The Shadow Effect - a film commentary

Early last week, I attended a showing at the local chapter of the Minnesota Theosophical Society of the film, The Shadow Effect. This movie discusses at length, the idea in Jungian psychology that each of us had a dark side as well as a lighter side. In my view, it did an excellent job of portraying this unpleasant side of each of us, as well as the need to embrace it, rather than suppress it.

The shadow, the dark side, the side that each of us wants to keep hidden, is where the evil in each one of us lurks. It is the stream of thoughts we don't want to admit we have. It is the desire for revenge, the simmering anger, the regret, the various dark thoughts that dog each of us. It is always present, yet in our society it is never embraced.

In the movie, Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford and many others describe how the shadow is simply the other side of the coin, the other end of the teeter totter, etc. It is an inevitable consequence of light shining on our lives - that part where less (or no) light falls. Each of us has some dark corner, some part of our lives where little light falls. Maybe it is an event in the past - a trauma or conflict that haunts us to this day, simmering anger at the boss in a former job, etc. Maybe it is a regret - an old romance that never worked out, a failed class in college, etc. There is an endless number of shadows, plenty to go around for each of us.

In our culture, we try to hide the dark side of our personalities as if they were dirty laundry. We keep them suppressed, holding them under the surface. Yet, like trying to hold a beach ball under water, it takes energy to keep the darkness hidden. Eventually the ball gets away, surfacing. We see corresponding outbursts of anger, jealousy, greed, rage, depression, all of the darkness that mars our social fabric. How can we prevent this breakthrough negativity?

How can we address the rage that simmers beneath, out of sight. According to Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford, etc., the effort to suppress negativity merely makes it stronger. Called the law of polarity, it is the idea that when an influence is suppressed, it grows in energy. That which you oppose, you give energy to. Thus, the best way to resolve an element of darkness in life is to somehow embrace it, to forgive, resolve or otherwise heal the pain behind whatever that influence may be.

The movie further claims that most of the evil in the world can be traced to this same dark side, suppressed on a social level. An example might be the politician who crusades for family values, the sanctity of marriage, etc., but who turns out to have a mistress or number of gay lovers. Another example is the Catholic church, vehemently opposing homosexuality, abortion, contraception, etc., yet at the same time, rocked by scandals involving pedophilia among its own clergy. Again, the dark side lurking within the human subconscious grows stronger, the more it is suppressed - that which we oppose, we energize.

There are further extreme examples of damage done when the dark side runs amok, the ultimate case being that of Hitler, the poster child for the dark side. Yet the movie claims that each of us has a little of this within us. Nearly everyone of us cheats on our diet, sneaks an extra glance at a sexual image or a provocatively attractive body, perhaps even while with spouse and family. It is an inevitable part of the human condition. Only by embracing it can we resolve this paradox of evil showing up when we consciously want only to embrace the positive.

One person pointed out that the movie doesn't say much about how to actually embrace this shadow side, only that this embrace is necessary - the what, but not the how. So in itself, the film was probably insufficient - it raised more questions than it answered. Yet at the same time, isn't this the mark of a good piece of literature? To promote further search, growth and discovery?

To me, The Shadow Effect did a great job of inspiring further inquiry, further learning, further digging into the many opportunities for resolution, growth and healing. It didn't do much to answer those questions, but it did provide an impetus to ask them and to actively seek their answers. Personally, it helped me to shine the light a little bit deeper into my own shadows, a little more illumination of the dark side in each of us - what it called The Shadow Effect.

The Tipping Point

(CL Note: This is a draft of my CE4 Corner article for March/April of 2012)

In recent weeks, now that I am day-job-free, I have continued to delve deeper into activities such as UFO/CE4 research and hypnosis/hypnotherapy. I have found myself attending a quite a few meetings of spiritual-oriented organizations as well as studying meditation in more depth. Perhaps corresponding to our progression toward the end of the calendar year 2012, I have found a common theme among many of these activities, the idea that we are approaching a threshold.

There is a deepening sense of change, accelerating as it reaches a critical mass. The idea is that the more people deepen their psychic and spiritual growth, the more they affect the overall environment around them. At some point in the process, a critical point is reached and the effect becomes self-perpetuating within society as a whole. In systems theory, this is known as the tipping point.

Last month, I began studying Transcendental Meditation. I had flirted with this movement for many years, reading about it, attending a few workshops, etc. Ultimately, I found that other methods were just as effective and their instruction much more affordable. Yet now, I have found that TM has again become quite attractive so I am again studying that tradition, methodology, etc.

One of the teachings in TM is that the effect of meditation on humanity is additive. The more people meditate, the more positive effect it has on the world. Just as I had heard in other schools of new age thought, TM teaches that there is a threshold, a tipping point at which a level of emergence will begin to occur. In the TM teachings, they claim that if one percent of the population meditates regularly, the effect will reach that tipping point.

