I wrote last time that Jung's approach to humility deserves its own post:

Modern men cannot find God because they will not look low enough.

Here's the first piece of that post.

Look low enough by confronting the darkness in your personal hell.

Humility demands that you fix the problems in your own mind and life before trying to save the world. It is necessary to inspect the lens before you examine the territory. It is necessary to develop competence and purity of heart in humbler realms before seeking world-changing power. The world will fight you with everything it has - a single crack in your own defenses is mission-critical.

All of these are good reasons to conquer your own shadow. Would you trust someone without a shadow?

Here are two more essential reasons to take care of yourself and conquer your shadow before, or at least concurrently with, embarking on a heroic mission.

The first is that you will learn the power of attention by staring straight into the abyss. There is a handicap attached to this: every danger you leave unattended gets worse. Like gasses, shadows grow to fill the space they're in.

The second is another rule of Jung, that the Golden Rule is symmetric. Treat yourself with the respect a human being deserves.

Shadow is Gaseous

This post from Jessica Taylor brought this exquisite detail from Christopher Alexander to my attention:

A public space without a middle is quite likely to stay empty.
…
if there is a reasonable area in the middle, intended for public use, it will be wasted unless there are trees, monuments, seats, fountains—a place where people can protect their backs, as easily as they can around the edge.

The implication is that public spaces must be designed around the fundamental psychological drive to protect your back. Anything behind your back, you cannot watch. Its threat level shoots through the roof. For all you know, every tree, boulder, and passerby behind your back is tiptoeing towards you, knife in hand, waiting for you to let down your guard.

[Necessary trigger warning] SCP-173 is the first horror in the game SCP: Containment Breach. SCP stands for Secure, Contain, Protect.

Special Containment Procedures: Item SCP-173 is to be kept in a locked container at all times. When personnel must enter SCP-173's container, no fewer than 3 may enter at any time and the door is to be relocked behind them. At all times, two p

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Jungian Philosophy/Psychology