Tales of Projection and Its Dangers
Today I’d like to demystify what projection really means, and nothing better than to tell some stories about it.
Well, first of all, we need to understand that our psyche has the tendency to split and dissociate. And precisely because of that, the phenomenon of projection is possible.
Another thing is to realize that we’ll meet all contents of our soul first projected onto the outer world, and by relating to them, their integration is possible.
My dad was a pastor in a Christian church, needless to say, growing up in that environment left its scares.
The first was that we’re basically all a piece of shit, and without the grace of god we are doomed, lol.
On a more serious note now, Christianity doesn’t have any representations of our emotional, instinctual, earthly, and Dionysian side. By relating solely to the Trinity and the masculine aspect, we neglect our feminine and natural side.
Half of us is completely shattered, and we lose our humanity.
We learn that sex is a sin and every desire we possess makes us an evil being that needs to ask for forgiveness. Obviously, people need to keep their urges in check, so they become even more dogmatic, repressing, even more, their true self.
Well, this fanatical behavior actually has its roots in major doubt, they secretly feel that if they can convert people their doubts will cease.
Dogmas can also have another interesting effect. We learn that the Christian god is pure, has absolutely no evil, and is benevolent, it’s one-dimensional. If we look at Hinduism, for instance, they have Shiva, which is the “destructive” side of god.
Anyway, as Christians, we learn to project evil outside of us, onto the devil. So, if you go really deep in it, every sinful desire you may possess is actually caused by an external source.
Emotions are so repressed that you can’t recognize them inside you, only outside. And when something is unconscious it always acquires a bizarre, compulsive, and “possessive” quality.
That’s where things start to go sour.
The first step of projection is actually IDENTIFICATION. You can’t accept that you possess such instincts, so you start to see evil in everyone that possesses a different faith, or is actually acting upon their feelings.
When you’re in this level things get really twisted, it’s as if you’re seeing the world through these devilish lenses, a happy couple can look evil simply because they aren’t married.
And this is the most dangerous level, that’s why we have so many wars, prejudice, sexism, and racism. Instead of facing your own soul, you try to destroy your inferiorities on the outside.
At a young age, I’d learned to despise girls that were sexually active or anyone that didn’t possess the same faith. I had absolutely no awareness.
It reached a point where my soul was so repressed that I was feeling constantly anxious and depressed. Suddenly something inside me couldn’t take it anymore, and I just rebelled against everything.
I started to figure things out by myself, and I learned that I was also capable of being evil, and I even may have gone through some dangerous paths…
It’s only when you start to recognize and accept that you also possess the contents you’ve been seeing in other people, that the spell starts to break and you reach the PROJECTION level.
Once you face your shadow you begin to bring its contents to the light of consciousness, thus integrating and transforming them.
When you’re able to accept that you’re capable of being evil and consciously choosing not to be and differentiate what really belongs to you, and what belongs to other people then you’re maturing.
This post got way deeper than I was expecting, and I hope you enjoyed it.
Rafael Krüger
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