The study of non-linear mathematics and chaos theory deals with complex, chaotic systems such as chemical reactions, societies, economies, political cultures, world climate, etc. It describes how a system behaves in response to a stress or influence. In politics, a new movement may occur, such as the Occupy movement. In economics, interest rates vary. In the world climate, there is the ominous and ever present greenhouse effect, now reaching (or surpassing) critical levels.

In each case, there often appears to be a key point in the system. When an influence or stress on the system is less than that point, the system's response is limited. It absorbs, resists or responds in a very limited way. A glass of water gets only slightly warmer when heated. The ocean absorbs moderate amounts of carbon dioxide, small changes in interest rates have only limited effect on the economy. Even within a chemical or nuclear reaction, a small adjustment to the inputs has only limited effect on the results.

At some point, however, as the stress or change factor increases, the system begins to reach a critical point. Some element within the system reaches a point of no return. The same glass of water suddenly begins to boil. Climate change reaches a level where greenhouse gas concentrations shoot upward uncontrollably. Interest or default rates drive an economy to collapse (as occurred in 1980 with interest rates and 2008 with defaults). A chemical reaction suddenly takes off and a fire or explosion occurs. These are all examples of the the phenomenon in non-linear systems theory known as the tipping point.

Several recent studies in social theory have found that once a threshold of about ten percent of the population strongly adopts a belief, the belief will take on a life of its own and become a majority view. A recent article in Discovery News describes several studies in which about ten percent of the population strongly hold a particular view sway the majority to their viewpoint. A paper in Physical Review Letters (Phys Rev E), one of the premier journals in physics, describes the mathematics behind this ten-percent tipping point.

Going even further, according to the TM organization, one percent of the population practicing meditation (presumably TM) will produce an aggregate effect on the population overall, decreased crime, etc. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of TM, claimed that if one percent of the people on Earth were to do so, there would be an end to war. They call this (of course) the Maharishi Effect. More recently, they have claimed that, if the square root of that number practices an advanced form of TM, the TM Sidhi program, there will be a deep calming effect on society. Thus, if about 8400 (the square root of 1 percent of 7 billion) people worldwide, practiced advanced TM, this effect would occur.

Whether or not you believe this claim, it offers some very interesting parallels with numbers emerging from close encounter research. In Chapter 9 of The Cosmic Bridge, I explore the idea of psychic and spiritual emergence as one of the side effects of close encounters, where the experiencer finds him/herself becoming more psychics, more deeply spiritual, and more connected with others having similar abilities. Barbara Marx Hubbard describes this idea in detail in her book, Conscious Evolution, where she develops the idea of a social tipping point or state change. When enough people develop an interconnected psychic awareness, the emergence will reach a critical mass and the awakening phenomenon will take on a life of its own, manifesting in overall humanity.

The article, Close Encounters, There May be More than You Think on www.craigrlang.com, discusses the estimate that roughly one percent of the population has had close encounter experiences. In the 1991 Roper Poll (unfortunately, the original poll is no longer posted on-line.) one percent (some analysts say two percent or more) of the population met four of the five criteria to be considered an experiencer. Most of these criteria involve psychic or paranormal events in the life of the experiencer.

Could the two effects be related? Could the Maharishi effect and the emergence effect of close encounters be related phenomena? If genuine, could they stem from the same mathematics, as described by Barbara Marx Hubbard? If so, then why would only one percent be required in the Maharishi effect, whereas in social theory, a critical mass of ten percent of the population is required? Furthermore, how can only a miniscule percent of the population, about eight thousand out of 7 Billion, force a critical change? Perhaps the effect is compounded, a small percentage of a distinct sub-population eventually tipping that segment, which in turn causes the overall population to reach the critical point.

In recent conversations comparing notes with other close encounter researchers, many of us have noted that the phenomenon seems to be steadily expanding in scope. David Jacobs claims that it is expanding geometrically through family lines. My own gut feel is that the expansion is much slower, but definitely present - perhaps expanding to between two and five percent of the population. If this psychic emergence effect is genuine, then is there a critical point in which a sufficient number being affected will bring about a tipping point within humanity at large?

Could the phenomenon actually be attempting to affect ten percent of the population? When I ask sighting witnesses whether they have had any additional sightings or experiences - UFO sightings, psychic events or other unusual occurrences in their lives, a majority state that they have had at least some psychic experience ability. If the percentage of people having had UFO sightings is representative of the population as a whole, then perhaps a growing percentage of the population is indeed being affected by this emergence phenomenon (an admittedly seat-of-the-pants observation).

Much remains to be validated about these claims. Yet if true, they suggest that the close encounter phenomenon might have a very definite goal - bringing some form of psychic or spiritual awakening to a critical mass of the population. An intriguing experiment would be to organize a new survey of experiences, equivalent to the 1991 Roper poll, to see if the numbers of experiencers has changed in the last twenty years. This could be an interesting test of the hypothesis that the UFO/CE4 phenomenon is somehow involved with this emergence effect.

