What if our relentless pursuit of light is the very thing creating our deepest darkness? What if every virtue we desperately cling to is secretly producing the very evil we claim to oppose?
In this essential episode of "The (all) Unknowing," we explore the fundamental law that created the Hollow Senex and governs all consciousness: The Shadow. Through a deceptively simple two-line parable about light and darkness, we uncover the psychological engine driving both personal neurosis and collective manipulation.
This episode reveals:
- Why "a sun" (any rigid belief or ideology) inevitably creates proportional darkness
- The mechanism of enantiodromia—how all things turn into their opposite when pushed to extremes
- How tyrants weaponize this principle, creating artificial "suns" to cast monstrous collective shadows
- The difference between artificial brightness (perfectionism) and divine luminescence (wholeness)
- The alchemical secret of integration—becoming like the noon sun that casts no shadow
- The path from the illusion of clarity to genuine wisdom beyond good and evil
This is not abstract philosophy but urgent medicine for our time. It reveals why our "enlightened" civilization creates such profound darkness, and offers the only cure: the courage to face our own shadows and achieve genuine wholeness. The episode ends with three penetrating questions designed to begin your own shadow work immediately.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage
Rewarded for bravery that goes above and beyond the call of duty, the Medal of Honor is the United States’ top military decoration. The stories we tell are about the heroes who have distinguished themselves by acts of heroism and courage that have saved lives. From Judith Resnik, the second woman in space, to Daniel Daly, one of only 19 people to have received the Medal of Honor twice, these are stories about those who have done the improbable and unexpected, who have sacrificed something in the name of something much bigger than themselves. Every Wednesday on Medal of Honor, uncover what their experiences tell us about the nature of sacrifice, why people put their lives in danger for others, and what happens after you’ve become a hero. Special thanks to series creator Dan McGinn, to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and Adam Plumpton. Medal of Honor begins on May 28. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear ad-free episodes one week early. Find Pushkin+ on the Medal of Honor show page in Apple or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com