it serves the same purpose: to keep our hidden past at bay.
Matured Self
True healing cannot flourish within the safety of avoidance. It begins by summoning the courage to explore the hidden chambers of the heart where old injuries lie buried and where denial casts its longest shadows. In that space of honest attention, we learn to sit with our fear and our shame without turning away. Bit by bit, we release the hold those pains once held, and we open ourselves to genuine connection.
This inward quest reshapes our relationships on every level. As we come to know and accept the tender parts of ourselves, we also become more capable of offering that same kindness to the journey of self. In this way, the balance of light and darkness within us becomes the very source of our strength and our capacity for true intimacy within.
Concealed Wounds
Healing begins by honoring the instinct that drives a frightened inner child to the darkest, coldest corner of the mind, where they can press their back against an imagined wall and believe themselves secure. From that refuge, they may glimpse light but remain immersed in shadow, sinking even deeper when they feel threatened.
With patient coaxing from a caring presence, or through a sudden flash of inner resolve, they can find the courage to let out a trembling cry and peer out from beneath their hiding place. In that moment, they discover there is nothing to fear and learn to trust both themselves and the hand extended to them.
Much like an abused animal that retreats to a den and snaps at anyone who approaches until it senses safety, the inner child must feel secure before it can emerge. This is the task of the light side when caring for its hidden counterpart: to remain steady and true until fear dissolves.
Strength and Shelter
Healing unfolds as a journey from the rigid demands of a wounded child self toward the freedoms and responsibilities of adulthood. Honest conversations about unmet needs create space for empathy.
Once the inner child feels seen and soothed, the integration of animus and anima, the assertive and the receptive aspects of self, becomes possible. As each side finds its voice, we gain the capacity to hold tender space for the whole self.
In a dualistic bond, encountering the self who exists solely in untempered radiance can feel overwhelming, for we cannot perceive our hidden depths. Yet when we learn to direct our light inward, we can then witness darkness without fear and guide all parts of ourselves through it.
Middle Path
True equilibrium thrives between two poles. Imagine a deep-sea diver who explores the ocean’s darkest trenches before rising to the surface to feel the sun’s warmth on their skin.
Like ocean creatures that swim up from the cold depths into the light and then return below, we too must traverse both realms. Each current nourishes body and spirit in its way. As an empathic bridge keeper, you move between these worlds.
Shadow seeks the warmth it cannot sustain, and brightness yearns for the depth it cannot touch. By walking this middle path rooted in your steady light while honoring every hidden corner, we ascend unity within ourselves and in our closest bonds.
JAH
