A To Zen

a little book on the human shadow by Robert Bly (Harper San Francisco, 1988)

Robert Bly is renowned for his ability to transform simple fairy tales, fables, and myths into tools by which readers may explore the hidden world of the self. Imagine Bly as Jacob Marley, the ghostly messenger visiting Ebenezer Scrooge on the eve of his haunting. Marley informs Scrooge that he will experience an unfiltered, unedited screening of his past, present, and future. Scrooge then has a choice: to remain constant, consumed by his infinite umbra, or to change, choosing to harness the shadow energy within him to bring balance, hope, and peace to his life and world.

In A Little Book On the Human Shadow, a collection of essays and interviews, Bly haunts the reader with the ghosts and skeletons locked in the shadowy catacombs of our lives. He challenges us to seek out and open the doors, to understand the energy stored within these secret chambers and the sapping strength it takes to keep them guarded. In the end, readers have a choice: continue to hide and destroy ourselves within the darkness of the human shadow or cast the shadow in balance with our positive light to bring relief and healing to our inner selves, communities, and public spheres.

In "Problems in the Ark," Bly explores the polarization of dark and light energy in the self and in society. He shows how these extreme splits and divisions of light and dark energy create tension between the conscious and unconscious being, internal feelings of pride and justice, and senses of empathy and accountability. Bly paints a stark picture of the polarized self, and in poems such as "The Busy Man Speaks," "Counting Small-Boned Bodies," and "Hatred of Men with Black Hair," we can sense how real this polarization is in our present day. Reading these essays reinforces our awareness of the shadow at work - and realization is the first step toward change.

Bly explores the concepts of repressed energy in "The Long Bag We Drag Behind Us." He offers three metaphors for the way in which we hide ourselves and elements of our inherent energy: the bag, in which we stuff the parts of ourselves that individuals, communities, and nations reject; the film can, into which we capture, compress, and edit negative stereotypes that enable us to cope with our anger; and projection, where we give away parts of ourselves or play them out in the psyches of individuals or groups rather than in ourselves. The larger the bag the less passionate, the less engaged, and less real we are. By reincorporating and reclaiming the shadow material in the bag, we lighten. By engaging the world, we learn that what we see in our movies is not real. The connection with the shadow enables us to reclaim what we have projected unto others. This is the homework prescribed between the lines.

In "Five Stages in Exiling, Hunting, and Retrieving the Shadow," Bly prescribes a paradigm to engage the reclamation of the shadow, the lightening of the soul, and the realization and acceptance of the shadow-bearing self. "Honoring the Shadow: An Interview with William Booth" puts readers in direct contact with the messenger and resets our frame of mind. It reminds us that shadow energy itself is not negative, but by hiding, denying, and projecting, we create negative energy. It also reminds us to think beyond ourselves and to think in terms of broader social and political spheres.

This is one of Bly's major contributions to literature about the human shadow, so prevalent in these troubled times. Bly wants the reader to apply this knowledge and engage in "shadow work" to discover and mine the talents and outlets that the shadow holds. If we fail on this journey, the worst that can happen is that shadow, its energy, and its potential will follow us to our graves. However, there is always hope and it's never too late to begin shadow work. Scrooge was not a spring chicken when Marley rapped on his door, and if you choose to read Bly, no matter where you are in your life, you will be offered a journey of illumination, decision, and consequence. In the end, you too have a choice.
- seth deutsch

Seth Deutsch is an executive at a Fortune 500 software company and spends time working on his shadow as a frustrated poet and writer. He and his fiance, Nadia, have an illegitimate child, Sammy, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He is a Texas resident with strong ties to Columbus and Central Ohio.