Is the phenomenon, and its apparent corresponding emergence effects, growing in a deliberate way toward a critical point in society? And is this similar to the so-called Maharishi effect? These questions can only be answered with further research and investigation. Meanwhile, we find the number of experiencers growing, perhaps reaching and exceeding that all-important point in our society called the tipping point.

A new morning

Sat up wayyyy to late last night, watching the Ancient Aliens marathon on History International channel (now called H2). I'm not sure if I just wasn't tired, or if my mind was busy working on something. But for some reason, I just could not get myself to go to bed.

Then I got a (probably) crank phone call - well after Midnight (see my last post). That didn't help. So I sat up, intrigued as I watched the show describe a couple of archaeological mysteries I hadn't known of before. It was about 2AM when I finally planked out and needless to say, I wasn't exactly bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning when my two pups woke me up, needing to go outside.

It's a beautiful morning outside. Clear, crisp, not a cloud in the sky, a day that seems to expand one's horizons. And as I sit here plinking away on my laptop, somehow my world view is just a bit bigger, cheerier than it was last night.

They say there are four emotional stages as one deals with a life transition - denial/bargaining, depression, anger and acceptance. Transition can include loss, death, or some other change. In my case, that change is moving from a steady job in a cubicle in corporate America, to freelance work. None of the transitions effects have hit me all that hard, yet at times late at night I find myself sitting up wondering that the heck I am doing?

Another analogy I've heard is that it is like the difference between being a house pet and being a wild animal. Well, now, I guess I'm in the wilderness, and at times, it can be a bit insecure out here...

This week, I bought some advertising on YellowPages.com, and on Facebook. I added some more downloads to my storefront. I did several other things to promote my business. I've done most of the easy stuff and now, at least to some degree, I need to wait for the Universe to do its part. And the feeling I have had in the mean time - now what...?

Another little piece of metaphysical wisdom I've heard - you can't control outcomes. Only intentions. Indeed, this is the case. All I can do at this point is cast my bread upon the waters - and keep casting - advertising, speaking, networking - and hopefully, the Universe will do its part.

Meanwhile, as I'm promoting and waiting, I find a myriad of other things that need to get done - and nearly all involve staring at my laptop. Few if any get me out from within the walls of my home/studio. I look forward to just about any excuse to get out, meet somebody, talk with people, socialize. Especially today, when the state MUFON chapter meets and I look forward to, seeing a few people in the UFO world I haven't talked with for a while.

Anticipation - A nice day. It's pretty outside, the start of sunny, crisp day in late winter, not yet spring. After a late night, it's a new morning.

Another late night call

I was sitting in my living room, watching Ancient Aliens on the History channel. It was about half-past Midnight when my cell phone rang. Looking at the caller ID on my cell phone, it read "blocked". Nevertheless, for better or for worse, I answered it.

The woman on the other end sounded frantic. I asked her what had happened and she told me, she had just been abducted. She was driving home from somewhere when she rounded a bend. There they were. She recounted to me several other details which sounded a lot like many classic abduction accounts.

It was one of those late night judgement calls. Had this woman just had a frightening abduction experience, or was she a late night prankster giving me BS? This sounded a lot like a number of other calls I've gotten, all in the middle of the night and all from young adults. It was not too dissimilar to the guy who called me when the aliens landed in front of him in the parking lot (see last month's CE4 corner), I didn't know what to think. This time, I suspected she was pulling my leg and I was in no mood to have my leg pulled - it was stretched enough already.

I asked her a few questions, my mind scrambling to find the right things to ask to learn details, provide assistance and remain empathetic, while at the same time, checking the story for consistency. Scramble, scramble, I asked her to continue with her account - she did...

I asked her to back up and tell me again what had happened. She started to recount her story once more, how she had been on the road and there they were. I asked her what happened next. She described how she had been taken aboard and had had salsa, chips and dip (it was Velveeta, but the aliens were OK with that). What was going on here?

I was quite at a loss as to what to ask or say next. I told her that this didn't make sense to me. Clearly this person needed to talk to a local investigator. I said that, not sure what to make of this. She got angry and asked me if I had ever been on board a ship - no I hadn't.
She spouted a few obscenities and said I was a doubter, just like all the others. And at that point, she was right - I was.

Yet what if she was telling me the truth? Was this a mental health issue? Was this a late night prank? I really didn't know. But if she came off to others in the same way she had just done to me, I have no doubt that she had encountered a wall of skepticism. Calling in the middle of the night, then blowing up at the person they are talking to when their account contained a rather bizarre logical inconsistency - yeah, I was skeptical.

I thanked her for her time and hung up the phone, hearing one final obscenity as I hit the disconnect button. Did I do the right thing? I try to give the caller the benefit of the doubt. But this time, my intuition told me that the person was - well, I'm not sure what. Was it the right thing to do? I will never know....