After reading your story, I felt curiously intrigued and unpleasantly nudged at the same time. The former is linked to the fact that I am following my own spiritual journey, so I could relate to many parts of your story. The latter is a combination of two instances simultaneously at work: our shadows.

I find it difficult to fathom that someone can get rid of her/his shadow entirely, as there is always the eternal unconscious present, doing what it does best: giving us the life lessons that we need to learn at the appropriate moment.

The unpleasant nudging originates from both your tendency to — at times — fall into the trap of absolutisms and my ego that is not yet ready to relinquish some of the forms of escapism I still engage in.

Overall, I find it a stimulating article. And it reminds me of my article “Consciously Holding Space in Dialogue”, that describes the underlying dynamics of dialogue, and how not engaging in the psychoanalytic conception of projection can foster more constructive conversations, leading eventually to a more peaceful global society.