There is strong shadow where there is much light.
Carl Jung wrote, “Be silent and listen: have you recognized your madness and do you admit it? Have you noticed that all your foundations are completely mired in madness? Do you not want to recognize your madness and welcome it in a friendly manner?
You wanted to accept everything. So accept madness too. Let the light of your madness shine, and it will suddenly dawn on you. Madness is not to be despised and not to be feared, but instead, you should give it life…
If you want to find paths, you should also not spurn madness, since it makes up such a great part of your nature…
Be glad that you can recognize it, for you will thus avoid becoming its victim. Madness is a special form of the spirit and clings to all teachings and philosophies, but even more to daily life, since life itself is full of craziness and at bottom utterly illogical.
Man strives toward reason only so that he can make rules for himself. Life itself has no rules. That is its mystery and its unknown law. What you call knowledge is an attempt to impose something comprehensible on life.”
Leaning into Your Shadow
Jung’s words speaks to the essential relationship between the rational mind and what society considers madness, suggesting that our attempt to compartmentalize and reject our “madness” actually makes us more vulnerable to being controlled by it.
By acknowledging and even welcoming the irrational, chaotic, and seemingly “crazy” aspects of our psyche, we paradoxically gain more agency and self-awareness. This acceptance doesn’t mean surrendering to destructive impulses, but rather developing a more complete and honest relationship with the full spectrum of our consciousness.
Jung challenges our cultural obsession with appearing rational and controlled, pointing out that life itself defies logical categorization. When we try to force life into neat, comprehensible boxes through what we call “knowledge,” we often create a false sense of security that ultimately limits our experience and understanding.
By recognizing that madness is woven into the fabric of existence – in our daily lives, our spiritual practices, our philosophies, and our attempts to make sense of the world – we can begin to dance with it rather than fight against it.
This perspective invites us to hold our certainties more lightly and approach life with both wisdom and wonder, understanding that our human drive to create order through reason is itself a beautiful but ultimately limited response to the magnificent chaos of being alive.
The Light Always Returns
Yes, along with your brilliant light, there is a long shadow. For nature seeks balance. Can you learn to accept your shadow and not resist? Just witness it. Follow the breadcrumbs. You are learning new insights into consciousness and personal development.
Faith and patience will see you back to the light. And you will have brought with you the work your soul will next explore.
This is the treasure of the dark night of the soul. There isn’t just one in a lifetime. Each one is different and offers new riches to be mined. I promise you won’t be swallowed. Surrender and float back to the light in due course.
